Arson Module 3rd Year
Arson Module 3rd Year
AND ARSON
INVESTIGATION
Prepared by:
RONEL BADUA RUFINO
Name:_____________________________________________
Course& Section:__________________________________
Contact No:__________________________
While the application of fire has served man’s needs its careless and
wanton use exact an enormous and dreadful toll from society in life
and property. Hence, man’s understanding of fire would enable him to
develop the technology of prevention and control to a considerable
advance state (Abis).
WHAT IS FIRE?
Fire is the manifestation of rapid chemical reaction occurring between
fuel and an oxidizertypically the oxygen in the air. Such rapid
chemical reaction releases energy in the form of heat and
light.
Fire is heat and light resulting from the rapid combination of
oxygen, or in some cases gaseous chlorine, with other materials. The
light is in the form of a flame, which is composed of glowing
particles of the burning material and certain gaseous products that
are luminous at the temperature of the burning material.
All matters exist of one of the three states – solid, liquid and
gas (vapor). The atoms or molecules of a solid are packed closely
together, and that of a liquid is packed loosely, the molecules of a
vapor are not packed together at all, they are free to move about. In
order for a substance to oxidize, its molecules must be pretty well
surrounded by oxygen molecules. The molecules of solids or liquids are
too tightly packed to be surrounded. Thus, only vapors can burn.
However, when a solid or a liquid is heated, its molecules move about
rapidly. If enough heat is applied, some molecules break away from the
surface to form a vapor just above the substance. This vapor can now
mixed with oxygen. If there is enough heat to raise the vapor to its
ignition temperature (temperature needed to burn), and if there is
enough oxygen present, the vapor will oxidize rapidly – it will start
to burn.
CHEMISTRY OF FIRE
Obviously, three things are required for combustion or fire: FUEL
(Combustible materials to vaporize and burn), OXYGEN (Oxygen in air is
the common oxidizing agent, to combine with fuel vapor, air contains
28% O, 78 N, 1% inert gas), and HEAT (to raise the temperature of the
fuel vapor to its ignition temperature). The combinations of these
three elements form the so-called Fire Triangle
OXYGEN HEAT
FUEL
Figure 1 will show that if any side of the fire triangle is missing, a
fire cannot start or if any side of the fire triangle is removed, the
fire will go off. With the presence of the elements of fire,
combustion may take place. Before a fuel will burn, it must be changed
to its vapor state. In a fire situation, this change usually results
from the initial application of heat. The process is known as
PYROLYSIS. Pyrolysis (also known as thermal decomposition) is defined
as the “chemical decomposition of matter through the action of heat”.
In this case, the decomposition causes a change from a solid state to
vapor state. If the vapor mixes sufficiently with air and heated to
high temperature, combustion results. The combustion process is better
represented by the fire tetrahedron.
Types of Flames:
a. Based on Color and Completeness of Combustibility of Fuel
1. Luminous Flame – is orange-red, deposit soot at the bottom of a
vessel being heated due to incomplete combustion and has a low
temperature.
2. Non-Luminous Flame – is blue, there is complete combustion of fuel
and has relatively high temperature.
b. Based on Fuel and Air Mixture
1. Premixed Flame – is exemplified by a Bunsen-type laboratory burner
where hydrocarbon (any substance containing primarily carbon and
hydrogen) is thoroughly mixed with air before reaching the flame zone.
2. Diffusion Flame – is observed when gas (fuel) alone is forced
through a nozzle into the atmosphere which diffuse in the surrounding
atmosphere in order to form a flammable mixture. The candle flame is
an example of diffusion flame governed purely by molecular diffusion,
and the flame of the oxyacetylene torch. (diffused – dispersed, widely
spread)
c. Based on Smoothness
1. Laminar Flame – when a particle follows a smooth path through a
gaseous flame.
2. Turbulent Flame – are those having unsteady, irregular flows. As
physical size, gas density or velocity is increased, all laminar gas
flows tend to become turbulent.
FIRE ELEMENTS
As mentioned in part one, fire has been described as having three
components: fuel, heat, and oxygen. This triad was illustrated by the
fire triangle, which symbolized, in the most basic terms, a chemical
relationship. The additional component needed to explain flaming
combustion is a chemical chain reaction shown in the fire tetrahedron.
THE FUELS
FUELS (Combustible Materials)– fuel is matter and matter exist in
three physical states: solid, liquid and gas. Solids melt to become
liquids, and these may vaporize and become gases. The basic rule is
that at high enough temperature all fuels can be converted to gases.
And each of the physical states exhibits different physical and
chemical properties that directly affect a fuel’s combustibility. For
example, gasoline as a liquid does not burn, it is the vapors rising
from the liquid that burn. Likewise, wood, the most common solid fuel,
is not flammable, but gives of flammable vapors (free radicals). FUEL
is also a material that provides useful energy. Fuels are used to heat
and cook food, power engines, and produce electricity. Some fuels
occur naturally and others are artificially created. Such natural
fuels are coals, petroleum, and natural gases obtained from
underground deposits that were formed million years ago from the
remains of plants and animals. They are called fossil fuels, which
account for about 90% of the energy people use today. Synthetic fuels
can be made from fossil fuels, certain types of rock and sand, and
biomass.
Most fuels release energy by burning with oxygen in the air. But some
– especially chemical fuels used in rockets – need special oxidizers
in order to burn. Nuclear fuels do not burn but release energy through
the fission (splitting) of fusion (joining together) of atoms.
Classification of Combustible Materials
1. Class A Fuels – they are ordinary combustible materials that are
usually made of organic substances such as wood and wood-based
products. It includes some synthetic or inorganic materials like
rubber, leather, and plastic products.
2. Class B Fuels – materials that are in the form of flammable liquids
such as alcohol, acidic solutions, oil, liquid petroleum products,
etc.
3. Class C Fuels – they are normally fire-resistant materials such as
materials used on electrical wiring and other electrical appliances.
4. Class D Fuels – they are combustible metallic substances such as
magnesium, titanium, zirconium, sodium, and potassium
General Categories of Fuel
1. Solid Combustible Materials – includes organic and inorganic,
natural or synthetic, and metallic solid materials.
2. Liquid Combustible Materials – includes all flammable liquid fuels
and chemicals.
3. Gaseous Substances – includes those toxic/hazardous gases that are
capable of ignition.
Classification of Fibers
a. Natural Fibers – they come from plants (Coir – coconut
fiber, Cotton – seed fiber, pulp – wood fiber), from animals
(wool, silk, protein fibers – leather), from minerals
(asbestos)
b. Synthetic/Artificial Fibers – organic fibers, cellulose
fibers, cellulose acetate, non cellulose, and inorganic fibers
like fiber glass, steel
3 State of matter
Solid
Liquid
Gas
4 General Categories Of Heat Energy
Chemical Heat Energy
Electrical Heat Energy
Mechanical Heat Energy
Nuclear Heat Energy