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Abstract: This research study concerns an experimental, budget-friendly, electricity- powered apparatus for bench-scale fire testing. The apparatus consists of various elements, of which the most important are ceramic heating pads, used to impose heat fluxes on exposed surfaces of specimens. The test method allows to control the heating pads’ temperature and to adjust the distance between the heating pads and the specimen to obtain well-defined heat fluxes up to 50–60 kW/m2. Higher heat fluxes and temperatures can be obtained by setting the heating pads in full power mode, with or without the use of a thermal shield, which can lead to heat fluxes up to 150 kW/m2. The heating and thermal boundary conditions imposed by the apparatus are characterised and discussed, and the thickness of the convective boundary layer at the heating pads’ surface is estimated significantly lower than in the case of gas- fired radiant panels. The performance of the apparatus is analysed for various conditions: controlling the temperature of the heating pads, in an open environment or with the presence of thermal shields, and in full power mode. A few examples of application of the apparatus to fire test typical construction materials (steel and glass) are also presented. These results emphasise the well-defined heating conditions in temperature-controlled mode. The study finally discusses the advantages and limitations of the apparatus, as well as many possibilities of future applications and improvement for future research studies.
Keywords: radiant panels, fire testing, heat transfer, heat flux, electrical heating pads, thermal boundary conditions
Published in DiRROS: 15.04.2024; Views: 106; Downloads: 53
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Abstract: This research study presents a heat transfer model aimed at estimating the thermal and physical response of intumescent coatings. The numerical model is inspired by the outcomes of an experimental study focused on analysing the insulating effectiveness of a commercial intumescent coating for a range of heating conditions and initial coating thickness. The model solves the one-dimensional heat conduction problem using the finite-difference Crank-Nicolson method, and it assumes that the effectiveness of intumescent coatings is mainly dependent on their ability to develop swelled porous char. The coating swelling is implemented in the model by adopting an approach based on expanding the mesh representing the physical domain in proximity to the substrate-coating interface. The model described herein offers researchers and engineers a tool to estimate the heat transfer of swelling intumescent coatings (i.e. in-depth thermal gradient). Outcomes of the analysis shown herein demonstrate that the heat conduction within intumescent coatings is governed by the physical coating swelling and the thermal conditions at the coating-substrate interface. The numerical model shows that its accuracy is highly influenced by the coating thickness ahead of the reaction zone. Consequently, the coating swelling rate plays a key role, while the thermo-physical properties of the intumescent coating have a secondary effect. According to its assumptions, the model defines a quasi-steady-state thermal problem: it is more accurate for conditions close to steady-state (e.g. high heat fluxes), but it loses accuracy for cases characterised by transient phenomena (e.g. phases prior to the onset of swelling and low heat fluxes).
Keywords: intumescent coatings, heat transfer, numerical model, swelling, fire safety
Published in DiRROS: 08.01.2024; Views: 179; Downloads: 34
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