Chapter 5 Fire Behavior and Building Construction Flashcards
Autoexposure
The vertical spread of fire on the exterior of a multistory building, from one floor to the floor(s) above, via convection and radiation.
Autoignition
A phenomenon in which a combustible material ignites spontaneously without the application of a flame or spark.
Backdraft
The explosive burning of heated gaseous products of combustion when oxygen is introduced into an environment whose oxygen supply has been depleted due to fire.
Bagasse
Low-density fiberboard made of wood fibers or sugar cane residue.
Batt insulation
Fiberglass or rock wool insulation with various thicknesses; it may or may not have a paper covering.
Ceiling layer
The hot, buoyant gases that collect at the very top of a room.
Combustible acoustical tile
Fiberboard in which holes have been punched.
Conduction
The transfer of heat within an object or between objects through direct contact.
Convection
The transfer of heat through circulation within a medium such as a gas or liquid.
Entrainment
The process of oxygen (air) being drawn into a fire.
Fire plume
The column of flames, smoke, and heated gases rising above the burning object.
Flameover
A situation in which unburned fuel gases, having gathered in sufficient quantities at the ceiling layer, suddenly ignite; also called rollover.
Flashover
A transition stage in a fire in which exposed surfaces within the compartment ignite simultaneously and fire spreads throughout the compartment, resulting in full room involvement.
Fuel
A material that will sustain combustion.
Heat
A form of energy that is the source of ignition.
Low density fiberboard
Sometimes used as an interior finish, a product made of wood particles such as wood shavings and bound together with a suitable binder.
Matchboarding
Ceilings made of embossed steel and wooden boards.
Neutral plane
The interface between the hot ceiling layer and the cooler air flowing into the compartment.
Oxidizing agent
Normally atmospheric oxygen, but may also be chemical compounds known as oxidizers that release oxygen as they react.
Piloted ignition
Ignition of a heated combustible material when a flame or spark is applied.
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)
Toxic chemicals used as non-flammable coolants in transformers that may be released during fires.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
A commercially produced organic compound used in transformers and capacitors due to its electrical insulator properties and low flammability rating.
Radiation
Heat transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves.
Rigid-foamed polyurethane
Cellular foam plastic that is used as an interior finish.
Robertson protected metal
Asphalt coated steel.
Smoke
The airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases produced by a fire.
Uninhibited chemical chain reaction
A sustained oxidation reaction that produces sufficient excess heat to continue heating unburned fuel, making it available for combustion.
