Flashover and boundary properties

A non-linear model of flashover, FLASHOVER A1, which has been described in earlier work, has been used to explore the dependence of the critical heat release rate ( Q fc) for flashover on the properties of the boundary of the enclosure. The compartment is assumed to have a single ventilation opening stretching from floor to ceiling. Specifically, the dependence of Q fc upon the thermal inertia of the boundary has been calculated for several different compartment sizes. The boundary materials considered are: marinite, gypsum, brick and concrete. Variations in Q fc with thermal inertia of the boundary and compartment size have been computed. The findings should be tested by experiment.