Oliver K. Foo

Aircraft Fire Scenerios, FAA Modeling Efforts, DACFIR Model Workshop, Correlation Work and Flame Spread, Unsafe Code Applied, Modeling Heat Fluxes For Aircraft Workshop Material.

Ruth J. Farrell

This report is an index of all technical reports which were assigned NA numbers and published by NAFEC during the period 1972 through 1977. Entries are arranged by NA number and include titles, authors and full abstracts. Separate sections contain indexes by subject, author and RD number.

Louis J. Brown, Jr, Eldon B. Nicholas

Seventeen full-scale fire tests were conducted to examine the effect of thermal radiation from a large fuel fire on the integrity of pressurized aircraft evacuation slides. Urethane nylon, aluminized urethane nylon, neoprene nylon, aluminized neoprene nylon and aluminized neoprene Kevlar slides were tested at various distances from a 30 by 30 foot fire pit. Heat flux at the slide, inflation pressure, and air temperature were measured and motion pictures and photographs were taken during these full-scale tests. At an average heat flux level of 1.5 Btu/ft2 second (sec) (15 feet from edge of fire pit) in-service evacuation slides failed in a no seam area in 23 to 32 seconds. With an aluminized coating applied to the air holding surfaces, the time failure increased by more than a factor of two at the same test condition. A laboratory test method, suitable for material qualification, was developed that expose an evacuation slide material to a preselected radiant heat flux and pressure. Tests were conducted on new materials submitted by slide and material manufacturers and material samples taken from the undamaged areas of full-scale test slides. A good correlation was demonstrated between the failure times measured in full-scale and laboratory tests.

Kenneth J. Schutter

This report describes the work done by Douglas Aircraft Company under contract to the National Aeronautic and Space Agency, Johnson Space Center (NASA JSC) to determine the burn characteristics of presently used and proposed seat cushion materials and types of. constructions. The tests were conducted under Contract NAS9-16062 in the Douglas Cabin Fire Simulator (CFS) at the Space Simulation Laboratory, Huntington Beach, California. Eight different seat cushion configurations were subjected to full-scale burn tests. Each cushion configuration was tested twice for a total of sixteen tests. Two different fire sources were used. They consisted of one liter of Jet A fuel for eight tests and a radiant energy source with propane flame for eight tests. Both fire sources were ignited by a propane flame. During each test, data were recorded for sq1oke density, cushion temperatures, radiant heat flux, animal response to combustion products, rate of weight loss of test specimens, cabin. / temperature, and for the type and content of gas within the cabin atmosphere. When compared to existing passenger aircraft seat cushions, the test specimens incorporating a fire barrier and those fabricated from advanced materials, using improved construction methods, exhibited significantly greater fire resistance. Flammability tests were performed by NASA-JSC in their JSC 737 fuselage. Their comparison tests were conducted upon one fire blocking configuration and one polyimide configuration. Results of these tests were similar to those obtained by Douglas Aircraft Company and are included in this report.

Kenneth J. Shutter

This report describes the work done by Douglas Aircraft Company under contract to the National Aeronautic and Space Agency, Johnson Space Center (NASA JSC) to determine the burn characteristics of presently used and proposed seat cushion materials and types of constructions. The tests were conducted under Contract NAS9-16062 in the Douglas Cabin Fire Simulator (CFS) at the Space Simulation Laboratory, Huntington Beach, California. Eight different seat cushion configurations were subjected to full-scale burn tests. Each cushion configuration was tested twice for a total of sixteen tests. Two different fire sources were used. They consisted of one liter of Jet A fuel for eight tests and a radiant energy source with propane flame for eight tests. Both fire sources were ignited by a propane flame. During each test, data were recorded for smoke density, cushion temperatures, radiant heat flux, animal response to combustion products, rate of weight loss of test specimens, cabin temperat1fre, and for the type and content of gas within the cabin atmosphere. When compared to existing passenger aircraft seat cushions, the test specimens incorporating a fire barrier and those fabricated from advanced materials, using improved construction methods, exhibited significantly greater fire resistance. Flammability tests were performed by NASA-JSC in their JSC 737 fuselage. Their comparison tests were conducted upon one fire blocking configuration and one polyamide configuration. Results of these tests were similar to those obtained by Douglas Aircraft Company and are included in this report.