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| Title: | Inerting of a Vented Aircraft Fuel Tank Test Article With Nitrogen-Enriched Air | ||||
| Author: | Michael Burns and William M. Cavage | ||||
| Abstract: | This report documents a series of experiments designed to determine the quantity and purity of nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) required to inert a vented aircraft fuel tank. NEA, generated by a hollow fiber membrane gas separation system, was used to inert a laboratory fuel tank with a single vent on top designed to simulate a transport category airplane fuel tank. The tank ullage space could be heated as well as cooled and fuel could be heated in the bottom of the fuel tank to provide varying hydrocarbon concentrations within the ullage space. Several inerting runs were performed with varying NEA gas purities and flow rates. The data was nondimensionalized in terms of NEA purity, volume flow rate, and fuel tank size to provide one universal inerting curve. Changing temperatures and hydrocarbon concentrations appear to have little effect on the amount and purity of NEA needed to inert the test specimen. A model of ullage washing developed by the Federal Aviation Administration Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for fuel systems design, based on the volume exchange of gases of different concentrations, was compared with data obtained from the test article. Also, an exact solution based on uniform and instantaneous mixing was derived and compared with the test data. Both the model and exact solution showed good agreement in both trend and magnitude with the data obtained during the testing. |
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| Report: | DOT/FAA/AR-01/6 | Pages: | 29 | Size: | 2.28 MB |
| Title: | Thermal Decomposition Mechanism of 2,2-Bis (4-Hydroxypheny)-1, 1- Dichloroethylene- Based Polymers | ||||
| Author: | Michael L. Ramierz | ||||
| Abstract: | This work has been conducted as part of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) efforts to develop fire-resistant materials for commercial aircraft cabins. Polymers based on 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene (bisphenol C, BPC) have thermal and physical properties of bisphenol-A polymers but have an order of magnitude lower heat release in flaming combustion. This is due to a thermal degradation mechanism that yields only char and nor combustible gases in a fire. Two thermoplastics and one 'thermoset BPC-based polymer were studied to establish the decomposition mechanism of these materials. Thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, chromatography, and mass spectrometry were used separately and in combination to characterize the thermal degradation mechanism. Results showed that the major volatiles are hydrogen chloride (HCI) and the degradation products of the linking group. The rearrangement through stilbenes and acetylenes is responsible for the high char yield when burned. | ||||
| Report: | DOT/FAA/AR-00/42 | Pages: | 69 | Size: | 42.8 MB |
| Title: | Development of a Minimum Performance Standard for Aircraft Cargo Compartment Gaseous Fire Suppression Systems | ||||
| Author: | John W. Reinhardt, David Blake, & Timothy Marker | ||||
| Abstract: | This report documents the test results of the testing conducted during the development of a minimum performance standard for aircraft cargo compartment gaseous fire suppression systems. It also includes the final version of the standard. The development work was performed in conjunction with the International Halon Replacement Working Group. | ||||
| Report: | DOT/FAA/AR-00/28 | Pages: | 84 | Size: | 1.7 MB |
| Title: | Development of Improved Flammability Criteria for Aircraft Thermal Acoustic Insulation | ||||
| Author: | Timothy Marker | ||||
| Abstract: | A large number of small-, intermediate-, and full-scale flame propagation tests representative of an in-flight fire were conducted on various thermal acoustic insulation blanket materials. Results indicated that the current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) vertical Bunsen burner test requirement could not adequately discriminate between poorly performing materials and materials that performed well under realistic fire scenarios. A radiant panel laboratory test was shown to be an effective method for evaluating the in-flight fire resistance qualities of thermal acoustic insulation. In addition, a new laboratory test was developed for evaluating the postcrash fire burnthrough resistance of thermal acoustic insulation. The test method was based on full-scale tests in which a fuselage structure was subjected to jet fuel fires. Approximately 60 burnthrough tests were conducted on a variety of insulation materials. Insulation materials compliant with the new burnthrough test method will provide a minimum of 4 minutes of protection against a postcrash fuel fire. |
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| Report: | DOT/FAA/AR-99/44 | Pages: | 86 | Size: | 6.4 MB |
| Title: | Synthesis and Characterization of Chlorinated Bisphenol-Based Polymers and Polycarbodiimides and Inherently Fire-Safe Polymers | ||||
| Author: | Jennifer R. Stewart | ||||
| Abstract: | Two different types of polymers were synthesized and their degradation and combustion behavior were investigated. The first class, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethylidene (bisphenol C) based polymers, were found to be among the most fire-resistant polymers with peak heat release capacities as low as 20 J/g-K. Polymers containing bisphenol C all exhibited exothermic decomposition behavior. When compared to corresponding bisphenol-A-based polymers, these bisphenol-Containing polymers had higher char yields and lower decomposition temperatures. The presence of bisphenol C in materials, whether as a co-monomer or blends, showed a char enhancement effect; yielding higher char than what is expected by a purely additive effect. Bisphenol C polyarylates and polycarbonates yielded large amounts of HCl and carbon dioxide upon decomposition. Compared with other bisphenol-based polymers, polycarbonates and polyarylates containing bisphenol C yielded significantly less amounts of monomer. Decreasing the concentration of bisphenol C in the copolymers or blends yielded' relatively more monomer in the degradation products. The second class of polymers studied were polycarbodiimides, which generally decompose in an endothermic manner to yield quantitative amounts of monomer. The incorporation of TEMPO-containing side-chain substituents altered the degradation. TEMPO-based polycarbodiimides decomposed in an exothermic fashion and yielded several other degradation products in addition to the original monomer. These free-radical-containing polymers showed a 25% reduction in the peak heat release capacity when compared with the control polymer. Neither polymer was found to be fire resistant which is due to their high organic content and essentially 100% weight loss during decomposition. |
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| Report: | DOT/FAA/AR-00/39 | Pages: | 186 | Size: | 78.7 MB |