Infrasound produced by a small pile fire

Abstract

We document the characteristics of infrasound from a compact (<3-m burn diameter) wood pile fire using arrays located at 50 and 600 m. Infrasound from our controlled burn is present throughout the entire near-infrasound range (1–20 Hz), but its peak infrasound energy trends from 1.3 to 1 Hz over an hour correlating with a transition from relatively tall and narrow flame to a broader pile of coals with shorter flame. Observed infrasound frequencies correlate with flame flickering – quantified through spectral analysis of video – suggesting that flame and gas pulsing is the mechanism for the <2 Hz infrasound. Although the amplitude of the pile fire infrasound is low (<0.1 Pa at 50 m) it is a stationary source and detectable using array processing at 600 m. Given this demonstrated capability for remote surveillance of a small fire we contend that remote infrasound monitoring has potential application for larger wildfires.

Citation

​Johnson, J.B.; Anderson, J.F.; Yedinak, K. 2025. Infrasound produced by a small pile fire. Applied Acoustics. 231: 110559. 8 p. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2025.110559.