Wind and slope effects on laboratory-scale fire behavior

Wind and slope interaction effects on rate of spread, flame length and flame angle were examined in 65 fires in an open-topped tilting wind tunnel. Fuel beds consisted of vertically-oriented birch sticks and horizontally oriented aspen excelsior. A complete factorial experiment with five wind velocities (-1.1 to 1.1 meters/second) and five slope angles (-30 to 30%) arranged in a randomized complete block design was replicated twice. Flame rate of spread, flame height, and flame angle were measured using thermocouples and video imagery. Moisture content of 60 fires was 11%; 5 fires had a fuel moisture content of 35%. This data publication includes data summarizing the 65 fires, velocity profiles measured in the wind tunnel, and raw thermocouple data for the 65 fires.
Wind velocity and slope angle are two important factors influencing fire behavior. Prior to this experiment, no published studies on the combined effects of wind velocity and slope angle on fire spread in porous cellulose fuel beds based on experimental data were located. The data have been used to 1) statistically determine the effects of wind and slope on fire behavior variables and 2) evaluate current modelling approaches to describe the combined effects of wind and slope on rate of spread, flame length, and flame angle.