The Progressive Test Method for Assessing the Thermal Resistance of Spruce Wood Treated with Flame Retardants

The article is focused on evaluating untreated and flame retardant treated spruce wood (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst), used as a building material, using a new laboratory test method according to utility model no. 9589. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of different flame retardants applied to spruce wood, in terms of thermal resistance after being loaded with a flame source, depending on the angle of inclination of the sample. The wood samples were treated with three different retardation treatments: expandable graphite was used in combination with water glass, Bochemit Antiflash and Bochemit Pyro. Using this method, we can evaluate the spread of the flame, the mass loss, and the burning rate. During the experiment, we measured the temperature on the surface of the samples using a thermal camera. The results of applying the laboratory test method showed a significant effect of the angle of inclination (0°, 45°, 90°) of the sample and the use of flame retardants on the evaluation criteria. The best results among all flame retardants were achieved by expandable graphite in combination with water glass, in all evaluation criteria.