B.J. McCaffrey, W.D. Walton, W.J. Rinkinen

This report contains 15 complete sets of test data from a series of experiments performed in a reduced scale simulated aircraft cabin for the determination of the effects of ventilation on the environment created by an interior fire. Measurements reported include gas temperature and gas species in both the cabin and the ventilation exhaust, light attenuation by smoke, and heat transfer to the walls and ceilings. Experimental [parameters include the effects of fire size, ventilation rate, and ceiling vent position (central or near wall), the direction of ventilation (inlet at the ceiling, exhaust at the floor and inlet at the floor, exhaust at the ceiling), and also the effects of open exhaust hatches in the wall near the ceiling.

B.J. McCaffrey, W.D. Walton, W.J. Rinknen

This report contains 15 complete sets of test data from a series of experiments performed in a reduced scale simulated aircraft cabin for the determination of the effects of ventilation on the environment created by an interior fire. Measurements reported include gas temperature and gas species concentrations in both the cabin and the ventilation exhaust, light attenuation by smoke, and heat transfer to the walls and ceilings. Experimental parameters include the effects office size, ventilation rate, and ceiling vent position (central or near wall), the direction of ventilation (inlet at the ceiling exhaust at the floor and inlet at the floor, exhaust at the ceiling), and also the effects of open exhaust hatches in the wall near the ceiling.

Timothy Marker

Four full-scale postcrash fire tests were conducted in a modified DC-10 fuselage to investigate the benefits, if any, of spraying water in the area above the cabin ceiling, known as the overhead. The tests were part of a 28-test of series using a wide fuselage to study the performance of an on-board cabin water spray system. The spray system uses low flow rate nozzles, which produce a fine mist consisting of a range of water droplet diameters. The system being tested was a “Breadboard” design for the purpose of demonstrating concept feasibility only. In order to do better quantify the overhead spray performance, two areas of the cabin ceiling were removed: the area directly adjacent to the fire door, and an area in the forward section of the fuselage near the gas sampling stations. Temperature, smoke, heat and gas concentrations were monitored at various locations throughout the fuselage. Test results showed little or no improvement in cabin conditions due to the overhead spray.

Aero Propulsion Laboratory

It was found that in the U.V. solar blind region, there are severe limitation on the field of view obtainable I Fiber Optic coupled systems. These restrictions are such as to make further consideration of the wide angle system concept unprofitable. This effectively limits the use of such systems in fire detection to applications where the precise location of a flame can be predicted. It is concluded that the performance of optical fibers in the U.V. solar blind wavelengths is such that the trade-off gains proposed in AFAPL-TR-78-84 cannot be realized in practice.

Thomas L. Reynolds, Gregory E. Grimstad, Charles D. Anderson

Tis contract study defined two conceptual approaches for an advanced smoke/fire system for commercial passenger jet aircraft that would provide for accurate, timely guidance to the flight crew for their use in responding to possible and/or actual inflight smoke and fire events within the pressurized fuselage. The motivation for this work has been the computerization of the modern commercial jet aircraft flight deck, the evolution toward the two-men crew, and documented times taken to locate and implement the appropriate emergency procedure. The primary objective of the ACES system concepts are to provide the capability to reduce the time required for the flight deck crew to make a decision to land the aircraft.