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Bulletproof vests are safety protective equipment commonly used by the police, military, security agencies and people who are at risk of being shot targets. This study aims to create a bullet rate-resisting composite material from rubberized coir (sebutret) as a substitute for Kevlar with a cheaper and more economical price. In this study, the specimen used was a combination of a resin composite reinforced with coconut fiber and rubber latex. Then for data collection using the Brinell hardness test, the Charpy method impact test and the ballistic firing test. Then analyze the data from the results of the hardness test, impact test and firing test. Based on the results of the hardness test, it has the highest average of 22.86 BHN at a mixed variation of 40%, the result of the impact test has the highest average of 0.087 J/mm2. So it can be concluded that the 40% mixture variation is best used for making bulletproof vest panels. The results of the firing test showed that the 40% mixture variation of 1-ply panels was able to withstand the rate of bullet rotation because the mixture of resin and coconut fiber was stronger and denser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research describes a new model inspired by Mobilenetv2 that was trained on a very diverse dataset. The goal is to enable fire detection in open areas to replace physical sensor-based fire detectors and reduce false alarms of fires, to achieve the lowest losses in open areas via deep learning. A diverse fire dataset was created that combines images and videos from several sources. In addition, another self-made data set was taken from the farms of the holy shrine of Al-Hussainiya in the city of Karbala. After that, the model was trained with the collected dataset. The test accuracy of the fire dataset that was trained with the new model reached 98.87%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was focused on investigating the additive performance added to composite structures is reviewed the flammability and fire retardant. Two layers of woven jute fabric were used as strengthening of composite epoxy. Vacuum injection moulding was applied for its manufacture. In addition, chemical fire inhibitor additive was added in variations of 5%, 10%, and 15% to trigger flammability and fire retardant of the composites. Immersion of fibres was done in an additive added process as time long as 2h. Fire testing was conducted on the burning chamber 5 times repeating for each variation of sample. The results explained that composite epoxy consisting of jute fibres reinforced (JFC) has more flammability than glass fibres reinforced (GFC). Meanwhile, increasing the additive added number improved retardant and reduced their flammability. Furthermore, additives added to the composites reduced effectively the low heating value (LHV), which it is means the emission of composites is safe for the environment. It is concluded that chemical fire inhibitor additives contributed positively to improving and reducing the retardant and flammability of the composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of addition retardant aluminum oxide (Al2O3) in the flammability and mechanical properties of vinyl ester resin have been studied. The study has purpose to find the best properties vinyl ester added retardant for float component. The experiment was performed using a vinyl ester resin material added with aluminum oxide gradually starting from 0-25 wt % with 5 wt % step. The flammability properties have already gained refer to Civil Aviation Safety Regulation (CASR) Part 23 that test consists of three specimens, while the tensile properties have already gained too based on American Standart Testing and Material (ASTM) D638 that test consists of five specimens. The flammability tests performed that the addition of 20 wt % aluminum oxide in vinyl ester had the largest decrease in the burning rate from 32.86 mm3/s to 20.92 mm3/s, and there is no dripping time for 15-25 wt %. On the other side, The average tensile strength of vinyl ester increases to 10 wt % aluminum oxide and decreases for the next wt % except 25 wt %. However, based on linear regression analysis, aluminum oxide affects vinyl ester only in terms of flammability and is not significant for tensile properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an improvement method for determining compliance with the fire resistance classes of reinforced concrete floor slabs with a cross-section height of 220 mm. In civil and industrial construction, it is often envisaged to use these building structures with a specified thickness in the form of reinforced concrete slabs with cylindrical hollows. To implement the proposed method for determining compliance with the fire resistance classes of reinforced concrete slabs with a cross-section height of 220 mm, there were constructed temperature curves to determine the distribution and expansion of thermal influence from exposure to a standard temperature mode of a fire. Thermal studies were carried out using non-linear calculations, taking into account the change in the thermal characteristics of reinforced concrete and reinforcement, depending on the change in the temperature of exposure to the standard temperature mode of a fire. There were created the necessary mathematical models of reinforced concrete slabs with a cross-section height of 220 mm with 6 cylindrical hollows with a diameter of 159 mm each. The exposure time of the standard temperature mode of a fire was determined and performed in accordance with the existing fire resistance classes of this type of structure, namely: REI 150, REI 60, REI 45, REI 15. The operation of these models is based on the basic principles and assumptions of theories of thermal conductivity following the recommendations of the Eurocode 2. The implementation of thermal models was carried out using the finite element method. When carrying out computational experiments, the studies of the onset of boundary states in terms of fire resistance, loss of bearing capacity and heat-insulating properties were carried out, not taking into account the formation of cracks in the building structures under consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of fire tests of steel products with an innovative heat-insulating plate material based on geocement. It has been established that with a heat-insulating plate thickness of 20 mm, the metal surface of an I-beam heated up to a critical temperature of 500 °C in 60 minutes of testing. This indicator provides the fire resistance class of metal structures P60 and groups IIIa and IIIb of the fire retardant efficiency of metal structures. Based on the calculated data according to Eurocode 3, it was found that the critical heating temperature of an I-beam up to 538 °C with a sheet material thickness of 20 mm is achieved during 70-minute fire tests, which is achieved with thicknesses of heat-insulating plates 2 times less than those recommended. The result obtained provides the fire resistance class of the steel column P60 and the III fire resistance group. This effect is possible due to the passage of chemical reactions in the structure of the material with the formation of a porous structure of anhydrous sodium-calcium aluminosilicate phases with forsterite inclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnostics of structures subjected to exceptional loads (exceptional design situation), such as fire, is a difficult and complex issue. It requires not only appropriate permissions, but also a lot of experience. It is necessary to estimate the parts of the cross-sections that were directly damaged, as well as a static and strength analysis in terms of meeting the ultimate and serviceability limit states determined by PN-EN 1995-Eurocode 5: Design of timber structures - Part 1-1: General - Common rules and rules for buildings. The fire resistance of structural elements, which has traditionally been and is determined in fire tests, has become the subject of design and evaluation using calculation methods with the entry into force of the Eurocodes. As of March 2010, Eurocodes function in the Polish Standards system as the only valid standards in this regard - all previous Polish PN standards have been formally withdrawn from the set of current Polish Standards (however, they are still referred to as an alternative basis) in the ordinance of the Minister of Infrastructure on technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location [DIN, 2016]). According to the authors, the basis for the assessment of the structure should be the period of its creation, and this should be a determinant of the application of an adequate set of standards. The next stage of work on the damaged structure is the development of the reinforcement design. The paper presents examples of such damage, as well as the degree of danger to the structure, conclusions drawn and formulated in relation to fire-damaged wooden structures based on the presented case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents selected scientific and technical problems referring to the construction and use of tunnels to ensure safety. The intensive development of tunnel construction technologies concerns the progress in their design. This progress is of particular importance for subsequent safe use. The priorities in the safe tunnels design procedure refer to the advanced methods and computational models and the awareness of the need of conducting geotechnical research. These tests cannot be limited to the normal activities such as determining the type of soil but must take into account many other aspects such as the optimal foundation depth, environmental impact, vibroacoustic, groundwater interference or the need to inventory existing buildings in the case of tunnel location in the built-up area. Incomplete recognition of the soil properties is the frequent reason for failures and disasters occurring during drilling and subsequent operation of tunnels. Previously performed tests are therefore the basis for minimizing the risk. Fire safety is another aspect of the article. The author presents examples of fire tests in tunnels carried out in recent years. Tunnel fire safety tests, including international projects such as the Eureka 499 "Firetun" and the Memorial Tunnel Fire Ventilation Test Program, were the first to provide reliable information on the nature and course of a tunnel fire. The article also presents the problem of ensuring adequate air quality inside the tunnel and the impact of pollutants resulting from fuel combustion on the human body. This section proposes ways to improve air quality in tunnels. The research includes specialized internal finishing coatings to reduce harmful substances such as NOx. The author presents the test results carried out in the Umberto I tunnel in Rome (Italy) before and after using the air-purifying coating/paint. The experiment showed over 20% reduction of NOx concentration, which is harmful to humans. The article presents essential subjects of safety in the stages of implementation and use of tunnels. The study refers to research and analyses focused on increasing the safety level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of sustainable natural resources has been practiced by the construction sector as a means to reduce energy demand and increase the efficiency of buildings. In this sense, wood and wood-based materials are alternative and renewable material sources that can be effectively used in building elements, such as doors and partition walls, which are required to provide adequate thermal, acoustic, and fire resistance performance. Such elements play an important role in the fire compartmentation of buildings. Appropriate selection of materials with a reduced potential of ignition and enhanced fire behaviour may reduce the heat flux, and the passage of hot gases and smoke, thus minimizing fire hazards. In the case of wood products, the combustibility of wood usually limits its use in fire-resistant components. However, the fire performance of wooden assemblies can be improved by using engineered wood products and insulation materials, which can be assembled into multilayer systems. This work investigates the performance of wood and wood-based multilayer panels exposed to ISO 834 standard fire curve to improve the knowledge about their fire resistance in terms of insulation (I) and integrity (E) criteria. The study considers pinewood, OSB (oriented strand board), and moisture-resistant MDF (medium-density fibreboard) of different thicknesses. Rockwool with a thickness of 27 mm was also used as a core material. The multilayer systems have a dimension of 580×580 mm, fixed to a wood frame and mounted to a wall made of refractory bricks and mortar. The composite panels were tested in a small-scale furnace. During each test, temperatures were measured using type k thermocouples attached between layers and to the panel's surfaces and wood frame. The specimens were considered to have failed when the insulation and integrity criteria were met according to EN 1363-1. The results showed that a 1-hour insulation fire resistance was achieved when using 16 mm-thick MDF panels on both sides and rockwool as a core material. Similar assemblies using 6 mm-thick and 10 mm-thick MDF panels reached 30 min., and 40 min., respectively. The specimen with 20 mm-thick pinewood on both sides and rockwool core had an insulation fire resistance of 41 min. but had one of the highest superficial masses and highest total thickness amongst tested specimens. Pinewood has been tested as a core material sandwiched between two 10 mm-thick MDF panels, and its insulation fire resistance was 30 min. The assembly with 15 mm-thick OSB placed between two 10 mm-thick MDF boards had the smallest insulation fire resistance of around 27 min. The fall-off of the exposed panel and warping of the edges of the panels greatly influenced the integrity behaviour of the samples. The insulation performance was mostly affected by the type of material and its thickness, as well as by the relative position of the layer in the composite assembly. The results provide important data regarding heat transmission effects and integrity issues related to the exposure of wood and wood-based composite multilayer systems under fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, there has been a growing interest in ecology and the environment, which is why wooden buildings are becoming increasingly popular. In the Czech Republic, there are opinions that the fire safety design of timber buildings is too strict, mainly because of the restrictive fire height (≤ 12 m). There are more requirements that seem to be too high comparing to noncombustible buildings, for example type of construction system, fire load, degree of fire safety, fire resistance of building structures, fire separation or falling out of burning parts. These requirements are briefly described in this paper. Another part of the paper is devoted to a case study. This case study consists of a building with offices and shops. Requirements of Czech regulations for fire safety design of timber buildings are implemented in this case study together with regulations of selected foreign countries (Great Britain, Canada, USA and Austria) to see if Czech design is strict or not. Graphical results (height of building and fire separation) are given at the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timber structures represent an ever-increasing part of buildings. It is necessary to approach the design of wooden buildings comprehensively and meet all the requirements for this kind of construction. The combustibility of natural wood restricts the use of this material in buildings compared to traditional building materials. The limitations are given by the national regulations and legislation. The properties of each structure must be proven before its use in buildings. This paper deals with the experimental fire resistance testing of the timber structure. The conditions during the test were followed according to standard procedures and the measured data were compared with the results according to standard testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of highly durable material with recycled material expresses the idea of sustainable construction. The primary raw materials used for the production of concrete need a large amount of primary energy; it is possible to replace them with a more environmentally friendly version - waste materials from construction and demolition waste. Waste materials and their usability in concrete should be examined in terms of tests outside the classic durability and strength experiments. The paper focuses on the behavior of concrete samples with waste glass from photovoltaic panels exposed to high temperatures corresponding to fire. The loading is done according to the standard temperature curve ISO 834. The influence of fire on the microstructure of concrete samples - the development of cracks and the cohesion of concrete was monitored. The condition was compared with the reference concrete sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are errors in experimental and computational methods for determining fire resistance, respectively, the improvement of methods and tools is an urgent issue. Based on the results of the work, a prototype of a small-sized fire installation was created and the results of test starts were analyzed, in particular, the temperature distributions in the fire furnace chamber and the possibility of achieving the temperature regime of a "standard" fire. The method of conducting an experimental study to determine the fire resistance of load-bearing structures was revealed. The distribution of temperatures over the entire area of the fire furnace was checked and the results were analyzed. The created prototype of the fire furnace allows to determine the fire resistance of load-bearing building structures by means of fire tests. The results of the experiment showed that this tool and method of testing building structures for fire resistance allows you to reproduce the standard temperature in the furnace chamber and to assess the fire resistance of structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the calculation method for assessing the fire resistance of reinforced concrete beams under the condition of parametric temperature regime of the fire. Temperature analysis for both parametric and standard fire exposure was performed and the corresponding plastic moments depending on the duration of the fire were determined. On the basis of the conducted research the diagrams of limiting moments for reinforced concrete beams are constructed. These diagrams allow you to check the strength conditions and assess the affiliation of reinforced concrete beams to the appropriate standard class of fire resistance. Using the constructed graphs of dependences of limiting plastic moments on the value of fire duration corresponding to standard classes of fire resistance for reinforced concrete beam, it is concluded that the standard temperature of fire is the most severe and leads to a constant reduction of limiting moment in contrast to others with horizontal branches, due to the descending branch of the calculated temperature of the fire according to the parameters of the room. On average, when using the temperature regimes of fire, determined by the proposed mathematical models, the limiting plastic moments are three times less than the limiting plastic moments determined under the influence of the standard temperature of the fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber plants are overgrown in Indonesia as one of tropical countries. Natural fibers have many benefits, namely environmentally friendly, recyclable materials, flexible, and can be used as reinforcement in polymer composites. This research aimed to analyze the hardness, impact, and fire resistance properties on Sumberejo kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composites with the fiber orientations of 0°/0°/0°/0° and 0°/90°/0°/90°. The kenaf fiber was alkaline treated before it was used as reinforcement and the composites were fabricated by Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion technique. Furthermore, the composites surfaces, before and after flammability test, were observed. SNI 01-4449-2006 was used as density standard for fiber-board and these composites were categorized as High-Density Fiber-Boards. The 0°/0°/0°/0° and 0°/90°/0°/90° Sumberejo kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composites had similar values of hardness and impact strength, which were (71.48 ± 0.69) HD and (72.4 ± 1.01) HD; and (32.61 ± 1.28) J/cm2 and (33.03 ± 1.05) J/cm2 respectively. Meanwhile, the 0°/90°/0°/90° composites had better combustion rate than the 0°/0°/0°/0° composites, with a value of (14.0 ± 0.2) mm/minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurons are one of the most critical cells in humans, serving as the nervous system's basic building block. It transmits information and provides sensations as well as thoughts in our brains, which make us unique from other organisms, and is essential for the improvement of human society. In the human brain, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a hub of diverse neurons that regulates reward, motivation, cognition, and aversion. Scientists have been identifying and studying these neurons in VTA for decades. In 2012, Cohen et al. proposed and identified three types of VTA neurons and named them Type I, II, III neurons. In the study, Cohen et al. have determined that the Type I neurons are DA neurons, and Type II neurons are GABA neurons. However, Type III neurons were not identified, and their specific functions and relationship with Type I and Type II neurons are still unclear. In this paper, we propose investigating the relationship between Type I and Type III neurons by observing the mice's behavior and testing their neuron firing rate in the VTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid and substantial decline of the cell-cost, CPV, relied on cell-saving and became less valuable. Many players and systems got off the stage as a result. Also, less and fewer new proposals in the CPV standardization. We decided to continue the standardization activity but separate the tracker's work by creating a new working group, WG9. The technical discussion on VIPV has also been discussed in WG7, and it is to be transferred to a new project team. Besides the existing standards' maintenance work, new proposals of the new CPV standards were posted and approved recently. One is the fire test of the CPV module, and another is a series of standards of the hybrid CPV/PV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysilicon based passivating contacts for solar cells are expected to gain significant market share in the future. To ensure successful deployment, understanding the long-term stability of any new product is essential. Degradation and recovery of lifetime can occur in the bulk and surface-related components of a solar cell. In this work, we use planar p-type Czochralski silicon (20 Ω.cm) to fabricate symmetrical lifetime samples featuring p- or n-poly-Si layers capped by AlOx or SiNy to study the impact of the capping layer under different firing conditions, followed by annealing and illumination, on degradation mechanisms. Initially, AlOx samples perform better than SiNy samples. After firing at different temperatures below 792 °C, the passivation quality of SiNy samples improves significantly, beyond that of AlOx capped samples. During accelerated degradation (dark annealing and light soaking under high intensity illumination), AlOx samples degrade slightly while SiNy samples demonstrate a significant degradation (directly correlated to the firing temperature), which is followed by recovery. This behaviour is similar to light- and elevated temperature-induced degradation in passivated emitter and rear solar cells, suggesting a possible hydrogen-related mechanism. Lifetime analysis shows that the strongest changes occur in low injection levels, while the dark saturation current remains virtually the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the approach to reduce the deterioration of poly-Si based passivating contacts through screen- printed silver pastes by modifying the SiNx capping layer thickness and firing temperature. Its impact is investigated by fabricating p-type back junction solar cells featuring the passivating contacts at the cell rear side. We demonstrate that the improved contact formation without compromising of the quality of passivating contacts is possible if the firing temperature is optimized for the chosen SiNx layer thickness. On the full area of M2-sized industrial p−type Cz wafers, we achieve an open-circuit voltage of 716 mV and an efficiency of 22.6%, both independently. A median contact resistivity of 2 mΩcm2 is measured with transfer length method for the optimized SiNx layer thickness and firing temperature. The investigation with scanning electron microcopy shows that certain amount of small etch pits are necessary to form the contact between screen-printed silver and phosphorus-doped poly-Si properly. The best efficiency that we achieved so far with this cell concept is 22.9 %, independently confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of removing some iron content from feldspar for ceramic application purposes had been conducted. Feldspar rock originated from Banjarnegara, Central Java was used in this experiment. The feldspar comprises of SiO2 (67,16%); Al2O3 (14,63%); K2O (5,04%); Fe2O3 (2,03%); Na2O (3,53%); TiO2 (0,04%). Meanwhile, Iron content should be below 1% in order to utilise feldspar for ceramic bodies such as whiteware-type. Reducing iron content from the feldspar had been done by a dry high-intensity magnetic separation method. The particle size of feldspar was divided into two fractions (−30 +100 mesh and -100 mesh). A 12.000 gauss magnetic separator was used to remove some magnetic elements from ground feldspar. All the specimens, magnetic and non-magnetic, were heated at 1.473°K for 7h to ascertain the different effect of iron content on the colour. The separation results showed the −30 +100 mesh and −100 mesh fraction had 0,69% and 0.72% iron (Fe2O3) content, respectively. The firing test results indicated that the magnetic separated feldspar can produce brightly white materials. The concentrate feldspar after firing test showed a white colour while raw feldspar coloured grey and reddish-brown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conceptual design of the hydrogen-fueled detonation ramjet (DR) of a new type for a cruising flight speed of Mach 2 at sea level is developed using 3D numerical simulations of the operation process. The calculated effective thrust of such a DR is shown to become positive at M = 1.3, i.e., the startup Mach number for such a DR can be lower than M ≈ 2.0, which is typical for ramjets operating on continuous-deflagration combustion. A DR demonstrator is designed and manufactured. Its test fires are performed in a blowdown wind tunnel (WT) at free air jet Mach numbers M = 2.0, 1.5, and 0.9. The result of test fires is the experimental proof of the possibility of arranging stable continuous-detonation combustion of hydrogen in the DR of the developed design at both Mach numbers exceeding 1.0. The maximum measured values of the fuel-based specific impulse and total thrust were 1610 s and 650 N for the tests with M = 1.5 and 1630 s and 860 N for the tests with M = 2.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of polymer composite in industry should meet good mechanical and inflammability properties due to its risk on failure under loading and its flammable property of polymer. The use of Fly ash (FA) waste whose high in flammability and carbon fiber (CF) whose high thermal conductivity and self-extenguish characteristic is expected can give solution to accelerate its application and to reduce its cost. The composite was produced by using a simple molding which was varied in FA and CF contents. The testing of the samples were conducted with universal testing machine for flexural test and horizontal burning apparatus for flammability test. The result shows that the use of FA on FA/Phenolic composite has good performance on increasing in flexural strength and inflammability. The FA is also give contribution on cost reduction of the composite. The CF addition in FA/CF/Phenolic composite give on enhancing of flexural and inflammability properties. The FA/CF/Phenolic hybrid composite has best performance on flexural and inflammability properties for 30% of FA content (w/w) and 4 laminates of CF. The addition of FA should be proportional so that the particles can be fully bounded by the matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of late, the number of fire cases in Malaysia has been steadily increasing at a very alarming rate. One way to reduce the ability of fire ignition or spreading is by coating or doping the wood with a layer of fire-protected coating, or an insulating barrier, which is also known as Flame Retardant Coatings (FRCs). In this study, titania (TiO2) is coated onto the surface of the wood to act as an FRC. The synthesis of TiO2 was carried out by using the sol-gel method, while the coating process was done by the dip-coating method. FESEM images show that the surface of the wood has been fully covered by titania nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) in size range of 24 – 45 nm. From the TGA results, it was shown that the thermal stability of the wood has increased from 300 to 320 °C, with just by a merely coated layer of TiO2 NPs. Flammability testing was carried out by a flame burner also shows that the coated wood is capable of reducing the flammability of the wood, where the coated wood required a longer time to be burned out. The flame spread test indicated that the coated samples managed to reduce the spreading of the flame, as compared to the uncoated sample. These initial results show the potential of the TiO2 NPs as a good flame-retardant material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative approach to wood flame retardant modification has been proposed, using electrospun nanofibrous membrane to cover the wood surface and delay the fire ignition. Poly(meta-phenylene isophtalamide) (PMIA) has been used for nanofibrous membrane production and it has been applied onto wood panels via either vinyl glue or using a thin layer of polyurethane painting. Cone-calorimetric tests proved the ability of PMIA electrospun nanofibers to almost double the time to ignition of the wood panel. Tests carried out on the membranes still containing the LiCl salt required for the electrospinning process did not reach the same satisfying results of the washed PMIA membrane, where the inorganic component was completely removed. The fire testing measurements also pointed out the importance of a good adhesion between the coating membrane and the wood surface, demonstrating a better ability of the polyurethane paining as coupling agent. It is worth to point out the negligible impact of the applied polymeric nanofibrous shielding coating on both the overall weight of the sample (24-27 g/m²) and thickness (50 µm overall thickness increase after application and rolling). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of intumescent paints as an active fire protection method has gained immense interest in recent years. A significant aspect of research has focused on studying the chemical aspects of the system to improve performance. The dynamics and physical aspects of intumescence in real time fire conditions are still unclear. The present research uses an experimental approach where diagnostics techniques such as thermal imaging camera was used to study intumescent characteristics that have been not been reported in great detail.T-panels are a substitute to the most commonly used part in construction, the I-beam. Studies were conducted using a cone calorimeter that provided a uniform heat flux through radiation on steel T-panel samples. The complex nature of char movement was recorded and a novel algorithm was used to track the growing char laye07r. The samples are designed to cater to different fire conditions. Therefore, the degree of intumescence was observed to be very different in the samples. The samples designed for low temperature cellulosic fires focus on high degree of intumesce. Whereas, mechanical strength is the focus for samples used in high temperature turbulent hydrocarbon fire conditions. The variation in the internal structure of the sample is presented. Furthermore, the phenomenon is phase shift is discussed. The phase shift is an essential part of the process of intumescence when the majority of intumescence occurs. It was observed to be different in all the samples. The movement of the samples is a property of great interest. This is because if any part of the substrate is exposed then the formulation does not meet strict commercialisation criterion. The movement was diagonal in nature as compared to flat panels where it is perpendicular. This is due tot the heating pattern of the plate that results in the web part of the panel to influence the growth of char on the flange part of the panel.A special case of char cracking is also highlighted and using image processing algorithm on the thermal imaging data. A quantitative method of analsysis is presented to an otherwise commonly qualitative nature of experimental study in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results of flame-spread experiments of PBX 9501 (HMX-based explosive). The horizontal flame spread rate, Vf, for PBX 9501 is curve-fit with a power law function of pressure from 0.077 to 17.3 MPa, specifically, Sf = 0.259 P0.538(cm/s) where P is the dimensionless pressure p/p0 with p0 = 0.1 MPa. Vf is of the same order of magnitude as normal deflagration and varies nearly as the square root of pressure, as scaling estimates predict. In the vertical orientation, the flame propagation downward was observed to be slightly faster than horizontal flame spread presumably because of the melt layer flowing downward on the sample. © 2006 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]