Research on combustion performance of PVC foam in fire propagation apparatus

Abstract

Polyvinyl chloride foam (PVC) is widely used as the wall materials of the high-speed train. The combustion characteristics of PVC foam under the heat fluxes of 20-60 kW/m2 are investigated by fire Propagation Apparatus (FPA). The results show that the ignition time of PVC foam decreases with the increase of heat flux. The peak of heat release rate, mass loss rate and smoke production rate increase with the increase of heat flux. Under the condition of 60 kW/m2, the heat release rate has the peak value of 109.10 kW/m2. The research on the combustion characteristics of the PVC can be used to analyse the fire risk of the train and guide the formulation of safety measures.