SMOLDERING WAVE-PROPAGATION MECHANISM .1. CRITICAL CONDITIONS

Conditions under which steady-state smoldering cannot occur have been analyzed. Corresponding experimental data on the minimum oxygen concentration in the gas medium, the minimum furl layer thickness, and the lower and upper limits of the velocity of oxidizer gas flow are considered. It is noted that the same catalysts and inhibitors can affect smoldering and combustion in different ways. To initiate smoldering, one needs a source of lower temperature than that required for initiating combustion. Conditions for the spontaneous transition from smoldering to combustion are discussed.