An experimental study on flammability characteristics of materials on the premises of buildings of cultural and historical heritage

Introduction. Many cultural heritage sites have been converted into multifunctional buildings, which preserve original architectural and structural solutions but fail to comply with effective fire safety standards in many instants. In the event of fire, safe evacuation must be organized from the facilities, that may accommodate a large number of people at a time. Experimental studies are needed to identify the flammability characteristics of materials that can affect safe evacuation from cultural heritage premises. Goals and objectives. The co-authors suggest a study on the thermal destruction of historical materials, that have been aging in natural operating conditions. The analysis of gaseous products, emitted in the process of thermal destruction, is performed to identify the influence of ancient materials on formation of hazardous fire factors. Research methods. Experimental studies were carried out to determine the fire hazard indicators for various types of wood, used in the operation of the building, to obtain the reliable initial data, necessary to simulate the dynamics of hazardous fire factors (OFP) when calculating the time to the blocking of escape routes from the Winter Palace. Flammability properties of wood samples was identified with the support of the testing laboratory of the PB Research Centre at IKBS NRU MGSU. The studies, conducted using thermal analysis methods combined with IR spectroscopy, were carried out with the support from the laboratory of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “SEU FPS IPL” in St. Petersburg. Results and discussion. The analysis of the results of experiments on materials, has proven that during the thermal destruction of the test samples, regardless of the age and type of wood, acetic acid is released within a certain temperature interval for each sample along with the release of carbon dioxide, and it affects the parameters of fire hazard characteristics of materials. Conclusions. For the first time in Russia, products of thermal destruction of historical materials have been investigated. The data presented in the article illustrate the need for a further study on gaseous products emitted by historical materials during thermal decomposition. The data obtained by the co-authors can be used to determine the calculated values of the fire risk.