Warehouse commodity classification from fundamental principles. Part I: Commodity &amp; burning rates

Gollner, Michael J.; Overholt, Kristopher J.; Williams, Forman A.; Rangwala, Ali S.; Perricone, Jonathan

doi:10.1016/j.firesaf.2011.03.002

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This constitutes a standard item used for sprinkler testing in the fire-protection industry [3]. Distinct stages of burning were identified, first involving the outer corrugated cardboard alone, then inner packaging material, and last the stored polystyrene as well [4]. It is during the first stage of this burning, involving upward spread over a vertical surface of corrugated cardboard, that the greatest potential for extinguishing a warehouse fire initatied by this type of combustion presents itself.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upward flame spread over corrugated cardboard

Gollner

Williams

Rangwala

2011

Combustion and Flame

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As part of a study of the combustion of boxes of commodities, rates of upward flame spread during early-stage burning were observed during experiments on wide samples of corrugated cardboard. The rate of spread of the flame front, defined by the burning pyrolysis region, was determined by visually averaging the pyrolysis front position across the fuel surface. The resulting best fit produced a power-law progression of the pyrolysis front, x p = At n , where x p is the average height of the pyrolysis front at time t, n = 3/2, and A is a constant. This result corresponds to a slower acceleration than was obtained in previous measurements and theories (e.g. n = 2), an observation which suggests that development of an alternative description of the upward flame spread rate over wide, inhomogeneous materials may be worth studying for applications such as warehouse fires. Based upon the experimental results and overall conservation principles it is hypothesized that the non-homogeneity of the cardboard helped to reduce the acceleration of the upward spread rates by physically disrupting flow in the boundary layer close to the vertical surface and thereby modifying heating rates of the solid fuel above the pyrolysis region. As a result of this phenomena, a distinct difference was observed between scalings of peak flame heights, or maximum "flame tip" measurements and the average location of the flame. The results yield alternative scalings that may be better applicable to some situations encountered in practice in warehouse fires.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upward flame spread over corrugated cardboard

Gollner

Williams

Rangwala

2011

Combustion and Flame

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“…It is assumed that the rack stores Group A plastic (see NFPA 13 [20] for commodity classification) which in most cases represents a worst-case storage commodity [21]. Further details on the burning behavior of the commodity are reported elsewhere [21][22][23]. For the purpose of this study, control is defined as the condition where given ignition, and consequent flame spread, sufficient sprinklers (both in-rack and ceiling) activate and dispense adequate water such that the adjacent commodity (target array shown in Fig.…”

Section: Problem Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing the impact of in-rack sprinklers in a warehouse fire: A demonstration of the role optimization has in mitigating damage

Trapp

Rangwala

2015

Fire Safety Journal

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“…The corrugated cardboard used in these tests was identical to the configuration and thickness that is used to package standard Group A plastics, and of the same type used in the small-scale tests that were performed by the authors in Part I [2]. The corrugated cardboard samples were of a type 'C' flute with a nominal thickness of 4 mm and 135 flutes per meter width [37] as shown in Figure 4(a).…”

Section: Experimental Setup and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The motivation for this study was a series of recent losses in large warehouse storage facilities. In most of these incidents, which were reviewed in Part I of this paper, the facilities were protected by automatic sprinkler systems that were installed in accordance with their respective current codes and standards [2]. The negative impacts of these devastating fire incidents were felt by the occupants, firefighters, insurance interests, and local environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%