Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

An instrument is described which can be used to obtain a continuous record of the weight of a fire during laboratory experiments. Essentially the device consists of a central weighing platform mounted on four beams which carry electrical resistance strain gauges arranged in a temperature compensated bridge circuit. The design and construction of the device is described and calibration curves are given for three ranges of fire weight. An example is given of the convective heat output characteristic of a fire obtained with the instrument.