- Author
- Lee, B. T.
- Title
- Fire Hazard Evaluation of Shipboard Hull Insulation and Documentation of a Quarter-Scale Room Fire Test Protocol.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC
- Report
- NBSIR 83-2642, August 1983, 47 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
- flammability | flashover | heat release rate | insulation | interior finishes | paints | room fires | ships | small scale fire tests | hull insulation
- Abstract
- A variety of shipboard hull insulations including damping and acoustical materials, painted and unpainted, were evaluated for their flashover potential using a quarter-scale room fire test developed by the Center for Fire Research at the National Bureau of Standards. Three Painted insulations were also evaluated in full-scale room fire tests. Comparison of full-scale and quarter-scale fire behavior again demonstrated that the quarter-scale test can predict full-scale room fire buildup. It was found that decorative paints, including the Navy's chlorianted alkyd formulation, could seriously compromise the fire safety of otherwise low fire risk insulations. A recommended test protocol was developed for determining the flashover potential of hull insulation using the quarter-scale room fire test.