scenario-based

2

Fire and Combustion

Felicia St. Luce

Columbia Southern University

Fire Behavior and Combustion

Professor James Golden

Flame spread describes the sliding movement of the flame when it is ignited over the surface of a combustible solid. Therefore the flame foot offers the ignition source and the mixing of air and volatile. The rate at which the flame spread usually lessens with the intensification of the moisture content, density, surface emissivity, and surface temperature during ignition, and thermal conductivity (Sonee et al.,2019). It also increases with an increase in the magnitude of heat exposure from the flame. Different synthetic fabrics, such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic resist ignition. Though, the fabric melts once it is ignited forming a sticky, hot, molten substance due to the localization,

Synthetic fabric is a type of chemical Polymer and hence it easily catches fire. Synthetic fabric often produces a steady flame when ignited. Due to differences between natural materials and synthetic materials based on the molecular level, synthetic materials burn faster and are hotter compared to natural materials during combustion and pyrolysis. Worth noting is that synthetic Clothes contain a lot of Hydrogen which is too inflammable. Synthetic fabrics catch fire easily since they are non-natural polymer fibers that melt when heated. Synthetic fabrics burn, melt, and shrink in flame (Dhabbah, 2020). Further, synthetic fibers are stain and water-resistant. Synthetic fabrics fibers are manufactured and thus lack the qualities of natural fabrics and easily melt at lower temperatures (Gann & Friedman, 2013). Synthetic fibers are easily destroyed by heat. The fire spread caused by synthetic fabrics are run from the ceiling to the floor is hazardous and may upsurge due to the combination of the increased rate of burning and the melting of the synthetic fabrics resulting in severe burns. In some circumstances, the hazard caused is greater than when the fabric is burned individually.

References

Gann, R., & Friedman, R. (2013).  Principles of fire behavior and combustion. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Sonee, N., Arora, C., & Parmar, M. S. (2019). Burning behavior of aramid and FR viscose blended fabrics.

Dhabbah, A. M. (2020). Detection of petrol residues in natural and synthetic textiles before and after burning using SPME and GC-MS.  Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences,  52(2), 194-207.