Relating flame radiation to home ignition using modeling and experimental crown fires
- 1 August 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Canadian Science Publishing in Canadian Journal of Forest Research
- Vol. 34 (8), 1616-1626
- https://doi.org/10.1139/x04-049
Abstract
Wildland–urban fire destruction depends on homes igniting and thus requires an examination of the ignition requirements. A physical–theoretical model, based on severe case conditions and ideal heat transfer characteristics, estimated wood wall ignition occurrence from flame radiation heating and piloted ignition requirements. Crown fire experiments provided an opportunity for assessing model reliability. The crown fire experiments were specifically instrumented with wood wall sections and heat flux sensors to investigate direct flame heating leading to home ignition during wildland fires. The experimental results indicated that the flame radiation model overestimated the structure-to-flame distance that would result in wood wall ignition. Wall sections that ignited during the experimental crown fires did not sustain flaming after crown fire burnout. The experiments also revealed that the forest canopy attenuated the flame radiation as the crown fire spread within the forest plot. Ignition modeling and the associated crown fire experiments described the flame-to-structure distance scale associated with flame heating related to wall ignition.Keywords
This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- HEAT TRANSFER THROUGH FABRICS AS RELATED TO THERMAL INJURY*†Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1971