Evaluation of Fire Test Methods for Aircraft Thermal Acoustical Insulation

摘要

The report presents the results of laboratory round robin flammability testingperformed on thermal acoustic insulation blankets and the films used as insulation coverings. The work was requested by the aircraft industry as a result of actual incidents involving flame propagation on the thermal acoustical blankets. Vertical flammability testing was performed as specified in Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 25,853, Appendix F. In addition, a cotton swab test developed by the aircraft manufacturers was also evaluated. These cotton swab tests were performed by placing ignited alcohol saturated cotton swabs on a test-sized blanket and measuring the longest burn length. Test results indicated that the cotton swab tests produced consistent test results, whereas the vertical flammability tests did not.