A5051781278- Fire dynamics and safety research
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Flame retardant materials and properties
- Combustion and Detonation Processes
- Combustion and flame dynamics
- Fire effects on concrete materials
- Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes
- Landslides and related hazards
- Fire Detection and Safety Systems
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Wood Treatment and Properties
- Evacuation and Crowd Dynamics
- Mechanical Behavior of Composites
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Forest ecology and management
- Coal Properties and Utilization
- Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications
- Masonry and Concrete Structural Analysis
- Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites
- Fiber-reinforced polymer composites
- Disaster Management and Resilience
- Structural Response to Dynamic Loads
University of Edinburgh
2016-2025
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
2022
Imperial College London
2014-2015
Western University
2014-2015
University of California, Berkeley
2014
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
2008
Atmospheric oxygen (O 2 ) is estimated to have varied greatly throughout Earth’s history and has been capable of influencing wildfire activity wherever fuel ignition sources were present. Fires consume huge quantities biomass in all ecosystems play an important role biogeochemical cycles. This means that understanding the influence O on past fire far-reaching consequences for evolution life biodiversity over geological timescales. We used a strong electrical source ignite smoldering fires,...
The process of spotting occurs in wildland fires when fire-lofted embers or hot particles land downwind, leading to ignition new, discrete fires. This common mechanism fire propagation can result rapid spread the fire, potentially causing property damage and increased risk life safety both fighters civilians. Despite increasing frequency losses fires, there has been relatively little research on fuel beds by particles. In this work, an experimental theoretical study homogeneous cellulose...
Pyrolysis is the thermochemical process that leads to ignition of a solid fuel and key mechanism in flame spread fire growth. Because polymeric materials are flammable ubiquitous modern environment, understanding polymer pyrolysis thus essential tackle accidental fires. In this paper, we used transient irradiation as an external source heat study polymer. While previous studies use constant irradiation, most frequent condition found fires, but it lacks theoretical framework since has been...
A series of compartment fire experiments has been undertaken to evaluate the impact combustible cross laminated timber linings on behaviour. Compartment heat release rates and temperatures are reported for three configuration exposed surfaces. Auto-extinction was observed in one case but this not when experiment repeated under identical condition. This highlights strong interaction between material resulting dynamics. For large areas transfer within dominates prevents auto-extinction....
The consumption of large areas peat during wildfires is due to self-sustained smouldering fronts that can remain active for weeks. We studied the effect moisture content and bulk density on horizontal propagation fire in laboratory-scale experiments. used milled with contents between 25 250% (mass water per mass dry peat) densities 50 150 kg m–3. An infrared camera monitored ignition, spread extinction each combustion front. Peats a below 75 m–3 150% more than 12 cm. Peat could self-sustain...
Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a popular construction material for low and medium-rise construction. However an architectural aspiration exists tall mass buildings, this currently hindered by knowledge gaps perceptions regarding the fire behaviour of buildings. To begin to address some important questions structural response fire-exposed CLT structures in real fires, paper presents series novel tests on beams subjected sustained flexural loading, coincident with non-standard heating using...
Flame spread over a solid surface is critical metric in assessing the fire hazard of material. At core flame problem heat transfer to and within fuel. Accurate measurement temperature on burning necessary describe mechanisms which drive spread. This work employs phosphor thermometry measure spatiotemporal during downward polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) samples. The Gd3Ga5O12:Cr,Ce used 23 × mm2 area with an image resolution 410 µm/pixel. CH* chemiluminescence imaging performed alongside rate...
Peatland ecosystems are valued as natural archives of past climatic and vegetation changes such their study is essential for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions over millennia. Fires in peatlands dominated by smouldering combustion which the self-sustained, slow, low temperature, flameless form burning. Most studies on peat fires to date have focused ignition conditions, C losses or atmospheric emissions, but there a significant gap understanding evolution organic matter (OM) following...
Wildland and wildland/urban interface fires are a serious problem in many areas of the world. It is expected that with global warming wildfire fire will only intensify. The ignition natural combustible material by hot metal particles or embers an important pathway which wildland urban spot started. There numerous cases reported wild started from clashing power lines, sparks generated machines engines. Similarly there industrial caused grinding welding sparks. Despite importance subject,...
In compartment fires with boundaries consisting of exposed mass timber surfaces – for example in compartments cross-laminated (CLT) walls or floors the thermal penetration depth, i.e. depth heated to temperatures significantly above ambient behind char-timber interface, during fire exposure may have a significant influence on load bearing capacity structural buildings, particularly decay phase real fire. This paper presents in-depth temperature measurements obtained series full-scale...
Low-cost pyrolysis units such as flame curtain kilns are gaining popularity for biochar production. However, the processes that govern working of not well understood. Here, emissions, temperatures and mass loss monitored in real-time during kiln operation, followed by extensive sampling. We found adjusting layering rates feedstock we can obtain a yield (28 wt% with fixed carbon content 65 wt%) comparable to produced from same continuous-scale unit, highlighting importance systematic...
To improve our understanding of the energy balance in burning timber it is necessary to quantify heat release contribution char oxidation. Experiments were performed Fire Propagation Apparatus at 0%, 15%, and (ambient) 21% O2 environments analyse individual contributions pyrolysis, oxidation, flaming total timber. During piloted steady state under a flux 30 kW/m2 oxidation was found be 59% rate. unpiloted 60 kW/m2, 43%. From released by 5–8% this promoted further pyrolysis – with remaining...
This study uses a small-scale apparatus to investigate the influence of carbon fibre orientation and heat flux on thermomechanical response reinforced polymer (CFRP). The proposed test allows behaviour, relating mechanical performance degradation with particular surface temperature gradient CFRP, be investigated. motivation this is understand load-bearing CFRP materials during heating using cone heater. Experiments were performed specimens produced in four unique lay-ups their bending...
The char layer plays a critical role in the fire behaviour of engineered timber. Several chemical and physical processes can reduce thickness integrity. A series experiments studied 12 cross-laminated timber (CLT) columns (130x790x125 mm WxHxD) exposed to combined thermal (20 kW/m2 or 50 kW/m2) mechanical loading (39 kN, eccentric). Char loss from surface lamella was observed impact this on response studied. In all cases, unprotected CLT exhibited fall-off charred pieces. Cracking, shrinkage...
The fire performance of virgin low-density polyethylene (vLDPE), waste mixed plastics (wMP), and glass fibre (wGF) reinforced was investigated with without the addition retardant (Aluminium Trihydroxide, ATH). quantified through commonly reported metrics including time to ignition, mass loss rate (MLR), heat release (HRR), effective combustion (EHC) at three different flux conditions (20, 40, 60 kW/m2). wGF changed general HRR behaviour promoted a steadier state process. Compared vLDPE, is...
ABSTRACT This study investigates the combined thermal and mechanical response of pre‐loaded woven carbon‐epoxy U‐channels subjected to radiant heating conditions similar those experienced by aircraft structures in event a fire. A custom‐built laboratory scale test rig was used combine loads boundary conditions. The main experimental aim measure failure times, modes, displacement temperature distribution U‐channels. results show that undergo multiple phases decomposition when exposed heat....