Comparison of the Heat Release Rate from the Mass Loss Calorimeter to the Cone Calorimeter for Wood-based Materials

There is a growing demand for material properties to be used as inputs in fi re behavior models designed to address building fire safety. This comparative study evaluates using the mass loss calorimeter as an alternative to the cone calorimeter for obtaining heat release rates of wood-based materials. For this study, a modified mass loss calorimeter utilized an improved heat release rates method that added four thermocouples install ed on a chimney wall above the coni cal heater in addition to the standard air them1opile at the chimney top. The cone calorimeter used the standard oxygen consumption method. The MLC results showed agreement between the mass loss calorimeter and the cone calorimeter. Nineteen commercially available wood products were compared and included untreated and fi re-retardant-treated particleboards, untreated and fire-retardant-treated medium density fiberboards, untreated high density fiberboards, untreated plywoods, untreated oriented strand boards and untreated flooring and lumber. The use of the MLC could provide a lowcost approach for obtaining material properties.