Larger specimens for determining rate of heat release in the cone calorimeter

Abstract

Abstract A larger cone heater for the cone calorimeter has been developed in order to measure the rate of heat release from building materials. The aim was to facilitate the testing of inhomogeneous materials and to minimize edge effects. Specimens of two different sizes, 100 × 100mm and 200 × 200mm, were tested in the horizontal orientation. The maximum rate of heat release and the average rate of heat release during 1 min after ignition are generally higher for the larger specimens than for the smaller ones. The time to ignition is generally shorter for larger specimens. Results from tests with 13 different building materials, including wood‐based materials, gypsum board, wall‐coverings and plastics, are presented at different heat flux levels up to 75 kW m −2 .