Federal Aviation Administration

The Airport and Airway Safety and Capacity Expansion Act of 1987, Public Law (P.L.) 100-223 was signed by President Reagan on December 30, 1987, and directed the Secretary of Transportation, in Section 303, subsection (e), to conduct a study pertaining to aircraft design and equipment which minimize the incidence of fire or explosion, including fuel tanks (including crash resistant inner fuel tanks and breakaway, self-closing fittings throughout the fuel system). A report on the results of this study, together with recommendations, is to be transmitted to Congress no later than December 30, 1988.

This report describes the study conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the Secretary of Transportation in response to P.L. 100-223. The focus of the study is on systems and techniques for reducing the incidence of post-crash fuel system fires and explosions. The study does not address in-flight fires and explosions. This is in accordance with the intent of Congress as expressed by Senator Howard M. Metzenbaum in his letter of December 11, 1987, to Mr. T. Allan McArtor, Administrator of the FAA. In his letter, Senator Metzenbaum stated that "the legislation as agreed to in conference directs the FAA to study possible aircraft designs, including crash-resistant fuel tanks and break-away fuel lines, which could help to reduce the risk of post-crash fires." Senator Metzenbaum repeated this intent of Congress in his comments published in the Congressional Record of December 17, 1987, wherein he said that ".the conferees agreed to have the FAA study the feasibility of using technologies such as crash-resistant fuel tanks and break-away fuel lines to reduce the incidence of post-crash fires."

The study covers the feasibility of fuel system post-crash fire safety improvements for transport category airplanes, general aviation airplanes, rotor craft and tilt rotor aircraft. Past and present regulatory initiatives and research and development programs are described and conclusions and recommendations are presented for each type of aircraft.

Paul N. Boris

The purpose of the tests described herein was to determine the temperature profile behind a hole through a flame barrier when subjected to the flame of the standard 2-gallon per hour (GPH) burner, and pan fire. The effect of hole diameter on temperature profile was investigated. These tests were intended to simulate an aircraft fire impinging upon a cargo liner with an as-designed opening.

S. Das

The burning velocity of open inverted-cone shaped kerosene air spray was measured at constant air-fuel ratio and for several degrees of atomization of the spray. The results show that as he degree of atomization in the spray increases, the burning velocity first increases to a maximum value, and then decreases to the burning velocity approaching that of a premixed gas flow.

R. Hirst

A general investigation into diffusion flames burning from a liquid surface at low pressure has been made as this type of problem is relevant to the question of the persistence of fires in aircraft flying at high altitudes. The fuels used were isododecane and aviation kerosine.

C. Andrews, M.E. Tarquini

In the light of recent health and environmental issues, halogen-containing polymers have come under intense scrutiny. In particular, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been a matter of public concern. The emission of hydrochloric acid gas (HCI) has been indicted due o its corrosively and potential toxicity. The use of fillers and additives are being considered as potential acid gas scavengers. Alumina trihydrate (ATH) and Calcium carbonate (CaC03) have long been used as fillers for PVC, as have been a variety of clays.

This paper offers acid gas evolution and smoke data for the typical non-halogen flame fillers, CaC03, ATH and Magnesium hydroxide (Mg()H)2) as well as a new developmental filler, HYSAFE 150, compounded in a rigid PVC pipe formulation. Specifically, the effects of loading upon induction time, rate of dehydrochlorination and smoke properties, as measured in the NBS Smoke Chamber, are reported