Table 7-1. Properties of Selected Flammable Liquids and Gases
The range between the lower and upper explosive limits
is called the explosive range of the gas (or vapor).
Table 7-1 shows the flashpoint, LEL, UEL, and
ignition temperature for a few of the flammable
materials carried aboard ship. As an example, a
mixture of 10% gasoline vapor and 90% air will not
(4) DECAY
STAGE
ignite, because the mixture is too rich (above the UEL).
(3) FULLY
DEVELOPED
In this case a large amount of air must mix with a small
FIRE
(1) GROWTH
amount of vapor to form an ignitable mixture.
STAGE
Fire Growth
TIME
There are four distinct stages in the growth of a fire
within a compartment of a ship (fig. 7-1). These stages
are known as growth, flashover, fully-developed fire,
Figure 7-1. Stages of compartment fire growth.
and decay.
7-4