3. Thermal and thermo-oxidative decomposition of materials

3.1 Theoretical approach

As a prerequisite to any detailed modeling of the fire behavior of solids, it is necessary to determine the relationship between pyrolysis rate and temperature. This determination is very difficult to theorize, as it is not possible to consider a polymer solid as a pure body, or even to define the concentration of its components (e.g. the different functional groups of the macromolecules considered).

One proposed approach is to apply a series of simultaneous or consecutive decomposition reactions to the condensed phase to reproduce the observations, and to apply a theoretical model, such as the Arrhenius relation of the form $k\left(T\right)=A{e}^{-}$