Thermophysical properties of balsa wood used as core of sandwich composite bridge decks exposed to external fire

Abstract

The load-bearing performance of sandwich bridge decks comprising a balsa core and fiber-reinforced polymer composite face sheets exposed to fire is a main concern regarding the application of these deck systems. In order to obtain the thermal responses of the balsa core exposed to fire, the temperature-dependent values of thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity are required. Furthermore, information about the char depth and charring rate and the temperature-dependent coefficient of thermal expansion is also needed for the subsequent thermomechanical modeling. In the current study, the effective thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of balsa up to 850 °C were obtained from one-dimensional transient heat transfer models and experimental data using an inverse heat transfer analysis. The results showed that both properties depend significantly on the stages of combustion, direction of heat flow (in the tracheid or transverse direction) and density. Moreover, charring temperatures and rates were obtained, again as a function of direction and density. Finally, the coefficient of thermal expansion was measured in the transverse direction during evaporation and pyrolysis.