Richard Hill

The near-infrared and ultraviolet spectrum of a burner-can burn-through flame was analyzed using a J47 engine to produce the burn-through flame. Charts of the power output of the flame in the near-infrared and ultraviolet were produced for various engine power settings.

George B. Geyer, Lawrence M. Neri, Charles H. Urban

A full-scale fire test was conducted to determine the capability of an aircraft loading walkway to provide a safe emergency egress route for passengers from an aircraft when it is exposed to severe fuel-spill fire conditions in terms of structural integrity and of maintaining survivable environmental conditions within the structure. Fire exposure of the walkway indicated that the structural integrity of the walkway maintained throughout the 10 minute fire exposure period and that the most serious problem confronting passengers passing through the tunnel would be caused by smoke and the pyrolysis of the underside of the plywood flooring adjacent to the corrugated steel shell. Small-scale laboratory tests of modified floor panels indicated that by employing thermally stable load-bearing materials the quantity of pyrolysis products and smoke can be controlled within the walkway

Gus Orphanides

The combustion of organic polymeric materials presents serious fire, smoke and toxic vapor hazards. The growing use of these material in all segments of our society has resulted in a heightened concern for the safety of human life and property. Scientific and technological solutions to the problem rest on improving present fire, smoke and toxic vapor testing methods. This coupled with a fuller understanding of the dynamics of burning will lead to the development of organic materials that, as a result of composition and design, pose fewer and less severe combustion hazards. At this time, the technically advanced nations do not possess the necessary technology to accomplish this end. Nevertheless, these same countries realize the situation, and are striving to remedy it.

This paper presents the salient features of the foreign technology concerned with fire safety aspects of polymeric materials. It describes the current state of foreign test methods, of foreign contributions to the understanding of fire dynamics, and of foreign organic fire resistant polymers. Particular attention is paid to developments in the United Kingdom, France, West Germany, Japan and the Soviet Union.

C. Simpson

Aircraft cabin materials fire hazards consisting of flammability, smoke emission, toxic gas emission and flash fire are discussed together with the work ongoing pertinent to these hazards by the FAA and other DOT Administrations and NASA. The relationships among these efforts are considered together with funding estimates for FY 1974.

Roman M. Spangler, Jr.

A De Havilland DHC-6, Series 100 Twin Otter ws flown by a representative group of pilots on various steep-gradient approaches onto a ground-level STOL runway. Approximately 800 approaches and landings were accomplished to 0rovide a data base to approve a first-generation STOL opertion. Areas investigated included: aircraft handling and response on steep-gradient approaches with various approach electronic beam sensititivities; location of the gorun point of intercept; co-located versus split localizer/glide slope signal source; obstacle clearance requirements; field length requirements; and influence of command-steering on aircraft/pilot performance.