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Rebekah Krum

Mrs. Stevens & Mrs. Radcliffe

Physical Science

13 January 2017

How Does Wood Polish Affect Burn Rate?

It is impossible to have a fire in outer space. Do you know why? Fire needs both oxygen

and fuel to burn. If you take away the oxygen or the fuel then the fire will stop burning.

Likewise, if you add an additional fuel source to a fire then it will burn more quickly. If you burn

wood with and without polish, then the wood with the polish will burn faster.

What is Fire?

Fire is a substance that bonds chemically with oxygen in the air. Fire mostly is made up

of of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen. It can give off a bright glow, heat and

smoke. When fire burns a chemical reaction is taking place. In order for that chemical reaction to

occur there must be fuel, oxygen and energy. Fire is an exothermic reaction that gives off light

and heat.

What are the Ingredients in Wood Polish?

The first wood polishes were made of waxes. Now they are mostly made up of polishing

agents, solvents and emulsifiers. The polishing agents are mostly made up of bees wax. Other

ingredients are abrasives for smell, nitrogen and colors. The nitrogen is supposed to help the pH

or also known as the acidity in wood polishes. Wood polish is used to condition floors and make

them cleaner.
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What Kind of Wood is Best to Measure Burn Rate

Burn rate is the amount of time it takes to burn something. Some woods need to dry in

order to burn easier. Softwoods, like Fir and Pine, will be able to dry in a year, because they are

more dry. Hardwoods, such as oak, will need more than year to dry, because they are more

damp. Some of the best woods to burn are Red Oak and White Oak, because they are extremely

dry woods.

What Factors Affect Burn Rate?

Many different things can affect burn rate. Topography is one of them, topography is the

natural physical features of an area on earth. Fuel loads can change burn rate, if the fuel load is

high, then the fire may burn faster. If weather is different, global warming, then it might affect

the burn rate, environmental factors too. When all combined, these things will increase the burn

rate.

What Safety Precautions should be taken when Testing Burn Rate?

When testing burn rate you should use the proper measuring tools to measure chemicals

and other flammable matter. Stay at a safe distance when something is burning. Dont be careless

with fire. Do not let the fire get out of hand. Be careful with flammable objects that are going to

be near a flame. When using flammable objects near a flame have adult supervision.

What is the Most Accurate Way to Measure Burn Rate?

Burning rate is a key factor in modeling fire growth and fire endurances of wood

structure. The best way to measure burn rate is based on heat loss, mass loss and charring rates.

In order to measure the burn rate you need energy, but you can also can measure burn rate by the

amount of heat produced (Burning). As the wood continues to burn you can see how the fire
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grows and becomes larger. You would then measure the fire based on the amount of heat and

energy that are measured (Easter).

If I applied wood polish to some wood shavings, the burn rate would increase. The main

purpose of this science project was to see if the oils in wood furnishing or wood polish would

make wood burn faster (increase the burn rate). They did and therefore, I concluded that maybe a

company that produces wood furnishings and polishes, could change the active ingredients to

something else. Maybe an ingredient could be fireproof, in case a house caught of fire and the

house has wood floors with a furnishing on them that had a fireproof active ingredient in them,

the floors wouldnt burn up as quickly and the fire department might get there in time to save the

house.
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Works Cited

@almanac. "Best Firewood Heat Values and Tips." Old Farmer's Almanac. N.p., n.d. Web. 01

Nov. 2016.

"Burning Rate of Solid Wood Measured in a Heat Release Rate Calorimeter." - Forest Service

Research & Development. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

Drive, By Dynamic. "Environmental Considerations When Burning." Environmental

Considerations When Burning. N.p., Feb. 2010. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.

Easter, Donald. "How Does Wood Polish Affect Burn Rate?" Personal interview. 25 Nov. 2016.

"Fire Dynamics." NIST. N.p., 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.

"Google." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.

"Safety in Human Vibration Experiments." Applied Ergonomics 4.4 (1973): 250. Safety IS

Experiments. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.

The, By. "Furniture Polish." How Furniture Polish Is Made. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

"What Is Fire?" Science Learning Hub RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.