- Author
- Olson, S. L. | Sotos, R. G.
- Title
- Combustion of Velcro in Low Gravity.
- Coporate
- National Aeronautics and Space Admin., Cleveland, OH
- Report
- NASA TM 88970, March 1987, 17 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
- flammability | combustion | weightlessness | velcro | spacecraft | fire safety
- Identifiers
- materials flammability
- Abstract
- An experimental program was conducted to investigate the low gravity burning characteristics of nylon and Nomex velcro fastening tapes in an atmosphere of 30 percent oxygen, 70 percent nitrogen at a 70 kPa pressure. The tests were conducted using the NASA Lewis Research Center Zero Gravity facility. The test results, as documented by high speed cameras, indicate that both nylon and Nomex burn in low gravity for the full 5.18 second test time but that Nomex burns less vigorously than nylon. Nylon melts as it burns, whereas Nomex forms a solid char. Nylon also sputters burning droplets as it burns. Thus, from these limited tests, it appears that Nomex velcro is less hazardous than nylon velcro for spacecraft applications. The results also show that residual gas velocities, and by analogy spacecraft air circulation, can enhance the low gravity combustion.