Flammability of Aircraft Insulation Blankets Subjected to Electrical Arc Ignition Sources

Details

• Creators:
  Cahill, Patricia
• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. William J. Hughes Technical Center. Airport and Aircraft Safety Research and Development Division.
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation Research
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Acoustic Materials Aircraft Arc Discharges Blankets Corrosion Inhibitors Corrosion Resistant Materials Electric Arcs Flammability Tests Heat Insulating Materials Ignition Insulation Blankets PET(Poly(ethylene Polyester Resins Protective Coating PVF(Poly(vinyl Fluoride)) Sound Insulating Materials

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• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT/FAA/AR-TN00/20
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Technical Note
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. William J. Hughes Technical Center
• Abstract:
  In the fall of 1998, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initiated a program of intense testing, i.e., full-scale testing, intermediate testing, bench-scale testing, and electrical ignition testing on thermal acoustical insulation. This work was prompted by several factors related to current fire test requirements, including the crash of the Swissair MD-11 off the coast of Canada, and the failure of an industry fire test standard called the cotton swab test to characterize the flammability characteristics of a certain foam and fiberglass cover material. Electrical testing was an important part of this program due to the number of reported incidents involving flame spread on thermal acoustical insulation blankets caused by electrical failures such as short circuits. The thermal acoustical insulation films tested in this program were polyimide, metallized and nonmetallized polyester poly (ethylene terepthalate) (PET) and metallized poly (vinyl fluoride) (PVF). Each of these materials was used to fabricate test blankets with 0.42 pound per cubic foot (pcf) fiberglass batting. The test blankets were subjected to 115-and 208-volt electrical arcing tests. This same testing was performed on these blankets with a corrosion inhibiting compound (CIC) sprayed on them. The data showed that the metallized PET blankets ignited with significant flame spread at both voltages with and without CIC. The polyimide and metallized PVF blankets did not ignite at either voltage when tested plain or with CIC application. The plain PET blankets ignited at both voltages, with minimal flame spread, and the fire self-extinguished within seconds. When tested with CIC at 115 volts, flaming in the seam area occurred but self-extinguished within seconds. No ignition occurred at 208 volts.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fbab118fe44cd69a5c84837bf1aa3fdc256ecfbc1c2be1c6db7cc180fdc68b5413ff45cebfea12b226ea2e554e7e3a0f96ddcdb68e30f659740a50ef76ec5812
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89732/dot_89732_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 497.75 KB ]