Wood and plastic are diversely used architectural materials. Each characteristic and structure the wood and plastic has is various and complicated, so it is difficult to understand the combustion behavior and the pyrolysis becomes different according ...
Wood and plastic are diversely used architectural materials. Each characteristic and structure the wood and plastic has is various and complicated, so it is difficult to understand the combustion behavior and the pyrolysis becomes different according to each characteristic and structure is an important consideration.
Therefore, thermal characteristic and smoke (dynamic) characteristic was checked using Cone Calorimeter according to the ISO 5660-1 standard and smoke (static) characteristic was checked using Smoke Density Chamber according to the ISO 5659-2 selecting Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir), Betula platyphylla (Birch), Quercus rubra (Red oak), Quercus alba (White oak) among the wood and Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polyethylene (PE), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polyoxymethylene (Polyacetal) among the plastics in this study. Then, evaluated the fire hazard more clearly by executing overall analysis and evaluation of the fire hazard of the wood and plastic. Fire hazard was separated as heat and smoke and Fire Performance Index (FPI) and Fire Growth Index (FGI) were analyzed for overall analysis and evaluation of the heat and Smoke Performance Index (SPI), Smoke Growth Index (SGI) and Smoke Intensity (SI) were analyzed for overall analysis and evaluation of the smoke.
Based on the result to measure the heat characteristic of the wood, 625 kg/m3 of bulk density and 13.1% of water content are high, but 0.259 g/s of peak Mass Loss Rate (MLRpeak) and 417.26 kW/m2 of peak Heat Release Rate (HRRpeak) are highest, so the fire hazard is high for birch due to its heat characteristic and high combustible structure. Based on the result to measure smoke (dynamic) characteristic, the smoke hazard of red oak showing highest 0.022 m2/s of peak Smoke Production Rate (SPRpeak) and 2.63 [m2/s]/m2 of Rate of Smoke Release (RSR) is the highest.
Based on the characteristic of the product of combustion, CO occurrence concentration (ppm) of red oak is most highly occurred as 101 ppm, and CO2 occurrence concentration (%) of birch is most highly occurred as 1.193%. These are all allowable in the toxic standard value of the Notification of the National Fire Agency. Based on the result to measure smoke (static), 103.77 of Maximum Density of Smoke (Dm) in flaming type for birch shows highest smoke hazard and 1320 of Maximum Density of Smoke (Dm) in non-flaming type for red oak is the highest.
Based on the result to measure the heat characteristic, PMMA shows 0.377 g/s of peak Mass Loss Rate (MLRpeak) and 1154.72 kW/m2 of peak Heat Release Rate (HRRpeak) as highest, so the fire hazard is the highest due to its liquid combustion behavior. Based on the smoke (dynamic) characteristic, 0.113 m2/s for PVC and 0.108 m2/s for PC in peak Smoke Production Rate highest in order and largely occurred as 12.80 [m2/s]/m2 for PVC and 12.18 [m2/s]/m2 for PC in Rate of Smoke Release (RSR). It is judged because of back effect due to the charcoal formation.
Based on the result to measure the characteristic of the product of combustion, 42.01 ppm for PE as smallest and 534.18 ppm for PVC as largest occurred in CO occurrence concentration. It shows that these all are lower than the toxic standard value of the Notification of the National Fire Agency, 1400 ppm. 0.3% for PVC as lowest and 3.659% for PMMA as largest in CO2 occurrence concentration. These are all allowable in the toxic standard value of the Notification of the National Fire Agency, less than 5%. Based on the result to measure smoke (static), 982.55 of Maximum Density of Smoke (Dm) in flaming type for PC shows highest smoke hazard and 671.29 of Maximum Density of Smoke (Dm) in non-flaming type for PE is the highest.
In conclusion, based on overall analysis for fire hazard, 0.043 s·m2/kW for Fire Performance Index (FPI) value of birch is low and fire hazard is high, and 0.023 s·m2/kW for the FPI value of PMMA and has high fire hazard among plastic in heat part. 1.517 kW/m2·s of Fire Growth Index (FGI) for birch and it has highest fire hazard. Also, both wood and plastic are not suitable to the standard of limited combustible material and incombustible materials. Then, based on the result of overall analysis for smoke hazard, 900 s2/m2 of Smoke Performance Index (SPI) for birch is low, so smoke hazard is high, and 15333 s2/m2 for PE is exceptionally higher than other woods and plastics, so the smoke hazard is lowest. 0.000075 m2/s2 for red oak and 0.000418 m2/s2 for PC in Smoke Growth Index (SGI), so the smoke hazard is highest, and 0.000004 m2/s2 for PE and the smoke hazard is lowest. With Smoke Intensity (SI), the tendency of the smoke can be generated in actual fire can be expected, and 5.6 MW/kg for red oak as largest occurrence, and 188.17 MW/kg for PMMA as largest occurrence, so it can be expected the smoke hazard is high. Therefore, above data is used as basic data necessary for fire simulation, fire resistance design, architecture design and so on and would like to help to reduce the damage of human life.