Smoldering combustion under low gravity conditions

A study is being conducted on the effects of buoyancy in smoldering combustion, and the expected behavior of smolder under low gravity conditions. Initial experiments, on one* dimensional smoldering of polyurethane foam have been conducted, both in ground-based and drop tower facilities, to provide information for the design of space-based experiments. Results from these experiments are presented and discussed in light of our understanding of the various competing physical processes controlling smoldering combustion. These results show that for low forcing flow rates, smolder behaves differently in the absence of gravity than at normal gravity.