Lawlor, E. P., & Khraishi, T. (2025, March), Fire Behavior of 3D Printed Wooden PLA Materials  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--55053

\bibitem{asee_peer_55053}
  Lawlor, E. P., \& Khraishi, T. (2025, March), \emph{Fire Behavior of 3D Printed Wooden PLA Materials}
  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas.
  10.18260/1-2--55053

Erin Patricia Lawlor and Tariq Khraishi.  "Fire Behavior of 3D Printed Wooden PLA Materials".  2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas, 2025, March.  ASEE Conferences, 2025.  https://peer.asee.org/55053 Internet.  19 Jul, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_55053}
  Erin Patricia Lawlor and Tariq Khraishi.
  "Fire Behavior of 3D Printed Wooden PLA Materials".
  \emph{2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas, 2025, March}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2025.
  https://peer.asee.org/55053 Internet.  19 Jul, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_55053
author = "Erin Patricia Lawlor and Tariq Khraishi"
title = "Fire Behavior of 3D Printed Wooden PLA Materials"
booktitle = "2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference"
year = "2025"
month = "March"
address = "Arlington, TX, Texas"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/55053}
number = {10.18260/1-2--55053}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The reaction of building materials to fire drastically changes the type of response firefighters enact on an emergency scene. The National Fire Protection Association has standards for traditional constructions that dictate the safest methods of attack, extrication, and scene setup; however, with the advent of 3D printed homes made of wood-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA), departments are not prepared for the unique challenges it may present. With the binder being a thermoplastic, concerns arise about the material melting when exposed to heat and releasing more toxins than traditional building materials. This paper aims to study the fire behavior of 3D-printed wood-reinforced PLA coupons and compare it to the reaction of standard PLA and modern construction materials. The three main areas of concern are fire spread, structural integrity, and smoke production, all of which play a major part in determining the correct emergency response. These will be evaluated with a fire propagation test and a structural integrity test. Following the ASTM D635 standard, the rate of burning in a horizontal position will be able to be determined with standardized test coupons of plain PLA, oriented strand board, and wood-reinforced PLA. For each material, 10 tests will be conducted. To test the structural integrity under heat, square coupons of the materials will be situated some distance directly above the flame so as to observe the reactions of each to radiant heat. This procedure has been developed to mimic how a contents fire in a home can quickly spread to the actual structure. The time it takes for a hole of predetermined size to burn through the center of the test coupon will be recorded. Similarly, 10 tests will be conducted for each material during this procedure. For both of these tests, the smoke production and behavior will be observed and if possible, tested with a multigas detector. This research is currently in progress, but the findings will be used to evaluate the potential hazards of homes using wood-reinforced PLA. Understanding the potential differences the material contributes to the ferocity of the fire is vital.
AU  - Erin Patricia Lawlor
AU  - Tariq Khraishi
CY  - Arlington, TX, Texas
DA  - 2025/03/09
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Fire Behavior of 3D Printed Wooden PLA Materials
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/55053
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--55053
ER  -