Author(s)

Y. Zhou, A. Stevanovic, S. Mehta, A.C. Femandez-Pello

Abstract

Numerical analysis of composition effects on the ignition delay of polymeric composites Y. Zhou, A. Stevanovic, S. Mehta, A. C. Fernandez-Pello Department of Mechanical Engineering University of California at Berkeley, USA Abstract A numerical approach based on the enthalpy method is applied to predict endothermic pyrolysis and piloted ignition delay of thermoplastics and polymeric composites exposed to an external radiant heat flux. The model considers the coupled thermo-chemical processes that take place in the condensed phase, and therefore describes the piloted ignition of solid combustible materials only under conditions of fast chemical kinetics in gas phase. The condensed phase processes considered in the model include oxidative and thermal pyrolysis, phase change, heat and mass transfer in a multi-phase and multi-composition medium, and in-depth radiation absorption. Ignition is considered to occur when a critical pyrolysate mass flow is reached at the composite surfa

Keywords