Wall Shear-Stress as a Parameter to Correlate the Rate of Spread of a Wind Induced Forest Fire.

Abstract

Modelling of the wind effect on the rate of spread of a flame in a forest fire usually employs a wind velocity measured at mid-flame height. An alternative formulation is proposed in this paper, based on the wall shear-stress produced by the wind on the fuelbed in the absence of combustion. Some tests performed on a labo ratory scale are described and the results obtained to gether with those from other sources confirm the possi bility of using wall shear-stress to correlate the rate of spread of a flame front.