2.2 Combustion materials and smoke generation system
Combustion utilizes non-metallic substances such as polyimide foam, rubber, sound insulation pads, acrylic paint, floor adhesive, nitrile rubber, and modified ethylene resin. These components are proportioned for a standard cruise ship room volume of 60 m3. To ensure consistent combustion and smoke generation, materials are pulverized into fine particles (50-300 mesh) using a solid sample crusher and thoroughly mixed. This preparation seeks to minimize the variability in the smoke produced during combustion.
The combustion control system (HOPE-MED 8054F, designed and manufactured by Tianjin Heping Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China), was deployed in this study. The prepared materials were placed in a tube furnace and heated at a rate of 20°C/min until the target temperature of 600°C was achieved. Smoke generation began at 300°C. Thereafter, the circulation pump was activated, introducing combustion gas into the toxic chamber. The smoke generated by the HOPE-MED 8054F during the first 20 minutes was collected in a Tedlar® Gas Sampling Bag (Sigma-Aldrich, USA) for use in the subsequent modeling of acute lung injury in an organ-on-chip system.
A portable Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) (Gasmet DX-4020) was used to analyze smoke composition in real-time during combustion. The FTIR analyzer was preconditioned for 10 minutes. Pure nitrogen gas was used to calibrate the gas chamber as the background. Within the spectral range of 4000-400 cm-1, 50 gas components were identified for rapid quantification of the gases emitted during combustion. Sampling analysis was performed at one-minute intervals until combustion ceased.