One- and two-sided burning of thermally thin materials

✍ Scribed by T. Ohlemiller; J. Shields

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 841 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0308-0501
• DOI: 10.1002/fam.810170302

✦ Synopsis

The rate of heat release from a thermally thin material burning on both sides will be more than twice the value seen when only one side is burning. Two simplified models demonstrate that this is a consequence of the Arrhenius temperature dependence of the gasification rate of the solid. Experiments carried out on three composite materials over a range of incident heat fluxes confirm this effect. It is inferred that a further consequence of this heat release enhancement is an increased tendency for concurrent flame spread in the two-sided burning case. Materials whose application could lead to two-sided burning should thus be assessed in this mode to obtain a true picture of their flammability potential.