Differences between Free and Compartment Burning of Furniture Part 2 Maximum Heat Release Rate and Fire Growth Rate

Abstract

As a sequel to Part 1, based on the experimentally obtained time history of the heat release rate of the flammable material, this report presents the change of the heat release rate of flammable materials, such as a legless chair and a sofa in free burning (open space) and compartment burning (enclosed space) conditions. Regarding the curve of the heat release rate (hereinafter, HHR curve), the increasing heat release rate can be expressed by the fire growth rate and the maximum heat release rate. However, it is uncertain how the fire growth rate and the maximum heat release rate change when the burning occurs in open space and inside a compartment. Therefore, in this report, a method for estimating the increased portion of the fire growth was developed in order to create a simplified model of the heat release rate curve, such as determining the calculation method of the fire growth and the maximum heat release rate. This method makes use of a variable defined as the radiative heat transfer from the smoke layer and the compartmental walls due to the combustion of a legless chair and a sofa inside the compartment.