An Experimental Study of Flame Spread over an Inclined Thin Fuel Surface

An experimental study was carried out to analyze the downward flame spread rate over thin solid fuel (paper) in its dry state as well as when it is soaked with a combustible liquid fuels. The downward flame spread rate is estimated for different inclination angles varying from 0° to 90°. The flame spread rate is found out to be enhanced in the range of 0° to 30° while it remains almost constant over the other part of the range. The downward flame spread rate also decreases with increase in the thickness of the fuel. As the boiling point of the combustible liquid increases, the flame spread rate is found to get decreased. When the boiling point of the combustible liquid is less than the pyrolysis temperature of the paper, the flame spread rate is observed to be higher than that of the dry paper. However, the downward flame spread rate decreases with increase in orientation and thickness of the paper.