Constantine P. Sarkos, Richard G. Hill

This paper discusses full-scale transport aircraft cabin fire tests conducted in the United States under postcrash fire conditions. The logic behind the development of fire test scenarios is described, including a comparison of fire involvement by external fuel fire penetration through an opening or by fuselage burnthrough. Early full-scale tests in the 1960's and 1970's that furnished data on the characteristics of cabin fires are briefly described. Past test activities addressing facets of the fuselage burnthrough problem are also discussed. The impact of environmental factors (such as wind, door opening configuration, and fuselage orientation) on fire penetration through openings and the resulting cabin hazards is discussed on the past test activities. The majority of the data presented in the paper are from a recent full-scale test to determine fire/hazard progression in a postcrash cabin fire environment with emphasis on post-flashover conditions, to examine factors affecting occupant survivability, and to evaluate the performance of a protective breathing equipment filter. The paper often discusses and cites past studies addressing important cabin fire characteristics and concepts, such as flashover, stratification and survivability.

I.I. Pinkel, P. Hacker

Detection of a combustible gas in the atmosphere of a spacelift is an essential part of a complete spacecraft fire protection system. Two similar but different techniques may be useful in this respect.

Vytenis Babrauskas

Previously reported rates of heat release using five different bench-scale test methods are compared with each other and against a limited series of large scale tests. The materials tested were low-flammability wall lining materials, of a construction similar as might be used for aircraft cabin walls. Based on the peak values at different irradiances, three of the methods gave similar results: the Cone Calorimeter, the FMRC Flammability Apparatus, and the Flame Height Apparatus. The other data, from the OSU calorimeter in the thermopile mode and the OSU calorimeter in the oxygen-consumption mode, gave results typically 1/2 of the first three methods. Simple techniques for predicting full-scale performance from bench-scale data are emerging. The preliminary application of these appears promising.

Developed over 15 years ago, the Continuous Wire Fire Detector has seen service on each new generation of aircraft since. It has undergone continual updating to meet the more severe requirements of advancing aircraft specifications, and to incorporate service-indicated improvements.

Civil aviation has a major program to replace halons with environmentally acceptable agents/systems in transport aircraft fire extinguishing systems.