Levelle Mahood, Robert L. Talley

As a part of a comprehensive FAA program to minimize post-crash fire hazards of jet transport aircraft, a correlation study was conducted on flammability test data of neat Jet A fuel, and the same fuel ) with various antimisting additives. The data were from full-scale aircraft crash tests, large-scale fuel spillage/ignition tests, and several small-scale flammability tests. Various rheometric tests were also considered. The ability of certain antimisting fuels to eliminate large fireballs during occupant-survivable aircraft crashes was amply supported. Large-scale crash simulations were found to be highly developed, and provide essential credibility on a given antimisting fuel near the end of its development. Small-scale flammability test rigs used for screening antimisting fuels were found generally effective, but with some conflicting data between rigs, and with some deviations from large-scale results. Methods have been defined which can provide higher confidence and resolution for selected test rigs. . Enhanced correlation requires characterization of the fuel droplets and flows produced by a given test rig, and application of semi-cempirical liquid breakup and ignition/combustion models. Liquid breakup correlation is provided in a limited casefor a Newtonian fuel at small-scale.

Richard G. Hill & Louise C. Speitel

This report describes the results of a test program designed to: (1) determine the amount of toxic decomposition byproducts from the use of Halon 1211 on large seat fires in an aircraft cabin while in flight, (2) compare relative hazard levels from the use of common aircraft hand-held extinguishers (Halon 1211, monoammonium phosphate, carbon dioxide, water) on large fires in an aircraft while in flight; (3) compare the hazards from the hand-held extinguishers extinguishing a large air craft seat fire to the hazards of an uncontrolled seat fire.

A series of nine tests was conducted during this project. Two tests each were conducted using Halon 1211, dry powder (monoammonium phosphate), water and CO2 extinguishers, and one test in which the seat fire was allowed to burn uncontrolled.

Hazard level measurements were taken during all tests; they included heat, smoke and toxic gas measurements.

It was concluded that Halon 1211 can be effectively and safely utilized to extinguish a severe seat fire in a transport passenger cabin.

Vytenis Babrauskas

A new bench-scale rate of heat release calorimeter utilizing the oxygen consumption principle has been developed for use in fire testing and research. Specimens may be of uniform or composite construction and may be tested in a horizontal, face-up orientation, or, for ones which do not melt, also vertically oriented. An external irradiance of zero to over 100 kW/m2 may be imposed by means of a temperaure controlled radiant heater. The rate of heat release is determined by measuring combustion product gas glow and oxygen depletion, while the mass loss is simultaneously recorded directly. The instrument has been designed to be capable of higher accuracy than existiing insturments and yet to be simple to operate and moderate in construction cost. The instrument is termed a "cone calorimeter" because of the geometric arrangement of the electric heater.

G. Geyer

An evaulation of selected aircraft firefighting agents was made both blanketing and auxiliary and of dispensing equipment. Laboratory studies and outdoor fire tests were conducted to ascertain the fire extinguishing equivalency of the auxiliary agents and to determine the most acceptable agents and equipment for use in performing large-scale firefightiing tests.

F.L. Fisher

The research program was primarily concerned with the development of criteria for large-scale fire tests of aircraft interior materials, components and systems.