Architecture Commons^™

Cracking During Flame Spread Over Pyrolyzing Solids, Yen Nguyen, Indrek S. Wichman, Thomas J. Pence

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

A theoretical and numerical model for the degradation of solid materials in combustion is developed. As solid materials are heated by the flame, they undergo an internal thermo- chemical breakdown process known as pyrolysis. As the pyrolysis front propagates into the sample, a charring layer is left behind which contains voids, fractures and defects. Cracks propagate to release tensile stresses accumulated when the sample is losing mass. The crack front may precede the pyrolysis front into the sample. Crack patterns and fracture behaviors vary depending on material properties and heating level and distribution. Cracks cause loss of material integrity by …