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Conveyor belt flammability tests: comparison of large-scale gallery and laboratory-scale results.

Lazzara-CP; Perzak-FJ

Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference of Safety in Mines Research Institutes, September 11-15, 1989, Washington, DC. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Mines, OFR 27-89, 1989 Sep; :138-148

10007240

The U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted flammability tests of synthetic rubber and polyvinyl chloride conveyor belts in a large-scale fire gallery and a laboratory-scale ventilated tunnel. The gallery was 27-m-long, 3.8-m-wide and, 2.5-m-high with a 7.5-m-square cross sectional area. For the gallery tests, 9.1-m-lengths of belting were placed on the top rollers of a conveyor frame and thermocouples installed to measure flame spread rates. The airflow was 1.52 mls and the ignition source was a liquid fuel tray fire. The laboratory-scale tests were conducted in a 1.8-m-long by 0.46-m-square insulated tunnel at an airflow of 1.02 m/s. A 1.52-m-long by 0.23-m-wide belt sample, fastened to a metal rack, was used and the igniter was a 12-jet gas torch applied to the upstream end. A belt was judged to have passed the gallery test if a portion of the sample was undamaged. The same criterion was also applied to the laboratory-scale tunnel test. Of 17 belts examined, 1 belt that underwent surface charring in the gallery test and failed, passed the tunnel test and another belt that passed the gallery test, failed the tunnel test. The results for the remaining 15 belts were in complete agreement.

Mining; Mining industry; Underground mines; Underground mining; Conveyor belts; Mining equipment; Fire prevention

19890901

OP; Conference/Symposia Proceedings

1989

PB89-225262

A99

OP 209-89

PRC

Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference of Safety in Mines Research Institutes, September 11-15, 1989, Washington, DC

PA; DC