Summarizes information on wood as an engineering material. Presents properties of wood and wood-based products of particular concern to the architect and engineer. Includes discussion of designing with wood and wood-based products along with some pertinent uses.

Wood handbook : wood as an engineering material

Modeling chemical and physical processes of wood and biomass pyrolysis

A general model of the pyrolysis of a wood slab is presented and validated with a set of heat release data. The model is applied to particle half-thicknesses from 5 μm to 5 cm , temperatures from 800 to 2000 K , and moisture contents from 0% to 30%. Internal temperatures, pyrolysis rates and yields of tar, hydrocarbons and char are presented. Four pyrolysis regimes are identified, depending on external temperature and particle size: thermally thin—kinetically limited, thermally thin—heat transfer limited, thermally thick, and thermal wave regimes.

Modeling thermally thick pyrolysis of wood

Modeling the combined impact of moisture and char shrinkage on the pyrolysis of a biomass particle

Predicting the burning of wood using an integral model

Burning rate is a key factor in modeling fire growth and fire endurance of wood structures. This study investigated the burning rate of selected wood materials as determined by heat release, mass, loss and charring rates. Thick samples of redwood, southern pine, red oak and basswood were tested in a heat release rate calorimeter. Results on ignitability and average heat release, mass loss and charring rates are reported for a heat flux range between 15 and 55 kw m−2. In this range, burning rate increased linearly with heat flux. Burning rate was very species dependent. Heat release rate was related to mass loss by effective heat of combustion, which also increased with heat flux. Charring rate was related to mass loss rate and original wood density. Important char property data such as yield, density and contraction are reported. A simplified calculation method is proposed for calculating mass loss rate and charring rate based on heat release rate.

https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1992/tran92b.pdf

Burning rate of solid wood measured in a heat release rate calorimeter

A critical factor in the fire endurance of a wood member is its rate of charring. Most available charring rate data have been obtained using the time-temperature curves of the standard fire resistance tests (ASTM E 119 and ISO 834) to define the fire exposure. The increased use of heat release calorimeters using exposures of constant heat flux levels has broadened the available database on wood charring. This paper presents such char rate data obtained with an Ohio State University (OSU) calorimeter. Results include char depth versus time models, char rates as function of other parameters, and temperature profiles in the remaining uncharred wood.

https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1996/white96b.pdf

Hao C. Tran

Papers

Burning rate of solid wood measured in a heat release rate calorimeter

Charring Rate of Wood Exposed to a Constant Heat Flux