Upward Flame Spread on Vertical Surfaces.

A model which describes the physical processes of upward flame spread and for growth on wall materials has been developed and implemented as a computer program. The computer based flame spread model simulates the fire growth along a vertical combustible wall. The vertical wall material may be heated by an imposed external heat flux and is ignited at its bottom edge with a flame from a line burner of user specified strength. The model predicts the flame spread rate, the heat release rate of the fire, the flame height, the net heat flux to the wall surface and the time varying surface temperatures. The model uses inputs developed from cone calorimeter data. The results from the model compare favorably to experimental upward flame spread results for polymethylmethacrylate, plywood and wood particle board found in the literature. The sensitivity of the model to material thermal properties, flame heat flux and flame height are systematically examined.