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.
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