Analysis of Fire Characteristics Based on the Thickness and Incident Heat Flux of Wood

This study tested the wood used in building interiors; each type had various incident heat fluxes based on their thickness. The combustion characteristics measured were effective heat of combustion, heat release rate peak and arrival time, maximum average rate of heat emission, and piloted ignition temperature. The wood specimens used in the experiment were 4.8 to 18 mm thick. 25, 35, 50, and 60 kW/m2 were applied to the incident heat flux that the wood specimens were exposed to. The wood specimens tested were two types of medium-density fiberboard (each with a different density), treated red pine, particle board, and plywood. A comprehensive comparison of different fire characteristics was conducted to analyze the fire patterns corresponding to each type of wood in this way, the risk of fire was studied. The risk of fire was particularly high for particle board. The results of quantifying the fire characteristics of the types of wood studied could function as important input data with which to calculate the fire load of composite combustibles.