An Experimental Examination of the Spontaneous Ignition of Fibrous Materials in Heated Air Streams

Abstract

The behavior of a bed of fibrous combustile material, exemplified by pure cotton (ASTM, 1982), when subjected to a controlled stream of heated air, was examined experimentally. The effects of some controlling basic physical parameters, such as sample compactness and ventilation, air stream temperature, and air stream velocity on the spontaneous ignition and combustion characteristics were established. Moreover, the observed spontaneous ignition delay time was correlated in terms of these variables. The effective activation energy during the ignition reactions was derived and shown to be dependent on the compactness of the sample.