Effects of backing board materials on wood combustion performance

Abstract

Cone calorimeter tests show that backing board materials do not affect the ignition time, initial heat release rate, or the total heat released of combustion for redwood slabs. However, it has been observed that backing board materials alter combustion performance by altering the secondary heat release peak observed when the pyrolysis reaction front nears the unheated side of the wooden slab. This occurs because the presence of backing board materials provides different boundary conditions on the unheated side of the wooden slab. In this paper, a detailed pyrolysis model is used to examine the processes by which backing board materials alter the combustion performance. This model is validated using cone calorimeter data for redwood slabs, and is used to give a qualitative discussion of the impact of various backing board materials on combustion performance.

Citation

Hagge, Mathew J.; Bryden, Kenneth M.; Dietenberger, Mark A. 2004. Effects of backing board materials on wood combustion performance. In: Proceedings of the Wood & Fire Safety 5th International Scientific Conference. Slovak Republic: Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, Technical University of Zvolen: 51-58.