Use of Cone Calorimeter for Estimating Fire Behavior of PVC Membranes

Abstract

In this work, the fire behavior of two kinds of PVC membranes under radiation were studied by cone calorimeter. Through the experiments, the TTI, HRR, THR, MLR, TRP, CHF, concentrations of CO and CO₂ are got. The whole combustion process of membranes in the cone calorimeter test can be divided into five stages. The ignition time of S1 and S2 under the radiation flux of 30kw/m², 40 kw/m², 50 kw/m² are 33.3 s, 22.3 s, 14 s; 54.3 s, 26.3 s, 16.3 s respectively. Under the same radiation flux, the ignition time of S1 is shorter than the ignition time of S2 and the mass loss rate of S1 is greater than that of S2. The THR of S1 floats up and down below 14.5 MJ/m², while THR of S2 is about 17 MJ/m². The concentration of CO that was released after combustion by S2 is bigger than S1. This study can provide basic fire information for performance-based fire protection of membrane buildings.