Characterization and improvement of wood fire behavior

Wood is a widely used material in the construction sector, both in structural and non-structural applications.

Their behaviour in case of fire depends on several characteristics. Density is one of the factors that influence the rate of pyrolysis reactions and consequently the charring rate.

However, other wood characteristics such as the mineral content also exert an influence on the pyrolysis combustion of wood. Hardwoods present a complex morphological structure and a significant amount of minerals, extracts and exudates.

We have studied the fire reaction of diferent species of hardwood using various fire tests. By other hand, we are interested in the improvement of the fire behaviour of Wood by the addition of flame retardants.

Main results of this research area:

Haurie, L., Giraldo, M. P., Lacasta, A. M., Montón, J., & Sonnier, R. (2018). Influence of different parameters in the fire behaviour of seven hardwood species. Fire Safety Journal (on-line access, August 2018).

M.P. Giraldo, L.Haurie, J.Sotomayor, A.M. Lacasta, J. Montón, M. Palumbo, A. Navarro. Characterization of the fire behaviour of tropical wood species for use in the construction industry. In WCTE 2016: World Conference on Timber Engineering.

Tondi, G., Haurie, L., Wieland, S., Petutschnigg, A., Lacasta, A., & Monton, J. (2014). Comparison of disodium octaborate tetrahydrate‐based and tannin‐boron‐based formulations as fire retardant for wood structures. Fire and materials, 38(3), 381-390.

Wood is a widely used material in the construction sector, both in structural and non-structural applications. Their behaviour in case of fire depends on several characteristics. Density is one of the factors that influence the rate of pyrolysis reactions and consequently the charring rate. However, other wood characteristics such as the mineral content also exert an influence on the pyrolysis combustion of wood. Hardwoods present a complex morphological structure and a significant amount of minerals, extracts and exudates. We have studied the fire reaction of diferent species of hardwood using various fire tests. By other hand, we are interested in the improvement of the fire behaviour of Wood by the addition of flame retardants.