Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

This paper discusses the rate of burning of wood cribs and the comparison between the data of O'Dogherty and Young and Webster, and a theoretical model having much in common with Block's. It is suggested that the source of a discrepancy between the data and Block's original theory is the over-simplification of an averaging procedure for the mass transfer process and the use of the Reynolds analogy. Difficulties remain with describing the pyrolysis process and the mixing of the fuel and air in the crib shafts which preclude too exacting a comparison between present theories and currently available data.