A cone calorimeter is a modern device used to study the fire behavior of small samples of various materials in condensed phase. It is widely used in the field of Fire Safety Engineering
It gathers data regarding the ignition time, mass loss, combustion products, heat release rate and other parameters associated with its burning properties. Device usually allows the fuel sample to be exposed to different heat fluxes over its surface. The principle for the measurement of the heat release rate is based on the Huggett's [1] principle that the gross heat of combustion of any organic material is directly related to the amount of oxygen required for combustion.
Its name comes from the conical shape of the radiant heater that produces a nearly uniform heat flux over the surface of the sample under study.
[1] Huggett, C., Fire and Materials. 4(2), 61-65, (1980)
