Fire Protection Engineering Research Works
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1659
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Item Pyrolysis Model Development for a Multilayer Floor Covering(MDPI, 2015-09-14) McKinnon, Mark B.; Stoliarov, Stanislav I.Comprehensive pyrolysis models that are integral to computational fire codes have improved significantly over the past decade as the demand for improved predictive capabilities has increased. High fidelity pyrolysis models may improve the design of engineered materials for better fire response, the design of the built environment, and may be used in forensic investigations of fire events. A major limitation to widespread use of comprehensive pyrolysis models is the large number of parameters required to fully define a material and the lack of effective methodologies for measurement of these parameters, especially for complex materials. The work presented here details a methodology used to characterize the pyrolysis of a low-pile carpet tile, an engineered composite material that is common in commercial and institutional occupancies. The studied material includes three distinct layers of varying composition and physical structure. The methodology utilized a comprehensive pyrolysis model (ThermaKin) to conduct inverse analyses on data collected through several experimental techniques. Each layer of the composite was individually parameterized to identify its contribution to the overall response of the composite. The set of properties measured to define the carpet composite were validated against mass loss rate curves collected at conditions outside the range of calibration conditions to demonstrate the predictive capabilities of the model. The mean error between the predicted curve and the mean experimental mass loss rate curve was calculated as approximately 20% on average for heat fluxes ranging from 30 to 70 kW·m−2, which is within the mean experimental uncertainty.Item Development of a Semiglobal Reaction Mechanism for the Thermal Decomposition of a Polymer Containing Reactive Flame Retardants: Application to Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polybutylene Terephthalate Blended with Aluminum Diethyl Phosphinate and Melamine Polyphosphate(MDPI, 2018-10-12) Ding, Yan; Stoliarov, Stanislav I.; Kraemer, Roland H.This work details a methodology for parameterization of the kinetics and thermodynamics of the thermal decomposition of polymers blended with reactive additives. This methodology employs Thermogravimetric Analysis, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Microscale Combustion Calorimetry, and inverse numerical modeling of these experiments. Blends of glass-fiber-reinforced polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) with aluminum diethyl phosphinate and melamine polyphosphate were used to demonstrate this methodology. These additives represent a potent solution for imparting flame retardancy to PBT. The resulting lumped-species reaction model consisted of a set of first- and second-order (two-component) reactions that defined the rate of gaseous pyrolyzate production. The heats of reaction, heat capacities of the condensed-phase reactants and products, and heats of combustion of the gaseous products were also determined. The model was shown to reproduce all aforementioned experiments with a high degree of detail. The model also captured changes in the material behavior with changes in the additive concentrations. Second-order reactions between the material constituents were found to be necessary to reproduce these changes successfully. The development of such models is an essential milestone toward the intelligent design of flame retardant materials and solid fuels.Item Polyisocyanurate Foam Pyrolysis and Flame Spread Modeling(MDPI, 2021-04-13) Chaudhari, Dushyant M.; Stoliarov, Stanislav I.; Beach, Mark W.; Suryadevara, Kali A.Polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam is a robust thermal insulation material utilized widely in the modern construction. In this work, the flammability of one representative example of this material was studied systematically using experiments and modeling. The thermal decomposition of this material was analyzed through thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and microscale combustion calorimetry. The thermal transport properties of the pyrolyzing foam were evaluated using Controlled Atmosphere Pyrolysis Apparatus II experiments. Cone calorimetry tests were also carried out on the foam samples to quantify the contribution of the blowing agent (contained within the foam) to its flammability, which was found to be significant. A complete pyrolysis property set was developed and was shown to accurately predict the results of all aforementioned measurements. The foam was also subjected to full-scale flame spread tests, similar to the Single Burning Item test. A previously developed modeling approach based on a coupling between detailed pyrolysis simulations and a spatially-resolved relationship between the total heat release rate and heat feedback from the flame, derived from the experiments on a different material in the same experimental setup, was found to successfully predict the evolution of the heat release rate measured in the full-scale tests on the PIR foam.Item Development of a Semiglobal Reaction Mechanism for the Thermal Decomposition of a Polymer Containing Reactive Flame Retardants: Application to Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polybutylene Terephthalate Blended with Aluminum Diethyl Phosphinate and Melamine Polyphosphate(MDPI, 2018-09-17) Ding, Yan; Stoliarov, Stanislav I.; Kraemer, Roland H.This work details a methodology for parameterization of the kinetics and thermodynamics of the thermal decomposition of polymers blended with reactive additives. This methodology employs Thermogravimetric Analysis, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Microscale Combustion Calorimetry, and inverse numerical modeling of these experiments. Blends of glass-fiber-reinforced polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) with aluminum diethyl phosphinate and melamine polyphosphate were used to demonstrate this methodology. These additives represent a potent solution for imparting flame retardancy to PBT. The resulting lumped-species reaction model consisted of a set of first- and second-order (two-component) reactions that defined the rate of gaseous pyrolyzate production. The heats of reaction, heat capacities of the condensed-phase reactants and products, and heats of combustion of the gaseous products were also determined. The model was shown to reproduce all aforementioned experiments with a high degree of detail. The model also captured changes in the material behavior with changes in the additive concentrations. Second-order reactions between the material constituents were found to be necessary to reproduce these changes successfully. The development of such models is an essential milestone toward the intelligent design of flame retardant materials and solid fuels.