Surface Spread Characteristics of Interior Lining Materials

Abstract

This article presents the study of "Reaction to Fire Characteristics" (RFC) of building materials such as plywood (PW), particle board (PB), wood chip board (WCB), and wood wool board (WWB). Wood is an essential part of structures, The use of wood and wood substitutes (WS) is very common in buildings as partitions, lining materials, in schools, for acoustic purposes, for furniture and other furnishing related to the home, etc. These wood and wood-based products are highly combustible in nature and a major cause of fire hazards. So, from a safety standpoint, it is critical to conduct the hazards assessment and determination of the reaction to fire characteristics of the above-mentioned products prior to use. The RFC tests were performed on plywood, WWB, WCB, and PB as per BS 476 part 7 (British Standard). The classification of the surface spread of flame was done on the basis of the criteria given in the standard, i.e., on the basis of the flame travel on the surface of the specimens during the test. The specimens were exposed vertically, and the flame travelled across their surfaces from 9 mm to 730 mm.