- Author
-
Ohlemiller, T. J.
- Title
- Forced Smolder Propagation and the Transition to Flaming in Cellulosic Insulation. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- Department of Energy, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NBSIR 85-3212,
October 1985,
49 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- DE-AI01-76PRO6010
DE-AI05-850R21513
- Keywords
-
air flow
|
cellulosic materials
|
insulation
|
smoldering
- Abstract
- It is well known that a smoldering fuel responds to an increased oxygen supply by becoming faster and hotter until, eventually, flames erupt. This sequence is examined quantitatively for thick horizontal layers of a permeable fuel, i.e., cellulosic insulation. Two configurations are possible, forward and reverse smolder; both are investigated experimentally. The influence of combustion retardants is also examined; these include boric acid, a smolder retardant, and borax, a flaming retardant. Both prevent the transition to flaming in the absence of adjacent flammable material but are less effective in its presence. The overall response of these various fuel mixtures and configurations suggests that both kinetics and oxygen supply rate (not the latter alone) play substantial roles in dictating smolder response to an air flow.