- Author
- Ferrenberg, A. J. | Ott, E. E.
- Title
- Incendiary Gunfire Simulation Techniques for Fuel Tank Explosion Protection Testing. Technical Report. January 1970-June 1972.
- Coporate
- Air Force Aero Propulsion Lab., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
- Report
- AFAPL-TR-73-50, July 1973, 49 p.
- Keywords
- fuel tanks | explosions | combustion | ignition | simulation | fuel/air mixtures | tests
- Identifiers
- incendiary ignitor; 100-gallon test tank and a comparison of 0.50-caliber, type M-8, Armor Piercing Incendiary (50 API) gunfire
- Abstract
- This report summarizes the development and testing of an ignition source designed to simulate the effect of incendiary gunfire on flammable fuel/air mixtures, and to be suitable for use in the laboratory. The ignition source (incendiary ignitor) was characterized primarily with respect to the effect it has on the combustion processes which would take place within a fuel tank. In many cases, experimentation involving explosions are performed utilizing a spark ignition source. The results of such tests are then either directly applied, or extrapolated to provide information regarding the relative success of various techniques for preventing explosions. This method has often resulted in erroneous evaluations of some of these explosion protection techniques, due to the very great differences between spark ignition sources and incendiary gunfire. Therefore, the Fire Protection Branch of the Air Force Aero Propulsion Laboratory began the development and testing of the incendiary gunfire simulation technique described within this report.