Full-Scale Experimental Investigation to Quantify Building Component Ignition Vulnerability from Mulch Beds Attacked by Firebrand Showers

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• 作者：Samuel L. Manzello ; Sayaka Suzuki ; Daisaku Nii
• 关键词：WUI fires ; Firebrands ; Ignition
• 刊名：Fire Technology
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：March 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：53
• 期：2
• 页码：535-551
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Engineering
• 刊物主题：Civil Engineering; Classical Mechanics; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Physics, general;
• 出版者：Springer US
• ISSN：1572-8099
• 卷排序：53

文摘

Structure ignition by wind-driven firebrand showers is an important fire spread mechanism in large outdoor fires. Experiments were conducted with three common mulch types (shredded hardwood mulch, Japanese Cypress wood chips, and pine bark nuggets) placed adjacent to realistic-scale re-entrant corners. In the first series of experiments, mulch beds were placed adjacent to a re-entrant corner constructed with wood studs and lined with oriented strand board (OSB) as the sheathing. The premise behind conducting experiments with no siding treatments applied was predicated on the notion that bare OSB mulch contact would be a worst-case scenario, and therefore, a wall assembly in the most vulnerable state to mulch ignition. In the second series of experiments, vinyl siding was applied to the re-entrant corner assemblies (wood studs/OSB/moisture barrier/vinyl siding), and the influence of vertical separation distance (102 mm or 203 mm) on wall ignition from adjacent mulch beds was determined. The vertical separation distance was maintained by applying gypsum board to the base of the re-entrant corner. The siding itself did not influence the ignition process for the mulch beds, as the mulch beds were the first to ignite from the firebrand showers. In all experiments, it was observed that firebrands produced smoldering ignition in the mulch beds, this transitioned to flaming ignition, and the re-entrant corner assembly was exposed to the flaming mulch beds. With no siding treatments applied, the flaming mulch beds ignited the re-entrant corner, and ignition was observed to propagate to the back side of re-entrant corner assembly under all wind speeds (6 m/s to 8 m/s). With respect to the re-entrant corners fitted with vinyl siding, the mulch type, vertical separation distance, and wind speed were important parameters as to whether flaming ignition was observed to propagate to the back-side of a re-entrant corner assembly. Mulches clearly pose an ignition hazard to structures in large outdoor fires.