A Novel Methodology to Gauge and Quantify the Surface Cracks of Burning Timber
摘要
The rise of engineered timber in tall buildings highlights the need for research on timber structural behavior under fire conditions. Despite significant advancements in understanding timber cracking models under thermal radiation over the past decade, a critical gap persists in experimental data regarding the evolution and quantitative gauging of cracks during the burning of timber. In this communication, a novel methodology was developed that could clearly gauge the crack dimensions on timber surfaces under fire conditions using narrow-spectrum illumination and the ridge detection algorithm for image processing. Pinewood samples, with a thickness of 20 mm and a width of 100 mm, were exposed to a constant radiant heat flux of 30 kW/m2, and the evolution of surface crack parameters was measured as an implementation and validation of the apparatus and method. Based on narrow-spectrum illumination, this work introduces a practical apparatus with image processing for surface crack dimension gauging of burning timber samples. This methodology is compatible with current reaction-to-fire tests (ISO 5660-1: 2015) and Fire Propagation Apparatus (FPA) tests (ISO 12136: 2011), improving combustibility testing through the incorporation of observations on solid material crack development.