Along with a new appointment at the University of Maryland, College Park, I will be consolidating my website and blog into a new site: http://www.gollnerfire.com.
All the functionality and tracking of blogger will still be maintained, however it will now be possible to link all content, such as research papers, presentations and lab information together in one site. The backbone of this site is WordPress, the same platform we're using to design a new IAFSS website. Please update your bookmarks and add the blog on gollnerfire to your blogger feeds!
-Michael
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Dr. Michael Gollner to Join FPE Faculty at the University of Maryland
The Department of Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) at the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Gollner will join the department this fall as a new Assistant Professor.
Michael Gollner recently graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, majoring in Combustion and minoring in Fluid Dynamics. His previous research, working with his adviser Prof. Forman A. Williams, investigated an approach to commodity flammability ranking in warehouses and the propagation of fires through industrial, wildland and built environments. This work was performed in collaboration with Prof. Ali Rangwala from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, utilizing facilities from both institutions.
Michael's current research interests include material flammability, flame spread, boundary layer combustion and sustainability in the built environment. He investigates these topics using experimental and theoretical techniques to elucidate important physics in these problems, applying these results to practical applications relevant to wildfires and fires in the built environment.
Michael recently received the International Association for Fire Safety Science's best poster and best fire science image awards at the organization's 2011 symposium at the University of Maryland and was also awarded the 2010 Chancellor's Award for Sustainability from the University of California, San Diego for his work on renewable energy funding for solar PV installations throughout San Diego County. He has also appeared on William Shatner's"Weird or What" television series where he performed room fire testing for the TV series. Michael previously worked with Schirmer Engineering (now AON Fire Protection Engineering) in San Diego, CA. His work there included two projects for the Fire Protection Research Foundation. He holds a B.S. (2008), M.S. (2010) and Ph.D. (2012) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.
Department Chair Dr. Jim Milke states that, "Dr. Gollner will complement and strengthen our existing faculty with his comprehensive set of capabilities relative to the analysis of the fire properties of materials and with his interest in wildland fires, an important area of work. In addition, his experience at Schirmer Engineering and his interest in practical applications will make him an invaluable instructor in our applied courses."
July 23, 2012
http://fpe.umd.edu/html/news/news_story.php?id=6646
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
PhD Dissertation Published: "Studies on Upward Flame Spread"
My PhD Dissertation, "Studies on Upward Flame Spread" has been published and is now available online.
You can read it here: http://maeresearch.ucsd.edu/~mgollner/publications/2012_Gollner_PhD_Dissertation_Final.pdf
Abstract of the Dissertation:
Finally, vertical
arrays of horizontally protruding wood matchsticks were used to investigate the
influence of the spacing of discrete fuel elements on rates of upward flame
spread. Rates of upward flame spread were found to increase dramatically for
spacings between 0 cm and 0.8 cm and experienced only a slight increase
thereafter. Based on these observations, the influence of convective heating
was hypothesized to dominate this spread mechanism, and predictions of ignition
times were developed using convective heat-transfer correlations. Mass-loss
rates followed a similar pattern and were predicted along with matchstick
burnout times using a droplet burning theory extended for a cylindrical
geometry.
You can read it here: http://maeresearch.ucsd.edu/~mgollner/publications/2012_Gollner_PhD_Dissertation_Final.pdf
Abstract of the Dissertation:
Experimental
techniques have been used to investigate three upward flame spread phenomena of
particular importance for fire safety applications. First, rates of upward
flame spread during early-stage burning were observed during experiments on
wide samples of corrugated cardboard. Results indicated a slower acceleration
than was obtained in previous measurements and theories. It is hypothesized
that the non-homogeneity of the cardboard helped to reduce the acceleration of
the upward spread rates by physically disrupting flow in the boundary layer
close to the vertical surface and thereby modifying heating rates of the solid
fuel above the pyrolysis region. The results yield alternative scalings that
may be better applicable to some situations encountered in practice in
warehouse fires.
Next,
a thermally thick slab of polymethyl methacrylate was used to study the effects
of the inclination angle of a fuel surface on upward flame spread. By
performing experiments on 10 cm wide by 20 cm tall fuel samples it was found
that the maximum flame-spread rate, occurring nearly in a vertical
configuration, does not correspond to the maximum fuel mass-loss rate, which
occurs closer to a horizontal configuration. A detailed study of both flame
spread and steady burning at different angles of inclination revealed the
influence of buoyancy-induced flows in modifying heat-flux profiles ahead of
the flame front, which control flame spread, and in affecting the heat flux to
the burning surface of the fuel, which controls fuel mass-loss rates.
Monday, May 14, 2012
The final version of our paper, "Burning Behavior of Vertical Matchstick Arrays", by Michael Gollner, Yanxuan Xie, Minkyu Lee, Yuji Nakamura and Ali Rangwala is finally available online through Combustion Science and Technology:
http://www.tandfonline.com/
It can be downloaded above if you have access to the journal, I can send you a free link to download the article, or a pre-print version of the article is available on my website.
http://maeresearch.ucsd.edu/~mgollner/publications/2011_matchstick_cst.pdf
http://www.tandfonline.com/
It can be downloaded above if you have access to the journal, I can send you a free link to download the article, or a pre-print version of the article is available on my website.
http://maeresearch.ucsd.edu/~mgollner/publications/2011_matchstick_cst.pdf
Abstract
Vertical arrays of horizontally protruding wood matchsticks, 0.25 cm in diameter and 1.91 cm long, arranged from 1 to 5 matches across were used to investigate the influence of the spacing of discrete fuel elements on rates of upward flame spread. Vertical spacing's between the matchsticks in the array (0.0, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 cm) were used to reveal the influence of separation distance on rates of upward flame spread, defined as progression of the ignition front, time to burnout and mass-loss rates. Advancement of the ignition front was found to vary linearly with time for the 0.0 cm spacing, while reaching nearly a $t^{1.7}$ advancement with time for the furthest-spaced arrays. Rates of upward flame spread were found to increase dramatically for spacings between 0 cm and 0.8 cm and experienced only a slight increase thereafter. Based on these observations, the influence of convective heating was hypothesized to dominate this spread mechanism, and predictions of ignition times were developed using convective heat-transfer correlations. Flame heights and mass-loss rates followed a similar pattern. Individual matchstick burnout times were observed to remain nearly constant for all cases at all heights except the zero-spacing case, which was nearly three times longer than in spaced arrays. This behavior in spaced cases was modeled using a droplet burning theory extended for a cylindrical geometry and solving for the time to burnout. A similar calculation was performed for the zero-spacing case relating it to vertical combustion over a wall. The average mass-loss rate for a single matchstick was also determined and used to predict the mass-loss rate of a spreading fire over matchsticks.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Pre-Print of Symposium Paper now Available
A pre-print of our symposium paper, "Experimental Study of Upward Flame Spread and Burning of an
Inclined Fuel Surface," accepted to the 34th International Symposium of the Combustion Institute has now been posted online and can be downloaded here: http://maeresearch.ucsd.edu/~mgollner/publications/2012_inclined_symposium.pdf
Abstract:
A thermally thick slab of polymethyl methacrylate was used to study the effects of the inclination angle of a fuel surface on upward flame spread. While investigation of upward spread over solid fuels has typically been restricted to an upright orientation, inclination of the fuel surface from the vertical is a common occurrence that has not yet been adequately addressed. By performing experiments on 10 cm wide by 20 cm tall fuel samples it was found that the maximum flame-spread rate, occurring nearly in a vertical configuration, does not correspond to the maximum fuel mass-loss rate, which occurs closer to a horizontal configuration. A detailed
study of both flame spread and steady burning at different angles of inclination revealed the influence of buoyancy-induced flows in modifying heat-flux profiles ahead of the flame front, which control flame spread, and in affecting the heat flux to the burning surface of the fuel, which controls fuel mass-loss rates.
Inclined Fuel Surface," accepted to the 34th International Symposium of the Combustion Institute has now been posted online and can be downloaded here: http://maeresearch.ucsd.edu/~mgollner/publications/2012_inclined_symposium.pdf
Abstract:
A thermally thick slab of polymethyl methacrylate was used to study the effects of the inclination angle of a fuel surface on upward flame spread. While investigation of upward spread over solid fuels has typically been restricted to an upright orientation, inclination of the fuel surface from the vertical is a common occurrence that has not yet been adequately addressed. By performing experiments on 10 cm wide by 20 cm tall fuel samples it was found that the maximum flame-spread rate, occurring nearly in a vertical configuration, does not correspond to the maximum fuel mass-loss rate, which occurs closer to a horizontal configuration. A detailed
study of both flame spread and steady burning at different angles of inclination revealed the influence of buoyancy-induced flows in modifying heat-flux profiles ahead of the flame front, which control flame spread, and in affecting the heat flux to the burning surface of the fuel, which controls fuel mass-loss rates.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Paper Accepted to 34th International Symposium on Combustion
Our paper, an Experimental Study of Upward Flame Spread and Burning of an
Inclined Fuel Surface has been accepted to the 34th International Symposium on Combustion! The conference will be held this summer in Warsaw, Poland.
Paper by: M.J. Gollner, X. Huang, J. Cobian, A.S. Rangwala and F.A. Williams
ABSTRACT:
A thermally thick slab of polymethyl methacrylate was used to study the effects of the inclination angle of a fuel surface on upward flame spread. While investigation of upward spread over solid fuels has typically been restricted to an upright orientation, inclination of the fuel surface from the vertical is a common occurrence that has not yet been adequately addressed. By performing experiments on 10 cm wide by 20 cm tall fuel samples it was found that the maximum flame-spread rate, occurring nearly in a vertical configuration, does not correspond to the maximum fuel mass-loss rate, which occurs closer to a horizontal configuration. A detailed study of both flame spread and steady burning at different angles of inclination revealed the
influence of buoyancy-induced flows in modifying heat-flux profiles ahead of the flame front, which control flame spread, and in affecting the heat flux to the burning surface of the fuel, which controls fuel mass-loss rates.
I will post a pre-print of the article soon.
Inclined Fuel Surface has been accepted to the 34th International Symposium on Combustion! The conference will be held this summer in Warsaw, Poland.
Paper by: M.J. Gollner, X. Huang, J. Cobian, A.S. Rangwala and F.A. Williams
ABSTRACT:
A thermally thick slab of polymethyl methacrylate was used to study the effects of the inclination angle of a fuel surface on upward flame spread. While investigation of upward spread over solid fuels has typically been restricted to an upright orientation, inclination of the fuel surface from the vertical is a common occurrence that has not yet been adequately addressed. By performing experiments on 10 cm wide by 20 cm tall fuel samples it was found that the maximum flame-spread rate, occurring nearly in a vertical configuration, does not correspond to the maximum fuel mass-loss rate, which occurs closer to a horizontal configuration. A detailed study of both flame spread and steady burning at different angles of inclination revealed the
influence of buoyancy-induced flows in modifying heat-flux profiles ahead of the flame front, which control flame spread, and in affecting the heat flux to the burning surface of the fuel, which controls fuel mass-loss rates.
I will post a pre-print of the article soon.
Watch Richard Feynman's Fun to Imagine: Fire
Great video if you have not seen it before! We should all remember to be excited and curious about the world - and our research!
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