The Temperature Profiles of Ancient Larch Timber Beams Exposed to Radiant Heat Source
Abstract
This study investigates the thermal stability and moisture evaporation of naturally aged larch timber exposed to medium-scale radiant panel fire. Temperature was monitored at depths of 1–8 cm in heritage beams from a Gothic timber church to examine phase change, charring, and depth-dependent heat transfer. The experimental device, a medium-scale radiant panel, offered the temperature–time curves with the following parameters: maximum temperature at depths of 1 cm, 2 cm, 4 cm, 6 cm and 8 cm; water evaporation at 1 cm, 2 cm, 4 cm, 6 cm and 8 cm when the samples reached 100 °C; and time of charring at the same depths when the samples reached 300 °C. Temperatures exceeded 600 °C at 1–2 cm depth. The conventional charring temperature (300 °C) was reached on average at 500 s at 1 cm and at 6000 s at 2 cm, while deeper layers remained below charring levels during testing. Moisture evaporation occurred over a temperature interval rather than at a single point, beginning at an average of 100.9 °C and completing near 125.6 °C. A plateau between 100 and 115 °C confirmed that latent heat absorption during water phase change delayed temperature rise and pyrolysis. The results demonstrate that coupled thermo-hygric processes, moisture migration, and char formation strongly influence internal temperature evolution.
Reference
Michal Huliak; Dominik Špilák; Iveta Marková. (2026). The Temperature Profiles of Ancient Larch Timber Beams Exposed to Radiant Heat Source. Fire. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire9100443
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