_ , NBS

Reference

NAT L INST OF STAND & TECH TIONS

AlllOfe. EbDbMD

NB31R 85-2398

Effect of Wall and Room

Surfaces on the Rates of Heat,

Smoke, and Carbon Monoxide

Production in A Park Lodging

Bedroom Fire

5. T. Lee

U S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau cf Standards

National Engineering Laboratory

Center for Fire Research

Gaithersburg MD 20399

February 1 985

QC

100

. U56

35-2998

1985

Sponsored in part bv: J.S. Park Service

J.S. Department

Washington, DC

of the mterior

national bureau

OF STANDARDS

LIBRARY

jk

NBSIR 85-2998

EFFECT OF WALL AND ROOM

SURFACES ON THE RATES OF HEAT,

SMOKE, AND CARBON MONOXIDE

PRODUCTION IN A PARK LODGING

BEDROOM FIRE

B. T. Lee

U S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards

National Engineering Laboratory

Center for Fire Research

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

February 1 985

Sponsored in part by:

U.S. Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Washington, DC

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Malcolm Baldrige, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS. Ernest Ambler. Director
C ' , . • 

•:

h *• . ... ; a .. . - ; r ;?- /' ;• . . "j. t • ' .
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF TABLES iv

LIST OF FIGURES ........ v

Abstract 1

1. INTRODUCTION 2

2. EXPERIMENTAL A

2.1 Bedroom Furnishing Fire Tests A 2.2 Fire Load and Ignition Source 5

2.3 Instrumentation 6

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 9

3.1 Open Burn Fires 9

3.2 Room Burn Fires 11

3.2.1 Comparison with Open Fires 12

3.2.2 Sprinkler Response and Smoke Detection 1A

3.2.3 Effect of Door Closure on Fire 16

3. 2.

A

Mass Flow Calculations 16

A. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 18

5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 20

6. REFERENCES 20

APPENDIX A 22

A.l Calculation of Heat Release Rate from Oxygen Depletion

Measurement 22

A. 2 Quantification of Smoke from Room Fire Tests 23

-iii-
LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1. Room Fire Tests 25

Table 2. Open Burn Tests 26

Table 3. Fuel Loading In Fire Tests . . . 27

Table 4. Wastebasket Ignition Source 28

Table 5. Location of Instrumentation 29

Table 6. Sprinkler Response Times 30

Table 7. Activation Times for Smoke Detectors in Test R6 3^

Table 8. Heat Release and Heat Output Measurements 32

Table 9. Carbon Monoxide, Thermal Flux, and Smoke Measurements ... 33

Table 10. Flashover Times and Peak Air Temperatures in Room

Fire Tests 34

Table 11. Carbon Monoxide Measurements for Test R6 35

-iv-
LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1. Test Room Exhaust Hood Arrangement and Instrumentation .... 36

Figure 2. Furnishing Arrangement with Wastebasket Ignition Source ... 37

Figure 3. Plan View of Fire Test Room Arrangement 38

Figure 4. Heat Release Rates for Open Burns of Furnishing Fires

with No Wall 39

Figure 5. Heat Release Rates for Open Burns of Furnishing Fires

Adjacent Gypsum Board Wall 40

Figure 6 . Heat Release Rates for Open Burns of Furnishing Fires

Adjacent Plywood Wall 41

Figure 7. Comparison of Heat Release Rates for All Six Open Burns ... 42

Figure 8 . Heat Release Rates for Room Furnishing Fires with

Plywood Walls 43

Figure 9. Heat Release Rates for Room Furnishing Fires with

Gypsum Board Walls 44

Figure 10. Heat Outflow Rates from Room Furnishing Fires with

Plywood Walls ...- 43

Figure 11. Heat Outflow Rates from Room Furnishing Fires with

Gypsum Board Walls 46

Figure 12. Comparison of Mass Flow Calculations for Test Rl 47

Figure 13. Comparison of Mass Flow Calculations for Test R2 48

Figure 14. Comparison of Mass Flow Calculations for Test R4 49

Figure 15. Comparison of Mass Flow Calculations for Test R5 50

-v-

EFFECT OF WALL AND ROOM SURFACES ON THE RATES OF HEAT, SMOKE,

AND CARBON MONOXIDE PRODUCTION IN A PARK LODGING BEDROOM FIRE

B. T. Lee

Abstract

A furnishing arrangement representative of those in U.S. Park Service

lodging facilities was evaluated for its open burn (free burn) characteristics. The arrangement consisted of a double bed with a wood headboard and one

wood night table. The proximity of a wall and the effect of a room on the

combustion of the same arrangement were examined. Wall finish materials were

gypsum board and plywood. The presence or combustibility of an adjacent wall

did not have a significant effect on the burning behavior of the furnishing

arrangement. Nor did the effect of a room enclosure for the first few minutes

subsequent to ignition. However, after this initial time interval, the effect

of a room, lined with gypsum board finish, on the burning furnishings was

pronounced, with flashover occurring as early as 233 s with heat release rates

of over 2 MW. This compared with a peak rate of 1.2 MW for the open burn.

Wood paneling in the room increased the peak rate to 7 MW. Mass flow of hot

gases, smoke, and carbon monoxide from the room fires were measured. The use

of a sprinkler or automatic door closing device activated by a smoke detector

was shown to prevent room flashover.

Key words: beds (furniture); carbon monoxide; fire growth; flashover;

fuel load; furniture: heat release rate; interior finishes; room fires: smoke;

smoke detectors; sprinkler systems;

- 1 -
1 . INTRODUCTION

Combustible furnishings along with the extensive use of wood and wood

product materials throughout U.S. Park Service (USPS) facilities could pose a

fire hazard in the majority of their buildings. Fire in a building, other

than that resulting from arson, is intrinsically an accidental occurrence, and

the initiation and spread of fire in a room can occur in a great variety of

ways. However, to fire test every possible fire scenario becomes impractical

in terms of cost and time. A relatively simple analytical model [1]* which

predicts the dynamic fire conditions and available time for safe egress in

rooms of fire origin was developed to help assess the fire hazard in such

facilities. The model predictions were based on the assumption that the onset

of hazardous conditions within the room will occur at temperature and combustion product concentration levels which are low compared to those levels at

which variations from open burn (free burn) will begin to be significant.

Required inputs to the model included the open burn characteristics of the

fuel assembly, i.e., the furnishings and interior finish. (Open burn is

defined as a burn of the fuel assembly in a large ventilated space which

contains a relatively quiescent atmosphere).

Besides the concern for onset of hazard in a room of fire involvement is

the concern of flashover potential. Room flashover greatly increases the

hazard to adjoining spaces. Production of heat and combustion products at

this point becomes a serious threat to the rest of the building. Theoretically, and to engineering accuracy, it may be possible to predict the flash-

^Numbers in brackets refer to the literature references listed at the end of

this report.

-2-
over potential of a room using free burn characteristics of the fire load in

the room. In practice, this is difficult and has not yet been attempted. One

reason being that, prior to the present test program, sufficient comparable

free burn/roora burn test data have not been acquired. An understanding of

fire growth phenomena and of analytical calculational techniques, e.g., those

for computing mass flow out of the room, are prerequisite for success in this

area. Such understanding can be achieved by designing fire tests in a manner

as to help develop, refine, and ultimately validate such prediction models.

In the process of studying the fire test data, simplifying assumptions which

are reasonable to incorporate in mathematical models may become evident.

Also, experimental and analytical areas demanding further study may become

more obvious.

The present test series was designed in increasingly complex test

arrangements so as to help acquire the desired understanding. The tests

ranged from open burn room furnishing fires to room fires involving identical

furnishings. Thus, the objectives of this study are:

1. to evaluate the open burn characteristics of a typical USPS

lodging furnishing arrangement;

2. to determine the effect of a single wall surface, lined with

noncombustible or combustible materials, on the fire behavior

of the furnishing arrangement; and

3. to ascertain the effect of room surfaces on the same

arrangement.

-3-
In addition, the data from the room fire tests are to be used to evaluate

the calculational methods for determining mass flow out of the room.

2. EXPERIMENTAL

2.1 Bedroom Furnishing Fire Tests

Six open fire tests, i.e., unconfined fires in a large open space, and

six room fire tests of one bedroom furnishing arrangement were performed.

These tests are outlined in tables 1 and 2. The test room and exhaust hood

arrangement is shown in figure 1. As can be seen, the test room was located

adjacent to the 3.7 m x 4.9 m exhaust collector hood which had an exhaust flow

O capacity of about 3 m /s. In the open burns, the furnishing arrangement was

located directly under the hood with the headboard positioned 0.76 m away from

the exterior front wall of the room. Two of the open burns had a

2.44 x 2.44 m free standing wall 25.4 mm behind the headboard and in front of

the room. This wall was constructed from 12.7 mm gypsum board mounted on

51 ran x 102 mm steel studs 0.41 m apart. Two other open burns had 6.4 mm

plywood lining the same free standing wall. For the room tests, the headboard

was located 40 mm away from the back wall. Interior dimensions of the room

were 2.44 m wide, 3.66 m deep, and 2.44 m high. The back and two side walls

were 12.7 mm gypsum board mounted over 51 mm x 102 mm steel studs 0.41 m

apart. The ceiling was fabricated from 15.9 mm fire resistant gypsum board

over a sublayer of 25 mm thick calcium silicate board and was attached to the

underside of several steel joists spanning the side walls. The front wall,

with a 0.76 m wide and 2.03 m high doorway, was constructed from a single

layer of the calcium silicate board. Three of the room tests had 6.4 mm

-4-
plywood over the gypsum board on the two side walls and the back wall. In one

of the gypsum board lined room tests, test 6, a 0.76 m wide x 2.03 m high and

9.55 mm thick door made from transparent methylmethacrylate was used for

manually closing off the room upon activation of the smoke detector.

2.2 Fire Load and Ignition Source

The furnishing arrangement shown in figures 2 and 3 was used for these

tests and was based on an inspection of some selected USPS lodging facilities

at Yosemite National Park, California, and at Shenandoah National Park,

Virginia. The room furnishings consisted of a 1.37 m wide, 1.91 m long, and

0.53 m high double bed, a 2.39 m wide and 0.89 m high headboard and a 0.51 m

wide x 0.41 m deep x 0.63 m high night table. Both headboard and night table

were fabricated from 12.7 ram thick plywood. The bedding was comprised of two

pillows, two pillow cases, two sheets and one blanket. The pillows had a

polypropylene olefin fabric with a polyester fill. The pillow cases and

sheets were polyester-cotton. The blanket was acrylic material. The bedding

was left in a "slept in" condition which was duplicated to the degree possible

in each test. The spring mattress had the same upholstery and padding on the

top as on the bottom. The upholstery was a polyester quilted cover. Padding

consisted of 6.4 mm polyurethane over a fire-retarded cotton felt layer with

sublayers of a cotton felt and a synthetic cellulosic fiber pad. The box

spring had a covering of polyester material over a layer of cotton felt and a

sublayer of cellulosic fiber pad. Underneath this padding is a wood frame

wiuh a steel wire grid on top and a cellulosic cloth cover on the bottom. The

combustible weight of each item in the room is given in table 3. The total

9 combustible fire load for this arrangement was 6.0 kg/m of floor area. With

-5 -
three walls of the room lined with 6.4 mm plywood, the room fire load came to

14.8 kg/m of floor area. This compares with an average fire load of 23 kg/m

for a recreational room in a single family home in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area [2].

In all of the tests, the fire was started with a match flame ignition of

a 0.34 kg plastic (240 mm x 140 mm x 24 mm high) wastebasket, filled with

0.41 kg of trash, positioned adjacent to the night table and against the

bed. An earlier study [3] on mattress flammability employed a wastebasket

ignition source. Since a wastebasket represents a realistic actual fire

ignition source, it was used in this study using the same type of trash

contents and stacking of the contents as in that study. The type and distribution of the contents of the wastebasket is shown in table 4.

2.3 Instrumentation

Measurements were made in the room and doorway to characterize the fire

environment and to allow calculation of the mass flow from the room. These

measurements included the vertical air temperature and pressure gradients in

the room and air temperature and velocity gradients along the doorway centerline. Total incident heat flux to a horizontal target on the floor was

monitored along with the thermal radiance to a vertical surface measured at a

height of 0.64 m in the room, next to the left wall, facing the wastebasket.

In addition, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide concentrations were recorded

at the 0.30 m and 1.5 m heights in the room for test R6. Measurements were

also taken in the room to help evaluate sprinkler head and smoke detector

responses to the fire environment. Temperatures, velocities, and oxygen and

-6-
carbon dioxide concentrations in the exhaust gases in the stack were monitored

to determine the mass flow through the stack and 0 , the total rate of heat

s production by the fire. In calculating Q

g

, about 13 megajoules is obtained

from each kilogram of oxygen consumed In the burning of materials normally

used in the construction and furnishing of rooms [4]. Thus, the total rate of

heat generation from burning furnishings in a room can be obtained by

measuring the oxygen content and volume flow rate of the gases discharged from

the fire [5]. Details concerning the calculation of 0 are given in Appendix

s

A. 1 of this report.

An average temperature taken across the inlet of the exhaust collection

hood was used together with the mass flow in the stack to estimate h

g

, the

total flux of heat from the fire test room (0 minus the heat loss to the room

s boundaries). The estimated value for the quantity h is actually equal to h

minus the heat loss to the surroundings between the room doorway and the inlet

of the exhaust collection system. Smoke and carbon monoxide were also

monitored in the stack to help quantify these products of combustion from the

room fires. The quantification of smoke from room fires is discussed in

detail in Appendix A. 2.

Location of all instrumentation in these room fires is indicated in table

5 and figure 1. Temperatures in the room and doorway were measured with

chrome1-alumel thermocouples made with 0.05 mm wire. These thermocouples were

difficult to prepare and were vulnerable to breakage under normal fire test

operations. More robust thermocouples fabricated from 0.51 mm chrorael-alumel

wires were also employed at these same locations. The larger thermocouples

were more susceptible to radiation error [6] and were used primarily as backup

-7 -
measurements. Pressures in the room were measured with probes mounted in one

corner of the burn room, flush with the interior surface of the front wall,

along the height of the room. Bidirectional velocity probes [7] were employed

for measuring the air velocity in the doorway and to note the occurrence of

any flow reversal along the doorway. Heat flux was monitored with watercooled total heat flux gauges of the Gardon type. Crumpled newspaper on the

floor was also used to indicate if and when the irradiance was sufficient to

ignite such light combustible materials in the lower half of the room. Nondispersive infrared analyzers were used to record the concentrations of carbon

monoxide and carbon dioxide in the room and in the stack. Stack velocities

were measured with pitot-static probes. Stack temperatures were monitored

with chrome 1-alumel thermocouples fabricated from 0.51 aim wire. Oxygen

concentration was measured with a paramagnetic type instrument. The optical

density of the smoke was determined by attenuation of a light beam in the

stack. Neutral optical density filters were used to calibrate the light

sensor over the range of optical densities from 0.04 to 3.0, The optical

measurements, when calibrated in this manner, provide a useful measure of

optical density. However, a more detailed calibration of the optical system

with smoke of known concentration would be required for an accurate measurement of optical densities above about 1.5. At the inlet of the hood, the

average temperature was monitored with a grid of 25 chromel-alumel thermocouples arranged in parallel. Each thermocouple was made from 0.51 mm

diameter wire.

A sprinkler head with an activation temperature of 71 °C and two different

size brass discs, used to simulate faster response sprinkler heads, were used

in tests 2 to 6. Each disc had a 0.51 mm chromel-alumel thermocouple soldered

-8 -
on its surface. Description of these discs is given in table 6. Location of

the discs is given in table 5. Test Rl did not have a sprinkler nor brass

disc. The sprinkler in test R3 had a discharge rate of 1.4 £/s (22 gal/min)

corresponding to an operating water pressure of 103,100 Pa (15 psi). The

other room tests used a dry sprinkler where the pipe was pressured with air to

34,400 Pa (5 psi). In addition, two types of ionization smoke detectors were

used in test 6. The description and location of these two detectors in the

room are given in table 7.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Open Burn Fires

Results for the six open burn fires are given in figures 4 to 7 and in

tables 8 and 9. Rate of heat release histories for the tests with no wall

behind the bed, runs 4 and 6, are shown in figure 4. The data indicated that

the chronological development of the fire was similar for these two runs.

Even though care was taken to assure repeatability between repeat runs,

differences in the preparation of the bedding could result in considerable

variation in fire development. This is apparent in figure 5, which showed the

rate histories for runs 1 and 3 with the gypsum board lined wall. Both runs

had two distinct stages of fire development. However, run 3 took longer to

reach the peak development at each stage with the peak rate of heat release at

each stage being almost twice as great as that for run 1.

Differences in the stacking of the trash in the wastebasket, used as the

fire initiation source, were believed to be unimportant. Once match Ignition

-9 -
of the trash occurred, the flames were observed to quickly involve the

bedding. From that point, fire spread along the top and bottom surface of the

bed determined the subsequent behavior of the fire.

Figure 6 shows the heat release rate histories for test 2 and its repeat

run, test 5, with the plywood wall. Again, two distinct stages of fire growth

occurred in both tests. The second stage of development for run 2 was less

pronounced and occurred at a later time than that for run 5. However, both

fires were found to visually exhibit similar development and, except for the

time delay in the second peak for run 2, both fires had roughly similar heat

release rate histories. The heat release rate data for all six open tests are

superimposed together in figure 7. All of the tests experienced two distinct

stages of development. The first stage involved the bedding and the subsequent exposed parts of the mattress including the cloth covering on the bottom

of the box spring. The rest of the mattress and box spring then smolders

until sufficient heat was built to involve the remaining combustible material,

resulting in the second stage of the fire development. Except for test 1 and

the time differences to reach peak fire growth, all the tests looked similar.

The duration of the second stage was longer in tests 2 and 5 than that for the

other tests. This is to be expected as the plywood wall in tests 2 and 5

became fully involved and contributed heavily to fire at that point. Aside

from this difference, the presence of a wall behind the bed did not have a

significant effect on the burning behavior of the furnishing arrangement.

- 10-
3.2 Room Burn Fires

Figures 8 to 15 and tables 6 to 11 summarize the results for the six room

fire tests. A comparison with open fires of the same furnishing arrangement

is made in section 3.2.1. Smoke detector response times and sprinkler activation times and their comparisons with response times for the brass discs,

which simulated fast response sprinkler heads, are discussed in section 3.2.2.

The effect of closing and subsequent reopening of the room on the fire

development in test R6 is discussed in section 3.2.3.

Aside from room test R3 which was extinguished early in the test and test

R6, which had the doorway closed for over 900 s, the room fire tests attained

flashover between 233 and 615 s. Room flashover in test 6 occurred at 1421 s

or at a time lapse of 462 s after the reopening of the room. Both peak

interior and doorway air temperatures reached well over 800 °C following flashover in these tests. Peak heat release rates reached as high as 2.5 MW and

7.0 MW for the room lines with gypsum board and plywood, respectively. Total

heat production over a 1800 s duration ranged from 580 to 940 MJ for the room

with the gypsum board and from 850 to 2250 MJ for the room with the plywood.

o Peak flux measurements at the floor ranged from 35 to 130 kW/m for the room

fires. In all six room tests, the fraction of heat release leaving the room

at the time of peak fire development varied between 0.19 to 0.88 with the

average being 0.47.

-11 -
3.2.1 Comparison with Open Fires

The rate histories for the two room fires with the gypsum board walls and

opened doorway, tests Rl and R4, exhibited a two stage development similar to

that found in the open fire tests. Chronologically, the occurrence of each

stage in test Rl matched those for the open fire tests 03, 04, and 06.

However, the occurrence of the first stage in test R4 was delayed by 370 s.

The bedding in all of the open and room fires were left in considerable disarray. In R4, the bedding may have been left tidier than in the other tests,

resulting in a slower fire spread along the bedding.

Although the early stage fires in the room and in the open were similar,

the fires conducted in the room eventually and rapidly became more severe than

the fires in the open. In a room fire, the hot combustion products collect in

the room, and once the upper surface and upper gas/smoke layer temperature

increased to levels of the order of a few hundred °C above ambient, the

thermal radiation reinforces the burning behavior of the furnishings. Table 9

shows that the peak incident fluxes taken at about bed height near the foot of

the bed (location 4 in figure 3), were much higher for the room tests than

those for the open fires. For the room tests, where early extinguishment did

not occur, these flux levels ranged from 130 to 220 kW/m as compared with

O levels of about 20 kW/m for the open tests.

A comparison of figure 4 and figures 8 and 9 indicates that up to the

time of ignition of ceiling/ wall surfaces (in the present tests, this Involved

ignition of the exposed paper lining of the gypsum board ceiling) the open

burn and room burn rates-of-heat-release were substantially similar.

- 12 -
The data in figure 9 for the room burn with the gypsum wall showed that

the first 2 MW spike, which is associated with the ceiling and upper wall

paper lining burnout, occurred at approximately 240 and 600 s into tests Rl

and R4, respectively. The first open-burn-type of rate-of-heat-release "bump”

for R4 at 240 s (compare to the 240 s open burn bumps of figure 4) was

apparently not of a large enough amplitude and/or of a long enough duration to

lead to the ceiling ignition which eventually did occur at approximately

600 s. However, the similar open-burn- type of threat in the "identical" Rl

room burn did cause an ignition of the ceiling at 240 s followed immediately

by the 2 MW spike under discussion.

In both Rl and R4, the burnout of the relatively small contribution of

fuel associated with the paper lining on the exposed gypsum ceiling and upper

wall occurred over a time interval of approximately 60 s. In neither case did

this appear to lead to a sustained significant enhancement in the rate-ofburning of the furnishings over that of the open burn tests. On the other

hand, at the onset of the second stage energy release rate surge

(approximately 1.2 MW at 660-720 s per figure 4), the plot of figure 9

indicates that significant enhancement of the furnishing's burning did occur

in the R4 test, leading to a peak burning rate of 2.3 MW.

For the plywood lined room burns, R2 and R5, figure 8 showed that the

increased burning of the furnishings associated with the initial open burn

bump of figure 4 led to ignition and sustained burning (approximately 300 s

duration) of the significant mass of combustible wall lining. This in turn

resulted in a flashover at about 290 s and, no doubt, to an appreciable

enhancement of the rate of burning of the furnishings

.

- 13-
Table 9 shows that for the open fire tests , the peak concentration of

smoke, given in terms of optical density divided by the path length of the

light obscuration, O.D./m, varied from 1.0 to 1.9 and did not depend on the

presence or combustibility of the wall. The integrated smoke production,

represented by the extinction cross section E, also was unaffected by the wall

behind the bed. A further description of E and its relationship with optical

density are given in Appendix A. 2 of this report. The E values for the six

open fires ranged from 2020 to 2230 m . The effect of the room on peak smoke

concentration and total smoke production was not noticeable for the room tests

Rl, R4, and R6 having the gypsum board lining. These tests had O.D./m levels

from 1.3 to 1.5 and E values of 1850 to 2430 m . However, for the room fires

with the plywood lining, the peak O.D./m ranged from 2.1 to 3.0 and the

o extinction cross section values reached 4190 m .

As for the generation of carbon monoxide (CO), room fires resulted in

much higher peak mass flow rates than those for the open fires of the same

room arrangements of furnishing and interior finish materials. Peak concentrations of CO varied from 1.5 to 2.1 g/s in the open tests and from 4.6 to

23.5 g/s in the room tests. However, the total production of CO over a 1800 s

burn duration was about the same for both open and room fire tests. Total

generation of CO varied from 1.39 to 1.71 kg in the open tests and ranged from

1.48 to 2.38 kg for the room tests over the 1800 s period.

3.2.2 Sprinkler Response and Smoke Detection

Table 6 summarizes the response times for the sprinklers used in tests 2

through 6 and the two smoke detectors used in test 6. Even though run Rl in

- 14-
table 10 showed that room flashover could be reached in as early as 233 s, the

sprinkler activation time for run R3 in table 6 showed that an adequate

sprinkler system could easily extinguish the fire at its incipient stage.

Included in the table are the response times to reach 71°C for the brass

discs, used to simulate faster response sprinkler heads and a comparison with

times from a 0.51 mm thermocouple to reach the same temperature. As expected,

the thermocouple response time increased with thermocouple location away from

the rear wall where the fire was concentrated. Differences in air temperatures measured across the room at the 127 mm level below the ceiling were

pronounced. The thermocouple over the doorway on the front inside wall took

from 12 to 25 s longer to reach 71 °C than the one on the rear wall for tests 2

to 6. The brass discs had longer response times than the thermocouples due to

the former's larger size and thickness. The average response time for the

small disc was 19 s longer than the thermocouple times. For runs 2 to 5, the

average response times for the fusible link and large discs were 97 and 53 s

longer, respectively, than that for the small disc. In run 6, the doorway was

closed upon activation of the doorway smoke detector at 22 s. Response of the

brass discs was similar to those in the other tests, but the sprinkler was not

activated until 1163 s, which was 203 s after the time the door was manually

reopened. This compared with a time of 204 s from the start of test R4 with

the same room lining material and a fully opened doorway.

The response times for both ionization detectors were 13 to 15 s, well

ahead of the fastest time of 45 s for the small brass disc on the rear wall

closest to the fire. The small difference between the response times for the

two detectors can not be considered statistically meaningful without performing additional testing. Intuitively, the ceiling unit was expected to respond

- 15 -
first due to its proximity to the fire, providing the units at both the

ceiling and doorway locations have identical sensitivities.

3.2.3 Effect of Door Closure on Fire

When the doorway smoke detector in test 6 activated at 22 s, the door was

manually closed. During this period, only the wastebasket and the bed sheet

and pillow case immediately adjacent the wastebasket were involved. Interior

air temperatures near the ceiling then slowly climbed to a peak of about 180 °C

at 110 s, subsided, and did not climb again until after the door was

reopened. The rate of heat release from the fire and flux levels at the floor

did not rise substantially until after 1400 s. Carbon monoxide and smoke from

the room exhibited a sudden rise when the door was reopened at 960 s, then

subsided, and did not begin to greatly increase until about 1400 s. The

carbon monoxide concentrations at the 0.30 and 1.52 m heights in the room are

given in table 11 for the time intervals prior to the door closing, during the

period the room was closed, and after reopening of the room. The results

showed that CO concentrations were much higher during the well ventilated

phase of active burning than those for the fire initiation stage and the

smoldering combustion period when the door was closed. The highest concentration of carbon monoxide in the room was 6.3 percent which occurred at 1460 s

at the 1.52 m height.

3.2.4 Mass Flow Calculations

Mass flow out the doorway was calculated using three methods, denoted

here as the AT, PT, and VT methods. Mass flow using the AT method [8], based

-16 -
on interior and doorway air temperatures from the room fire, is given by the

formula

where: C - opening flow coefficient of 0.73

g

- gravitational acceleration

H - opening height

M - rate of air flow

g

N - height of neutral plane

T

q - ambient air temperature

T

d

- doorway air temperature

T-j- - interior air temperature

W - opening width

Z - vertical coordinate

P q - ambient air density

The PT and VT methods rely on a vertical integration of the flow in the

doorway using doorway air temperatures and velocities calculated from pressure

measurements and Bernoulli's equation. For the PT method, the pressures are

made on the interior wall surface in the room. For the VT method, the

pressure measurements, and hence velocities, are made along the vertical

centerline of the doorway. The equation used for these two cases is

( 1 )

H

M = CW (2 p T ) 1/2

( 2 )

- 17 -
where T

Q

, T^, W, Z, and pq are the same as before, P is the air pressure above

ambient measured at the doorway, and C is the flow coefficient. For the PT

method, C is also 0.73. For the VT method, C is more like 0.8 as Quintiere

and McCaffrey [9] and Tu and Babrauskas [10] have found that calculations of

mass flow based on outflow centerline velocities could be 20 to 30 percent

greater than the actual flow.

Comparisons of mass flow calculated with the three methods are given in

figures 12 to 15 for tests Rl to R5. In general, the results showed rough

agreement with each other.

4. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The burning behavior of a furnishing arrangement, representative of those

in park lodging facilities, was studied inside a 2.44 m x 3.66 m x 2.44 m high

room. The same arrangement was burned outside the room with and without the

head of the bed adjacent to a single 2.44 m x 2.44 m high wall. The

furnishings consisted of a double bed, headboard and night table for a total

combustible weight of 53.7 kg. Interior finish materials for the room and for

the wall were gypsum board and 6.4 mm plywood. Fire initiation was match

flame ignition of trash in a small wastebasket between the night table and the

bed. The findings from this series of tests are given below.

1. Park lodging furnishings could pose a fire hazard. It was

demonstrated that a representative furnishing arrangement

could result in room flashover in as early as 233 s with a

peak heat release rate of over 2 MW.

- 18-
2. Wood paneling in the room has been shown to increase the peak

heat release rate to 7 MW.

3. The presence or combustibility of a wall behind the bed did

not have a significant effect on the burning rate nor on the

production of smoke and carbon monoxide from the furnishing

fires. Differences due to the wall were within the

experimental scatter found between repeat runs of each test.

4. Prior to the ignition of the exposed combustible ceiling

surface, the effect of a room on the rate of burning of the

furnishings did not appear to be significant. However,

subsequent to ceiling surface ignition, significant

enhancement in the burning rate of furnishings was indicated

in all open door room burn tests with one exception (Rl).

5. Much higher concentrations of carbon monoxide occurred inside

the room for a well ventilated fire than those for a closed

room fire. Higher carbon monoxide levels occurred at the

1.5 m height than that at the 0.30 m height in the room.

6. A sprinkler in the room could extinguish a fire at its

incipient stage. Similarly, automatic door closing devices

activated by smoke detectors could contain the fire and

prevent room flashover. These results, nevertheless, should

not imply complete fire safety in such protected lodging as

the loss of electrical power or disruption of the water

supply by fire or by natural disasters cannot be discounted.

- 19 -
7. Mass flow out of the doorway, calculated from three

computational techniques, showed rough agreement with each

other. 5.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The work was partially supported by the U.S. Park Service. Appreciation

is expressed to Messrs. C. Veirtz, M. Womble , and 0. Owens who built the test

room, prepared the test arrangement, and performed the actual testing; to

Mr. J.N. Breese for the data reduction and preparation of most of the figures

in the report; and to Dr. L.Y. Cooper for his help in establishing the test

furnishing arrangement.

6.

REFERENCES

1. Cooper, L.Y. , A Mathematical Model for Estimating Available Safe Egress

Time in Fires. Fire and Materials, Vol. 6, Nos. 3 and 4; 1982.

2. Fang, J.B., Fire Performance of Selected Residential Floor Constructions

Under Room Burnout Conditions. Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.) NBSIR 80-2134;

December 1980.

3. Babrauskas , V., Combustion of Mattresses Exposed to Flaming Ignition

Sources, Part I. Full-Scale Tests and Hazard Analysis. Nat. Bur. Stand.

(U.S.) NBSIR 77-1290; September 1977.

4. Huggett, C., Estimation of Rate of Heat Release by Means of Oxygen

Consumption Measurements. Fire and Materials; Vol. 4, 1980.

5. Parker, W.J., Calculations of the Heat Release Rate by Oxygen Consumption

for Various Applications. Nat. Bur. Stand (U.S.) NBSIR 81-2427-1;

March 1982.

6. Lee, B.T. , Effect of Ventilation on the Rates of Heat, Smoke, and Carbon

Monoxide Production in a Typical Jail Cell Fire. Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.)

NBSIR 82-2469; March 1982.

7. McCaffrey, B.J. and Heskestad, G., A Robust Bidirectional Low-Velocity

Probe for Flame and Fire Application. Combustion and Flame, Vol. 26;

1976.

-20-
8. Steckler, K.D. , Quint iere, J.G. and Rinkinen, W.J., Flow Induced by Fire

in a Compartment. Nineteenth International Symposium on Combustion,

Haifa, Israel; August 1982.

9. Quintiere, J. and McCaffrey, B. , The Burning of Wood and Plastic Cribs in

an Enclosure, Vol. I. Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.) NBSIR 80-2054;

November 1980.

10 . Tu, K.M. and Babrauskas , V. , The Calibration of a Bum Room for Fire

Tests on Furnishings. Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.) Technical Note 981;

December 1978.

-21 -
APPENDIX A

A.l Calculation of Heat Release Rate from Oxygen Depletion Measurement

The formulae given here are taken from a report by Parker [5]. The rate

of heat release from a room fire can be expressed as:

EX

0

2

M V

W

air

whererate of heat released from the fire room, MW,

E =* heat per unit mass of oxygen consumed by the burning of

materials normally used in the construction and furnishing of

rooms, MJ/kg. A value of 13.2 MJ/kg was chosen based on a

study by Huggett [4],

X° * oxygen concentration in ambient air, moles oxygen/raoles air,

°2

m =» mass flow rate of air from fire room, kg/ s

,

molecular weight of oxygen.

W

a ^ r = molecular weight of air, and

0 - oxygen depletion of the air.

22
The oxygen depletion can be further defined as:

if the C02 is trapped ahead of the oxygen analyzer, and

X.

X.

when C02 is not trapped,

where X^ = measured oxygen concentration with COo trapped out,

°2

gX = measured oxygen concentration when CC>2 is not trapped, and

°2

X = measured concentration of C0 9

. c°

2

A. 2 Quantification of Smoke from Room Fire Tests

The integrated smoke production in the room fire tests can be represented

by the extinction cross section generated. This extinction cross section,

E (m ) , is equal to the total mass of the smoke generated, m (kg), times the

O specific extinction coefficient, K (m /kg). The coefficient K is a property

of the smoke rather than a measure of its quantity. The relationship between

23
E and the optical density, O.D. , is given below. The optical density is

defined as

O.D. = log

1Q = log

10 eKpL

- 0.434 KpL (1)

where T is the percent transmission of the smoke meter, L is its path length

in m, and p (kg/m ) is the mass concentration of the smoke. Thus, E is given

by

E = KpV = 2.3 V (^^-) ( 2 )

3 • 3 where V (m ) is the volume of the smoke-filled space. Since V (m /s), the

volume flow of smoke-filled air from the room and the quantity O.D. change

during the test, E is determined by integrating over the duration of the test,

t(s), or

E = 2.3 (3)

Equation (3) can also be related to measurements performed in the ASTM

_ ^ E 662 test with the smoke density chamber . The quantity E is equivalent to

the product of the specific optical density measured in that test and the

specimen surface area employed in the test. Equation (2) can be used to

estimate the average O.D. per meter beyond the room of fire origin if the

smoke is dispersed over a known volume and the effect of smoke deposition and

coagulation is neglected.

*Standard Test Method for Specific Optical Density of Smoke Generated by Solid

Materials. ASTM E 662. Philadelphia, PA: American Society for Testing and

Materials; 1979.

24
Table 1. Room Fire Tests

Ambient Room Condition

Test Furnishings

Wall

Material** Sprinkler

Test

Duration

(s)

Temp.

(°c)

Rel. Humidity

(%)

Rl Std. Set* 12.7 mm

Gypsum Board

None 1800 23 50

R4 •• Dry 1800 23 56

R6

•• M Dry 1800 23 45

R2 6.4 mm

AD Plywood Over

12.7 mm Gypsum Board

Dry 525 23 50

R3 •• Wet 470 22 52

R5 •• •• Dry 1800 24 48

*Standard set consisted of one double bed, a wood headboard, and one wood night table.

A wastebasket filled with trash, positioned between the bed and night table, served as the ignition source.

**Ceiling material was 15.9 mm fire-resistant gypsum board.

25
Table 2. Open Burn Teats

Ambient Lab. Condition

Test Furnishings

Wall Behind

Headboard

Test

Duration

(s)

Temp.

(°c)

Relative Humidity

(%)

04 Std. Set* No Wall 1800 22 32

06 •• •t 1800 21 38

01

•• 12.7 mm

Gypsum Board

1800 22 50

03 •• •i 1800 21 40

02 •i 6.4 mm AD Plywood

Over 12.7 mm

Gypsum Board

1800 22 50

05 M •• 1800 21 38

‘Standard set consisted of one double bed, a wood headboard, and one wood night table. A

wastebasket filled with trash, positioned between the bed and night table, served as the

ignition source.

26
Table 3. Fuel Loading in Fire Tests

Fuel Item

Mattress and Box Spring*

Headboard

Night Table

Bedding

Filled Wastebasket

Total Combustible Furnishing

Plywood**

Combustible Weight in Kilograms

Open Bums Room Burns

24.7

14.4

10.6

3.2

0.75

53.7

19.5

24.7

14.4

10.6

3.2

0.75

53.7

77.9

*Mattress and boxspring weight excluding that of the inner springs.

**0nly used for open burn tests 2 and 5 and for room tests 2, 3 and 5.

27
Table 4. Wastebasket Ignition Source

Wastebasket - Polyethylene wastebasket

Weights 0.34 kg

Trash contents, in order of stacking

1 " polyethylene liner

16 - sheets of newspaper

1 - paper cup, 3 oz.

,

crumpled

2 - sheets of writing paper

3 - tissues, paper handkerchief, crumpled

1 - cigarette pack, crumpled

1 - milk carton, 8 oz.

2 - paper cups, 3 oz., crumpled

1 - cigarette pack, crumpled

1 - sheet of writing paper, crumpled

2 - tissues, paper handkerchief, crumpled

Total weight of contents: 0.41 kg

28
Table 5. Location of Instrumentation

1 smoke meter Exhaust hood

1 Gas sample port (C> 2

> CO, CO

2

) Exhaust hood

9 Velocity probes Exhaust hood

9 0.51 mm thermocouples Exhaust hood

11 0.51 mm thermocouples and

11 0.05 mm thermocouples

Each set of 0.51 mm and 0.05 mm thermocouples at 0.30 m from front wall and 0.30 m

from left wall at the following distances

below the ceiling (m) : 0.20, 0.41, 0.61,

0.81, 1.02, 1.22, 1.42, 1.63, 1.83, 2.03,

2.24

1 0.51 mm thermocouple 100 mm below center of ceiling

6 0.51 mm thermocouples and

6 0.05 mm thermocouples

Each set of 0.51 mm and 0.05 mm thermocouples at the following distances below top

of the doorway (m) : 0.10, 0.20, 0.51, 0.81,

1.12, 1.73

25 0.51 mm thermocouples Inlet area of exhaust hood

3 0.51 mm thermocouples On small brass discs located 127 mm from

ceiling and 127 mm from midway of each of the

rear, left, and front walls

3 0.51 ran thermocouples On large brass discs located at the vicinity

of the small discs

3 0.51 mm thermocouples Next to brass discs at rear, left and front

walls

2 flux meters One next to left wall, facing wastebasket,

1.93 m from rear wall, and 0.64 m above

floor. The other on floor, 2.13 m from rear wall and 1.22 ra from left wall

2 gas sample ports (CO, CO 2

) At 0.30 and 1.52 m heights, 1.93 m from rear wall and 0.53 m from left wall

5 bi-directional velocity probes Following distances below the top of the

doorway (m): 0.20, 0.51, 0.81, 1.12 and 1.73

1 bi-directional velocity probe Near sprinkler

11 pressure probes On interior of front wall, 51 ran from left

wall at the following distances below th-' ceiling (m) : 0.20, 0.41, 0.61, 0.81, 1.02,

1.22, 1.42, 1.63, 1.83, 2.03 and 2.24

29
Table 6. Sprinkler Response Times

(Response time in seconds to reach 71°C for sprinkler fusible link and brass discs*)

Fusible

Front

Large

Wall

Small Thermo- Large

Side Wall

Small Thermo- Large

Rear Wall

Small ThermoTest Link Disc Disc couple Disc Disc couple Disc Disc couple

Rl — — — — — — — — — —

R2 165 118 71 46 93 51 33 86 45 30

R3 167 130 94 78 115 78 68 105 76 66

R4 204 158 89 70 124 75 65 103 66 55

R5 189 142 84 65 103 66 52 86 52 40

R6** 1163 112 62 45 80 50 37 72 46 33

*Sprinkler had a side wall head and a fusible link rating (activation temp) of 71 °C. The

link itself was 29.2 mm long, 19.2 mm wide, 2.7 mm thick, and weighed 10.0 gm. The

small brass disc had a diameter of 9.8 mm, was 0.8 mm thick and weighed 0.5 gm. The

large brass disc had a diameter of 21.6 mm, was 2.4 mm thick and weighed 7.3 gm.

**In test 6, the door was closed at 22 s and was not reopened until 960 s.

30
Table 7. Activation Times for Smoke Detectors in Test R6

Unit* Location Response Time(s)

P Near center of ceiling 15

S Directly over doorway lintel, inside room 13

*Unit P is a typical residential ionization type. Unit S is an ionization

type typically used in conjunction with automatic door closing hardware.

31
Table 8. Heat Release and Heat Output Measurements

Heat Output

Test

Wall

Material

Stack Peak Heat® Release Rate <X. (MW)

M

Time to

f %

(s)

Total Heat # Over

1800 s, / Q dt

(MJ)

Rate hs at

Time of Q

(MW)

Ratio

h

S /QvM

Rl Gypsum Board 2.1 230 580 0.4 0.19

R4 •• 2.3 900 750 1.1 0.48

R6 2.5 1620 940 0.8 0.32

R2 Plywood 4.1 430 850 * 3.6 0.88

R3 ** *• o.r 140 10 ** o.r +

R5 7.0 390 2250 3.4 0.49

04 No Wall 1.2 670 610 -H- -

06 " 1.1 720 640 - -

01 Gypsum Board 0.7 510 430 - -

03 «« 1.3 690 640 - -

02 Plywood 1.3 790 610 - -

05 *• 1.5 590 910

NOTES

« 1. Q is the heat release rate of the burning contents. For a room fire, it includes the

heat released from flames extending beyond the room opening. Q is based on oxygen

depletion and mass flow measurements in the stack. The peak value of Q is denoted

by V

2. h

g is the heat convected from the fire. It is based on the calibration factor of

4.66 lcW per °C rise in the stack thermocouple grid.

*Test extinguished at 525 s with total heat (based on oxygen consumption) recorded to 600 s.

**Test extinguished at 167 s with total heat (based on oxygen consumption) recorded to 470 s.

+Measureinent accuracy with ± 0.05 MW; thus ratio not meaningful.

-H-In open burns, fire plume impinged on one side of hood and clung to one side of the stack

inlet, rendering measurement of h with the grid of thermocouples meaningless.

s

32
Table

9.

Carbon

Monoxide,

Thermal

Flux,

and

Smoke

Measurements

o>o

co oo

00 CM W 0

cooH

Ul0)>o

0) ^ + o c 0) e o e ^ C/5 -H •H CO 4J H ^

.X CO

<0 1-4 CD 4-1 O c /N

(D 0

.*O

CJ

C

O • cO O c o

4-1

O o • CO U o §

i—l

0)e

•H

uoo

Pi4

CO

CD 04

r-t S §

rH

COi

a) £

ai cu

CM

bo)

X

B 3 — i—I S oo

bC .X

OO

-X

cO

<D O. 1*4 CO

CO bO

CO

w

i-l CD

4-1 CO X

4-1 CD

CD H o o o o o o o o o o

CM 00 On i 1 CO CO o P- CO

m vD

m oo Oi i 1 <T p- n. \D 00 p- vO

—i—*

r-H CO *—1r-H i—1 *“4 r-H r-H o o o o o o o o o o o o m m <r CM M3 p- 00 CNI P~ v£> m v£> CM CM <* m »H1 m CM CN| —4 CM CM CM

r-H

O »—!

CNI p- CM

m vO ON o o r-H 00

a • • • aa • • • • 0 • 1 r-4 r-H ^H o CM »-H o r-H r-H r-H o O O o i o o i ! 1 1 1 O -H Hi- l i -3- l 1 1 1 P- O' nt rH m ^h

in o o l CNJ o 1 i t 1 1 i cn m <r l CO l i t 1 l i *-H o o o o o o l i O 1 o i O O' m p- p^ l i 00 1 p- i P- 00 p- '3- rH m v£> 00

rH o o o O

O o l i O 1 o i co co co 00 iH CM 1 i CM 1 CM i —4 t—1

rH rH CM * * 4C

m ^ v£> 00 rH 'O' p~ p- in r— a a • a • • • • • • a a CM rH o O CM r-H r-H r-H r-H

rH ——1

V

OO o o o O o O o o o O Mf O rH rH co m r-H 00 O' O' O' CM

CM \D

m rHm •—H CM CO o r-H CM

rH y—i ^H r-H r-H rH

m

m rH CM O'* rH M3 in oo

m 00

aa • • a • • • a

a • • <r co CO •-H o •H CM »—H •—1 »—4 y-H ^H i CNI r-H

73 73

1-1 1-1 COQ

T3 r-H r-H COa

CG

OO

r-Hi0

r-HCO

w

CQ

Oo S : 1 £ 1 3 Z g : 1 : 3 —H o o rft »-H

coQ-c z z

v/J o.

Ou in >s o O

-H -J- vD CM CO

m Ml- M3 —4 CO CM

m oi erf pd Orf erf OcS o o o o o O

a •

CD CO O o

vO Mf O o

4-1 4-1 •3 3

<D •3 "3 u W o o o o

<D CD

l-l

u o o o CJ

f—4

co CO 4J 4-1 O o

4J 4-1 rC J1 u 4J •H <r43

CD CD m

CM vO

in

—

u 4-1 CO <0 T3 "3

0) 01 X X 0) «D H •a-l a 3

b0 be C c

—4

4J 4-1 K X

0) 01

4J 4-4 00 »

0) ttl t H« 33

Smoke

measurement

taken

over

path

length

of

1.22 m

in

stack
Table 10. Flashover Times and Peak Air Temperatures in Room Fire Tests

Test

Wall Finish

Material

Time to

Flashover

(s)

Peak Interior

Temp. Tt **

(°c)

Time to

(s)

Peak Doorway

Temp. Tn

** (°c)

Time to

T

&)

Rl Gypsum Board 233 826 710 918 240

R4 •i 615 962 920 880 910

R6 •• 1421 * 979 1720 1042 1780

R2 Plywood 293 953 520 848 400

R3 •• — 192 160 186 160

R5

•• 287 1064 600 945 600

*This time was 462 s after the door was reopened.

**0.10 m down from ceiling and 0.10 m down from top of doorway
Table 11. Carbon Monoxide Measurements for Test R6

Peak CO Inside Room

0.30 m Height 1.50 m Height Peak CO in Stack

Time Interval Cone. Time Cone. Time Cone . Time

(s) (%) (s) (%) (s) (%) (s)

Prior to 22 s < 0.2 < 0.2 < 0.04

(Door Opened)

22 - 960 s 0.4 940 0.8 930 < 0.04

(Door Closed)

960 - 1800 s 0.5 1700 6.3 1410 0.55 1410

(Door Opened)

Notes: The room CO meter has a 10 percent range and a :i 0.2% accuracy. The stack

CO meter has a 2 percent range and a ± 0.04% accuracy.

35
Bum Room

Hood

Station Instrument

1 Gas sampling port, thermocouples, velocity prcbes, smoke meter

2 Thermocouple tree, velocity probes, sprinkler head, brass discs

(simulating sprinkler heads), smoke detector

3 Pressure probes on interior wall

4 Thermocouple tree

5 Flux meter meter facing wastebasket

6 Thermocouple, brass discs near ceiling

7 Gas sampling ports in room

8 Flux meter on floor

9 Thermocouple near ceiling, smoke detector

10 Thermocouple, brass discs near ceiling

Figure 1. Test Room Exhaust Hood Arrangement and Instrumentation

36
‘Vr>

Figure 2. Furnishing Arrangement with Wastebasket Ignition Source

37
Figure 3. Plan View of Fire Test Room Arrangement

38
min

MW - 3SV313H IV3W JO 3IV*

39

Figure

4.

Heat

Release

Rates

for

Open

Burns

of

Furnishing

Fires

with

No

Wall
min

40

Figure

5.

Heat

Release

Rates

for

Open

Burns

of

Furnishings

Fires

Adjacent

Gypsum

Board

Wall
min

41

Figure

6.

Heat

Release

Rates

for

Open

Burns

of

Furnishing

Fires

Adjacent

Plywood

Wall
UIUJ

o (A O UB O • • • • • MM - 3SVJ13M*IV3W JO HW

42

Figure

7.

Comparison

of

Heat

Release

Rates

for

All

Six

Open

Burns
min

43

Figure

8.

Heat

Release

Rates

for

Room

Furnishing

Fires

with

Plywood

Walls
min

44

Figure

9.

Heat

Release

Rates

for

Room

Furnishing

Fires

with

Gypsum

Board

Walls
0) c* id m «n m« - aivH rtOTixno ivhh

CM

45

Figure

10.

Heat

Outflow

Rates

from

Room

Furnishing

Fires

with

Plywood

Walls
min

o

46

Figure

11.

Heat

Outflow

Rates

from

Room

Furnishing

Fires

with

Gypsum

Board

Walls
min

w3 o u3 a o

47

300

BOO

000

1200

1500

1000

TIME

-•
min

US a U9 a tn

9 • VO 9 0

®/to» - 31VN MOli SSVW

48

Figure

13.

Comparison

of

Mass

Flow

Calculations

for

Test

R2
i

n

o m o in

in o • • - 31VU MOU SSVW

o

49

Figure

14.

Comparison

of

Mass

Flow

Calculations

for

Test

R4
•/&* - 31VB MO“y SSVW

«

t

*=

50

Figure

15.

Comparison

of

Mass

Flow

Calculations

for

Test

R5
' 1 4A (REV. 2»SC ) DCPT. OF COMM.

' BLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET (See instructions)

1. PUBLICATION OR

REPORT NO. NBSIR 85-2998

2. Performing Organ. Report No. 3. Publication Date February 1985

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

effect of wall and room surfaces on the rates of heat, smoke

and carbon monoxide production in a park lodging bedroom fire

5. AUTHOR(S)

B. T. Lee

6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION (If joint or other than NBS. see instructions)

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

7. Contract/Grant No.

8 . Type of Report & Period Covered

9. SPONSORING ORGANIZATION NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS (Street. City. State. ZIP)

U.S. Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Washington, D. C.

10. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

j Document describes a computer program; SF-185, FlPS Software Summary, is attached.

11.

ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bi bl iography or literature survey, mention it here) A furnishing arrangement representative of those in U.S. Park Service lodging facilities was evaluated for its open burn (free burn) characteristics. The arrangement

consisted of a double bed with a wood headboard and one wood night table. The proximity of a wall and the effect of a room on the combustion of the same arrangement

were examined. Wall finish materials were gypsum board and plywood. The presence

or combustibility of an adjacent wall did not have a significant effect on the burning behavior of the furnishing arrangement. Nor did the effect of a room enclosure

for the first few minutes subsequent to ignition. However, after this initial time

interval, the effect of a room, lined with gypsum board finish, on the burning furnishings was pronounced, with flashover occurring as early as 233 s with heat release

rates of over 2 MW. This compared with a peak rate of 1.2 MW for the open burn.

Wood paneling in the room increased the peak rate to 7 MW. Mass flow of hot gases,

smoke, and carbon monoxide from the room fires were measured. The use of a sprinkler or automatic door closing device activated by a smoke detector was shown to prevent room flashover.

12.

KEY WORDS (Six to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only proper names; and separate key words by semcoloni,

beds (furniture); carbon monoxide; fire growth; flashover; fuel load; furniture: he.it

release rate; interior finishes; room fire's; smoke: smoke detectors* sprinkler svst •

13. AVAILABILITY

|X 1 Unlimited

n For Official Distribution. Do Not Release to NTIS

—} Order From Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

20402.

|_Xj Order From National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, VA. 22161

14. NO. OF

PRINTED PAGES

56

15. Price

$ 10.50

UlCOuM'OC •049-^t0


I,