Effect of thermal and retarding treatment on flammability rate of tropical tree species
Wood is integral to the construction industry despite the fact that it is a highly flammable material. Due to thermal stress, it is subject to the process of pyrolysis. However, not every type of wood burns the same. This dissimilarity is caused by the changes in its internal structure. Flammability rate of tree species can be modified by means of thermal modification, i.e. change in its internal structure or by using coating compositions which form a fire-protecting layer on its surface. The paper comprises a testing and an evaluation of iroko wood which is predominantly used as floor covering and cladding material for building structures. The authors focus on determining the connection between the structure of this exotic tree type and the eventual thermal degradation (burning course, significant changes, amount of material burnt, etc.) of the samples. Small size samples were used during laboratory measurements. Their width and thickness were approximately the same as for commonly used cladding boards. The data obtained in the laboratory have been processed, transformed into evaluation criteria and connected with theoretical knowledge, creating an overview of its eventual flammability. Laboratory test results prove low flammability rate of test samples. Mass loss was an important criterion. Thermal treatment, which changes the internal structure and thus improves its properties (T group; test samples), had no significant effect on the eventual flammability. On the other hand, the flammability rate of samples was better when using a fire retardant (R and TR group; test samples), because the retardant lowers the flammability by more than half.