| Abstract: | The role of solid‐state thermal degradation kinetics in steady‐flaming combustion is examined. Expressions for the burning surface temperature, pyrolysis zone depth and fractional mass loss rate are derived from heat transport limited, nonisothermal pyrolysis kinetics. The predicted magnitude of these fire response parameters and their variation with incident heat flux are in qualitative agreement with experimental data from the literature. A material flammability parameter emerges from the analysis that has the units (J/g‐K) and significance of a heat release capacity. Published in 2000 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. |
