Behavior of the flame spread along a thin paper-disk in a narrow space

Abstract

Flame spread along combustible material must be accurately identified in fire hazards. Flame spread is controlled by heat and mass transfer phenomena, effects of flow, and chemical reaction. Flame spread has been studied in various conditions, for example, flame spread over liquids and solids. In solid fuel combustion, it was reported finger-like smolder spread over a thin cellulosic fuel with external airflow in microgravity and the fingering propagation along a thin solid in a narrow space with external airflow in normal gravity. Any other researchers treated as condition that the narrow space suppressed the buoyant flow. Furthermore, external airflow was supplied in the narrow space. We focused on the natural convection which is caused by the temperature gradient which the flame became heat source. The objective of this study is to obtain fundamental knowledge for the flame spread characteristics of thin solid fuel in narrow gaps, the behavior of the flame and the effect of the narrow gaps between two plates, experimentally. In this research, the behavior of smoke in the vertical cross section was visualized by a sheet laser. We observed behavior of smoke which occurred from paper-disk. Furthermore, we measured flame spread rates of upper and lower flames.