Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

The rate of smouldering of three types of fibre insulating board has been investigated in still air; the boards were sawn into small strips and smouldering was initiated by a pilot flame. The linear rate of smouldering was found to depend upon the nature of the board, the size of the strip, and the angle to the vertical at which the strip was held. The relation between the dimensions of the strips and their smouldering times is discussed; a simple method is given for determining the approximate smouldering times of large strips from measurements taken upon smaller specimens. Smouldering may be easily initiated in these boards by a small source of ignition at red heat.