Fire Behavior of Timber and Lignocellulose

The role of timber in fire is a complex subject that requires the understanding of material degradation as well as the different timescales affecting the involvement of different forms of timber in a fire. Timber can be present as part of furnishings, as non-load-bearing materials (i.e., flooring, wall linings, etc.), as well as load-bearing structural components. The most complex case is that of load-bearing structural components, thus the emphasis will be given to this application. Here, timber will be analyzed within the context of fire growth and its natural role in causing fires to emerge. Attempts to modify the role of timber in fire are made via many different approaches, of which fire retardancy is an important one. A brief section summarizing fire retardancy methods will therefore also be presented.