Some comments on the use of cone calorimeter data

The cone calorimeter has become one of the most important and widely used instruments for the research and development of fire retarded polymeric materials. The paper addresses three important ways in which the principal setup influences the results - factors which sometimes do not receive due consideration when drawing conclusions. The paper discusses in detail the impact on cone calorimeter results of the choice of external heat flux, the influence on the peak of heat release rate of sample thickness and thermal feedback from the back of the sample, and the influence on irradiance of the horizontal and vertical distances from the cone heater.