- Author
- Lee, T. G. | Loftus, J. J. | Gross, D.
- Title
- Effect of Moisture on Surface Flammability of Coated and Uncoated Cellulosic Materials. Elements.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Book or Conf
- American Society for Testing and Materials. Moisture in Materials in Relation to Fire Tests. Annual Meeting, 67th. ASTM STP 385. June 24, 1965, American Society for Testing and Materials, PA, Chicago, IL, 112-123 p., 1965
- Keywords
- moisture | fire tests | cellulosic materials | moisture content | flammability | surface heat | infrared detectors | thermal inertia | fiberboards | hardboard | equations | surface temperature | flame spread
- Abstract
- A method is described for the rapid in situ determination of the thermal inertia for surface heating of materials using a sensitive infrared detector. Experimental measurements are given of the effect of moisture content on the thermal inertia and on the surface flammability of selected cellulosic materials conditioned to equlibrium at relative humidities ranging from 0 to 99 percent. It is shown that (1) the thermal inertia of uncoated hardboard and fiberboard material can be represented as a linear function of its moisture content, (2) if the appropriate thermal properties are used, the flame-spread factor is inversely proportional to thermal inertia, and (3) the unbroken surface film of coated materials results in a lower ignition sensitivity than that predicted on the basis of thermal inertia.