Conference on Materials for Improved Fire Safety Held in Houston, Texas on 6-7 May 1970.
Abstract
Fire and combustion have contributed immensely to the sciences of chemistry and metallurgy, to power production and utilization to man's physical comfort, and to the development of spacecraft systems and modern rocketry. The most commonly observed form of combustion is that of ordinary objects burning in air. This appears to be a simple process; but, in reality, it is a most complex action. The objective of this paper is to describe the basic processes of combustion. Combustion is defined as any relatively fast, heat-producing reaction of a fuel with an oxidizier. The term 'relatively fast' indicates times in seconds or fractions of seconds. The essential ingredients required for combustion are fuel, oxygen or other oxidizers and an ignition source. The fuel must be a material that will unite with oxygen to produce a significant amount of heat. For most materials, the initiating energy must be supplied by an ignitor, for example, a match, a hot wire, or heat produced by friction. For most solid fuels, this energy must be sufficient to raise the temperature of a small region of the fuel to a point at which decomposition or pyrolysis will occur. However, for carbon and metal solids, the oxidizer reacts directly with the solid surface of these materials to form combustion products (oxides). The temperature must be raised sufficiently to make possible a self-sustaining, rapid chemical reaction.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- ADA307975
Entities
Organizations
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration