Fire spread parameters regarding knitwear : generated heat flux and thermal insulation by cotton around columns

![CDATA[Bangladesh is positively known for its export of knitwear and is also becoming negatively identified for the recurrent occurrences of fire event in knitwear garments’ factories and subsequent huge loss of property and life. This study deals with the characteristics of cotton burning, i.e. its spreading technique and fume development along with the generated heat flux. It can be seen from the study that though cotton produces high heat and smoke during burning but due to its low thermal conductivity, also works as heat barrier. In this industry, it’s a common practice to stack up goods around columns and wall. But, due to this phenomena stated above, cotton goods works as an insulator around the column. But if the fire prevails for longer period, then fire reaches to the column and results a closer and more dangerous exposure of column to fire. Thus it can also introduce structural collapse of that column. This study tries to find the balancing effect of these two contradictory phenomenons. Heat release rate of the cotton is also expressed cumulatively and thus enables to calculate the fire load acting on a given column.]]