Comprehensive Analyses
of Data from Studies Sponsored by GM, MVFRI, and NHTSA
Download Summary
Download Post
Collision Motor Vehicle Fires (Volume I)
Download Theory
and Testing for the Fire Behavior of Materials for the Transportation
Industry (Volume II)
Download Thermophysical
and Fire Properties of Automobile Plastic Parts and Engine Compartment
Fluids (Volume III)
Contractor: FM Global Research
Purpose:
Automobiles contain large amounts of flammable synthetic polymer parts
and components and carry flammable fluids in the engine compartment and in
the fuel tank. In crashes, polymers and fluids ignite and burn and release
heat, smoke and toxic compounds that present danger to the passengers. This
problem was investigated in a five-year study funded by General Motors
because of the settlement between GM and DOT for the owners of C/K vehicles.
The study was performed by GM, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST), SwRI and FM Global Research (FMGR) and consisted of the
following projects:
- Project B.3: Fire Initiation and Propagation Tests
- Project B.4: Evaluation of Potential Fire Intervention Materials and
Technologies
- Project B.10: Study of Flammability of Materials
- Project B.14: Demonstration of Enhanced Fire Safety Technology
- Project B.15: Theoretical and Experimental Study of Thermal Barriers
Separating Automobile Engine and Passenger Compartments
Recently, additional projects have been funded by MVFRI and NHTSA to
investigate fuel tanks exposed to heat, and the toxicity and flammability of
automotive materials
Since valuable data are now available to provide pertinent information to
enhance survivability in vehicle crash fires, this project will serve as a
comprehensive analysis of the pertinent data from GM, NHTSA and MVFRI funded
studies. Results from the GM, NHTSA and MVFRI funded studies will be
summarized and remaining issues as well as successes and failures of the
studies will be identified. The proposed study consists of the assessment of
fire protection in an occupant compartment of a vehicle based on fire and
flammability correlations and simple engineering tools for ignition, and
flame spread behaviors, and for the survivability of occupants. The
following tasks will be performed:
- Task 1 Fire and Flammability Issues for Automotive Materials
The objective of this task is to summarize the work done under the GM
funded study complemented by the MVFRI and NHTSA funded studies with
emphasis on the fire and flammability behaviors of automotive materials to
derive information on fire hardening of materials based on correlations.
Data from the mini-scale, small-scale, intermediate-scale and large-scale
tests will be analyzed in a comprehensive fashion to describe the melting,
ignition, pyrolysis, combustion and fire propagation behaviors and release
rates of heat, smoke, and toxic compounds. These analyses will be
complementary to the analyses in Tasks 2 and 3 consistent with the overall
goal of the proposed study. This task is expected to provide the following
information:
- References and listing of most of the data and video recording from
the GM study with brief summary for their utilization in various tasks
of this proposed study
- Summary as well as success and failures of the GM funded study
fire, flammability and fire suppression issues
- Underhood fires identification of better materials of reduced
flammability
- Automotive materials identification of cost effective improved
materials than used in the GM study based on the surveys to 300
manufacturers, extensive fire and flammability research data at FM
Global and NIST and data available in the open literature
- Correlations for material properties and fire behavior
establishment of the correlations using data from Projects B.3, B.4 and
B.10
- Regulatory test(s) for the Flammability of automotive materials
identification of the conditions to which materials are expected to be
exposed in vehicle crash fires and their simulation in the proposed
regulatory test(s)
- Task 2 Ignition and Flame Spread Issues for Automotive Materials
The objective of this task is to summarize the work done under the GM
study with emphasis on ignition and flame spread behaviors and to assess
the effectiveness of fire hardening of materials to enhance resistance to
ignition and flame spread based on simple engineering tools. Data from the
intermediate-scale and large-scale tests especially the time history of
ignition and flame spread recorded by video cameras and IR thermography
will be analyzed in a comprehensive fashion. These analyses will be
complementary to the analyses in Tasks 1 and 3 consistent with the overall
goal of the proposed study. The task is expected to provide the following:
-
Summary as well as success
and failures of the GM funded study ignition, flame spread and fire
suppression issues
-
Underhood fires ignition
and flame spread behaviors of materials identified as improved materials
in Task 1
-
Automotive materials
ignition and flame spread behaviors of materials identified as cost
effective improved materials in Task 1
-
Correlations for material
properties and fire behavior utilization and refinements of the
correlations established in Task 1 and establishment of additional
correlations for the assessment of ignition and flame spread behaviors
-
Regulatory test(s) for the
Flammability of automotive materials ignition and flame spread
behaviors of materials under conditions expected in vehicle crash fires
and their simulation in the proposed regulatory test(s)
- Task 3 Survivability Issues
The objective of this task is to summarize the work done under the GM
study with emphasis on the survivability and to assess the effectiveness
of fire hardening of materials to enhance survivability based on simple
engineering tools. Data analyses will be performed in a comprehensive
fashion to describe creation of untenable conditions in vehicle-crash fire
tests. Data from the small-scale and large-scale vehicle burn tests will
be used in the analyses. Toxicity analyses performed in the GM study using
FAA Combined Hazards Survival Model and Pursers hazard model will be
included in the comprehensive analyses. The task is expected to provide
the following:
- Summary as well as success and failures of the GM funded study
survivability issues
- Strong and weak points of existing engineering tools to assess
survivability identification of degree of accuracy needed to make
judgmental decisions about improving fire protection via fire hardened
materials and/or fire suppression in an occupant compartment and
utilizing of the engineering tool for survivability in the proposed
study
- Underhood fires effect on the survivability by using materials
identified as improved materials in Task 1 and with higher ignition and
flame spread resistance from Task 2
- Automotive materials effect on survivability by using materials
identified as cost effective improved materials in Task 1 with higher
ignition and flame spread resistance identified in Task 2
- Correlations for material properties and fire behavior utilization
and refinements of the correlations established in Tasks 1 and 2 and
establishment of additional correlations for the survivability
assessment
- Regulatory test(s) for the Flammability of automotive materials
needs for inclusion of survivability assessment
|