A Comparison of the Behaviour of Spruce Wood and Polyolefins during the Test on the Cone Calorimeter

Abstract

This article deals with comparison of the behaviour of spruce wood and polyolefins (polyethylene PE and polypropylene PP) during the test on the cone calorimeter. Samples were tested on the cone calorimeter at heat flux of 20 and 40 kW/m2. An evaluation of the behaviour of examined materials was based on the determination of the maximum and the average heat release rate, yield of carbon monoxide (CO), and relative comparison of tendency to fire propagation in a flashover phase. The tendency of materials to fire propagation in the flashover phase was evaluated based on the Pearson ́s correlation, the Spearman ́s correlation and the Kendall ́s correlation coefficient of HRR-CO and CO2-CO. Spruce wood showed better properties in comparison with PE and PP in all evaluated parameters (the maximum and the average heat release rate, the yield of CO, and also the resistance to fire propagation in the flashover phase. Additionally, spruce wood showed significantly lower sensitivity of dependence of the maximum and also the average heat release rate on external heat flux.