Study on the Combustion Characteristics of Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) for Use as Interior Building Materials

In this study, the combustion characteristics of the Tulip tree, which is the representative broad-leaved afforestation tree in Korea, were analyzed. The flame retardant performance of the Tulip tree was analyzed by analyzing combustion characteristics on a total of three test samples; flame retardant treated, both flame retardant and oil stain-treated, and untreated. Then the flame retardance grade was classified for each of them. According to the result, test samples showed the strongest flame retardance were in order of flame retardant treated (C), both flame retardant and oil stain-treated (B), and untreated (A). As a result of analyzing the total heat emission and maximum heat emission rates, which is the evaluation standard for interior materials of Korean domestic buildings, test samples with flame retardant treat or flame retardant and oil stain treat were qualified for the flame-retardant standard. Both flame retardant and oil stain-treated samples showed higher total heat release (THR) and heat release rate compared to flame retardant-treated samples as the oil causes combustion with oxygen. On the other hand, they didn’t qualify the THR in Quasi-non-combustible standards. To determine the correlation between the physical and combustion characteristics of wood, the combustion characteristics of other diffuse porous wood species, with which the Tulip tree is affiliated were analyzed, and noticed that the characteristic correlates with the density and quantity of wood. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic information on the combustion characteristics of the Tulip tree.