Smouldering Combustion inLoose-Fill Wood Fibre Thermal Insulation: An Experimental Study

• A bench-scale experimental setup has been used to study the conditions necessaryfor smouldering ignition in four types of loose-fill wood fibre thermal insulation, andto study the development of the smouldering process. The products varied with regard towood species, grain size and fire retardant chemical additives. The test material wasplaced in an insulated open top container and heated from below. Temperatures withinthe sample and mass loss were measured during the tests. Both the fibre size and the levelof added fire retardant seem to influence the smouldering ignition. Two different types ofsmouldering were identified in this study. Materials undergoing smouldering Type 1obtained maximum temperatures in the range 380C to 440C and a total mass loss of40 wt% to 50 wt%. Materials undergoing smouldering Type 2 obtained maximum temperaturesin the range 660C to 700C and a total mass loss of 80 wt% to 90 wt%. Thisimplies that Type 2 smouldering involves secondary char oxidation, which represents arisk for transition to flaming combustion and thereby a considerable fire hazard. This hasbeen an exploratory project and the results must therefore be considered as indicative.The findings may, however, have implications for fire safety in the practical use of loosefillwood fibre insulation in buildings, and further experimental studies should be performedwith this in mind to obtain more knowledge about the topic.

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