Effect of Wall and Room Surfaces on the Rates of Heat, Smoke, and Carbon Monoxide Production in a Park Lodging Bedroom Fire

摘要

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.