Characteristics of Polyurethane Foam Smoke Particles Formed during Initial Fire Stages

When exposed to an external heat source, a solid fuel generates condensed and gaseous phases on its surface through pyrolysis. The pyrolysis products can determine ignition and fire development, as well as smoke release. Elucidating the pyrolysis process is essential for predicting complex fire phenomena such as flame propagation and spread. In this study, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and an optical particle counter (OPC) were used to investigate smoke particle formation based on pyrolysis. The TGA results revealed that polyurethane foam pyrolyzed in two stages and then oxidized in three stages. The OPC results confirmed that smoke particle formation depended on the presence of an ignition source at low temperatures. Additionally, methods are provided to account for the behavior of particulate matter during pyrolysis modeling.