An experimental study of fire growth and suppression of roll paper at small scales

This study investigates roll paper fire using laboratory-scale experiments, with emphasis on water transport on burning surfaces for sprinkler suppression. Freeburn, water transport and suppression experiments were conducted using different types of paper with various basis weight and water absorptivity. For fire suppression, the experimental results showed different water transport patterns that are sensitive to the burning surface conditions. This is in contrast to the water transport under no fire conditions in straight vertical rivulets exhibiting highly non-uniform distribution along the roll perimeter. For roll paper fire growth, both surface delamination and exfoliation play a crucial role, with the delamination length increasing either linearly or exponentially with time and the exfoliation rates strongly dependent on paper basis weight. Although the effects observed at the small scale in this work may have differences from those at large scales, the experimental results yield insights for better understanding of fire growth and suppression mechanisms and provide extensive data for numerical model development and validation. •Freeburn, water transport and suppression experiments were conducted at small scales to investigate roll paper fires with emphasis on water transport on burning surfaces for sprinkler protection.•Fire suppression results revealed different water transport patterns that are sensitive to the burning surface conditions, in contrast to highly non-uniform straight vertical rivulets under no fire conditions.•Surface delamination and exfoliation play a crucial role in roll paper fire growth, with the delamination length increasing with time and the exfoliation rates strongly dependent on paper basis weight.