Paper number 609

EVALUATION OF FIRE PERFORMANCE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR AIRCRAFT STRUCTURAL APPLICATIONS

A. Johnston1, R. Cole2, A. Jodoin1, J. MacLaurin3, and G. Hadjisophocleous3

1National Research Council of Canada, Institute for Aerospace Research
1500 Montreal Road, Bldg. M-3, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada
2Bristol Aerospace Ltd.
P.O. Box 874, 660 Berry Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 2S4, Canada
3National Research Council of Canada, Institute for Research in Construction
1500 Montreal Road, Bldg. M-59, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada

Summary This paper presents a methodology for evaluation of the fire performance of composite material designs for aircraft structural applications. While compatible with civil aviation authority requirements, the tests outlined are intended primarily for screening various potential design options rather than for certification purposes. The developed test approach is demonstrated via a study of design options for a 'fireproof' composite aircraft engine enclosure. This study demonstrates that various composite material designs offer significant potential for fire containment, but also shows that the level of strength retained by composite structures during a fire event is very low in the area of flame impingement.
Keywords aerospace structures, fire performance, residual strength, structures, fire damage, certification.

Theme : Industrial Applications ; Aerospace Applications

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