Abstract: In order to study the combustion characteristics of the storage unit of the box type automatic warehouse, a 3 MW calorimeter was used to carry out full-scale combustion characteristics tests of typical containers with different materials, different types and different placement modes. The essential parameters of fire spread behavior, heat release rate, combustion calorific value, radiant heat distribution were analyzed. The results show that the development process of single polypropylene and high density polyethylene open-top container in the combustion growth stage is slow fire, the heat release rate shows zigzag fluctuations in the relatively stable combustion stage. When a single polyethylene inclined container is burned, there are three peaks of heat release rate due to different box structures and the rate of fire growth varies between a slow fire and a near fast fire. Under experimental conditions, the peak heat release rate and total heat release rate of the double-group tandem open plastic box combustion are 8 times and 4 times of the single group value, and the fire heat release growth rate is increased by 24 times. Considering the actual dense storage conditions, there is the possibility that the flame will jump the narrow roadway and spread to the adjacent shelves.

Key words: automatic warehouse, plastic turnover container, heat release rate, value of combustion, fire spread