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Re: Pyrophoric Carbonization
Posted by:
Sir Gary (IP Logged)
Date: January 22, 2018 03:03AM
Pyrophoric Carbonization seems to suffer from the same marketing problem as Spontaneous Combustion - it's name;
the actual physical-/chemical processes involved are probably more complex.
It's also a field where everyone seems to have an opinion, without much actual research seemingly backing it up.
Just because someone hasn't tested it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist
(for that matter, look at a field people have tested extensively,
like ignition by cigarettes - lab testing says No, real life says Yes...).
From my distant backwater, I have also (feebly) tried to get more data on this (to little avail)
since I've had a number of fires where I have suspected that the timber's ignition temperature
has been undermined by years of heat exposure, leading to lower-temperature ignition
(my pet theory, unsubstantiated, is that it is exacerbated by the onset of high humidity).
So come on guys, wade in with what you know/think;
or even better, push for some in-depth research.
Considering the historic- & widespread use of timber in construction,
this is a serious gap in our knowledge base of our science.