- Author
- Hill, R. G. | Marker, T. R. | Sarkos, C. P.
- Title
- Evaluation and Optimization of an On-Board Water Spray Fire Suppression System in Aircraft.
- Coporate
- Federal Aviation Administration, Atlantic City International Airport, NJ
- Report
- NISTIR 5207, June 1993,
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Book or Conf
- National Institute of Standards and Technology. Water Mist Fire Suppression Workshop. Proceedings. March 1-2, 1993, Gaithersburg, MD, Notarianni, K. A.; Jason, N. H., Editors, 93-103 pp, 1993 <b>AND</b> U.S./Japan Government Cooperative Program on Natural Resources (UJNR). Fire Research and Safety. 12th Joint Panel Meeting. October 27-November 2, 1992, Tsukuba, Japan, Building Research Inst., Ibaraki, Japan; Fire Research Inst., Tokyo, Japan, 93-101 pp, ['1992', '1993']
- Keywords
- fire suppression | water fog | water mist | water sprays | aircraft compartments | effectiveness | large scale fire tests | postcrash fires | aircraft fires
- Abstract
- This paper describes a series of full-scale fire tests to evaluate and develop an on-board aircraft cabin water spray system against postcrash fires. The initial system consisted of an array of nozzles, at the ceiling, which continuously discharged water throughout the cabin for 3 minutes. Several fire scenarios were examined, including a wind-driven external fuel fire adjacent to a fuselage opening and a quiescent fuel fire impinging upon an intact fuselage. Also, both narrow-body and wide-body test articles were utilized. An analysis of the hazard measurements using a fractional effective dose model indicated the water spray provided approximately 2-3 minutes of additional survival time for all but the most severe scenario tested. Additionally, a zoned water spray system was conceptualized, designed and tested under full-scale conditions in an attempt to reduce the weight penalty of water. Test results indicated that a zoned system may be designed to give more protection and improved visibility than a continuous spray system with approximately 10 percent of the water.