DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A PYROLYSIS MODEL FOR FLEXIBLE POLYURETHANE FOAM

Abstract

Flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF) is a common material contained in household goods such as upholstered furniture and mattresses, which are known to significantly contribute to fire growth. An accurate prediction of fire development on FPUF containing items requires knowledge of FPUF pyrolysis and combustion properties. These properties include reaction kinetic parameters, thermodynamic parameters, and thermal transport properties. While many past studies focused on the thermal decomposing mechanism and thermodynamic properties of the reactions, the thermal transport properties have not been determined. In this study, a complete pyrolysis model of FPUF was developed by extending the thermal decomposition model from a previous study. The thermal transport properties were obtained using inverse modeling of the Controlled Atmosphere Pyrolysis Apparatus II experimental data. The complete model was validated against cone calorimetry data and found to perform in an adequate manner.