Upholstered Furniture Heat Release Rates: Measurements and Estimation
- 1 January 1983
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Fire Sciences
- Vol. 1 (1) , 9-32
- https://doi.org/10.1177/073490418300100103
Abstract
A new instrument, termed a furniture calorimeter, has been constructed and placed into operation for measuring furniture heat release rates based on oxygen consumption. Using the furniture calorimeter, burning rate information has been obtained on a series of 13 chairs, loveseats, and sofas, most of them specially built to permit direct comparisons of construction features. A quantitative assessment is made of the effect of fabric types, padding types (cotton batting, ordinary polyurethane foam, and California-requirements foam), and frame types. The advantages of furniture calorimeter testing over normal room fire testing are discussed. Based on these measurements, a rule is presented for estimating the heat release rate based on design factors. Finally, implications for achieving both good flame resistance and good cigarette ignition resistance are discussed.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Estimation of rate of heat release by means of oxygen consumption measurementsFire and Materials, 1980
- Understanding and Modeling Preflashover Compartment FiresPublished by ASTM International ,1979
- Back-up report for the proposed standard for the flammability (cigarette ignition resistance) of upholstered furniture, PFF 6-76Published by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ,1978