Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

An analytical model was developed to describe the processes involved in the burning and extinction of solid materials. Included are flame heat transfer, charring, transient conduction, and water application, The model qualitatively describes the burning rate of both charring and thermoplastic-like solids. It illustrates how the steady-state heat of gasification can be derived from peak burning rate test data taken as a function of irradiance. Experimental data are shown to support this derivation. The model, in conjunction with a critical flame temperature, is used to describe suppression and extinction by water.