SUMMARYAutomobile fires are consistently among the largest causes of fire death in the United States (about 500 annually) and the U.S. motor vehicle industry and others have spent a significant amount of money in recent years studying this problem. The authors of this review have analyzed the auto industry reports, the scientific literature, and statistical data, and conclude that measures should be taken to improve survivability in automobile fires. The U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302 (FMVSS 302) was introduced almost 40 years ago to measure the flammability of interior materials, but improvements in the crashworthiness of automobiles and their fuel tanks and the increased use of combustible materials have changed the motor vehicle fire scenario significantly. In particular, the primary threat has changed from ignition of a small quantity of combustible interior materials by a lit cigarette, in 1960, to ignition of a large quantity of combustible interior and exterior materials by an impact-induced fire, at present. The authors therefore suggest that FMVSS 302 is no longer relevant to automobile fire safety and recommend improved standards based on objective criteria for fire safety performance (fireworthiness) at the system/vehicle level as is routinely done for crashworthiness.
A new specification test standard for cable fire propagation has recently been developed at Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC), using FMRC's 50 kW-scale flammability apparatus. Guidelines for fire protection of grouped cables in non-combustible industrial and commercial occupancies have been formulated. Cables are classified into three groups on the basis of their fire propagation behavior: Group 1 cables: fire propagation beyond the ignition zone is not likely to occur and fire protection is not required; Group 2 cables: fire propagates slowly beyond the igaition zone and fire protection is required in most applications; and Group 3 cables: fire propagates rapidly beyond the ignition zone an d fire protection is always require d. This paper describes the concepts associated with the development of the standard test and fire protection guidelines for cables.
The findings in this repori are not to be construed as an official Otesarument of the Arrmy position, unleu so desig~nated by other authorized docurtients.
Mention of any trade narnes or mnanufacturers in this reportshall not be construed as advertising nar as an official indorsemenan or approvtal of such products or comnpanies by the Limited States Govermnmient.
OISPOSITION INSTRUCTIONSOigllrov wthit ro6ot whom 0 is m orger miiilod. of the study was to assess the flammability charaoteristios of FRC materials using small-scale experiments.In the study, five FRC samples (about 3 to 45 mm in thickness) were examined.Results from the study showed that FRC materials have high resistance to ignition, a high heat of gasification and a low Fire Propagation Index (FPI), indicating that self-sustained tire propagation is expected to be difficult for these materials (fires are not expected to propagate beyond the ignition zone). Thus, these results suggest that FRC materials would not present as severe a fire ard as ordinary oombustibies; i.e., cellulosics and most plastios.
Results are presented for the vertical fire propagation for 0.508 and 1.29 m long electrical cables in oxygen concentrations of 40 and 30%, respectively. The bottom 40% of the 0.508 m long cable and 16% of the 1.29 m~ong cable are exposed to external heat flux with a peak value of 50 kW/m. In the experiments, measurements are made for heat release rates, generation rates of chemical compounds and optical density of smoke.The vertical fire propagation rate for cables is found to be proportional to the ratio of the chemical heat release rate to thermal response, a relationship suggested by various fire propagation theories. Conditions where self-sustained fire propagation is not expected to occur have been identified: 1) critical or minimum heat flux for ignition> 20 kW/m 2; 2) vertical fire propagation rate V < 1.0 x 10-3 m/s; and 3) -chemical heat release rate/thermal response-< 0.55 sec-l 12 . These conditions are satisfied in larger-scale fire propagation experiments for cables. The analysis suggests that it is possible to design a small-scale standard fire test for cables based on ignition, fire propagation and heat release rate.
ASTM E2058 (NFPA 287) Fire Propagation apparatus was used to determine the Critical Heat Flux (CHF) and Thermal Response Parameter (TRP thin ) of 10 fabrics by measuring time to ignition at different heat flux values. CHF values were in the range 15-25 kW/m 2 and decreased with fabric areal density and cation content. TRP thin values expressed as areal density  heat capacity  ignition temperature above ambient were in the range 500-2439 kW -s/m 2 . There was a reasonable correlation between the measured TRP thin values and the areal density of the fabrics examined in this study. Light areal density fabrics with low TRP thin values ( 1000 kW-s/m 2 ) had high ignitions with the fast smoldering cigarette, while heavy areal density fabrics (! 1200 kW-s/m 2 ) had high ignitions with the slow smoldering cigarette.
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