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The agents which are currently being considered as replacements for fire suppressant agent CF3Br are mostly fluorinated hydrocarbons and perfluorinated alkanes. This abstract describes measurements of the reduction in burning rate of premixed methane-air
Nelson P. Bryner, Erik L. Johnsson, William M. Pitts
Recent studies attribute a large percentage of fire injuries and deaths to the generation of carbon monoxide (CO) and indicate that in roughly two-thirds of the fire deaths the fire victims have fatal or incapacitating levels of carboxyhemoglobin in their
Roughly two thirds of all deaths resulting from enclosure fires can be attributed to the presence of carbon monoxide (CO) which is the dominant toxicant in fire deaths. A long-term program (Carbon Monoxide production and Prediction Project) at the Building
Jiann C. Yang, Thomas G. Cleary, Roy A. McLane, William L. Grosshandler
Discharge of the three selected alternative agents for aircraft dry bay fire protection has been conducted in a simulated dry bay (i.e., in an unconfined space). The three selected agents are CF3I, FC-218, and HFC-125. Halon 1301 is also included in the
M Y. Choi, George W. Mulholland, Anthony Hamins, Takashi Kashiwagi
The accurate measurement of flame-generated particlates is a problem of current interest to researchers in the fire and combustion community. Within the flame, the soot concentration measurement is central to the study of soot growth and for radiant
Erik L. Johnsson, Nelson P. Bryner, William M. Pitts
Enclosure fires are of great interest because of the resulting loss of life and property, yet the fluid dynamic and chemical behaviors of fires within enclosures are still not well understood. In recent decades, it has become clear that burning rates, fire
The elimination of new production of halon 1301 has forced the manufacturers, owners, and users of aircraft to search for an alternative. The program described here developed performance screens for candidate agents as a means to identify the best
C A. Womeldorf, Jiann C. Yang, William L. Grosshandler
Until recently halon 1301 has been regularly discharged in Navy aircraft engine nacelles to certify that the fire suppression systems distribute the fire suppressant effectively. Halon 1301 can no longer be used in this manner because of its high ozone
A fundamental property of interest in characterizing the effectiveness of fire suppressants is the effect of addition of inhibitors on the laminar flame speed of a fuel as a function of pressure and temperature of the unburned mixture. The effects of CF3H
I Vazquez, C I. Boyer, B D. Breuel, L A. Weber, M Huber, Jiann C. Yang
This study is a continuation of a U.S. Air Force/Navy/Army and FAA sponsored program, currently being conducted at NIST, to further evaluate some thermodynamic properties of the four selected alternative agents for in-flight aircraft fire protection in
Kenneth D. Steckler, Anthony P. Hamins, Takashi Kashiwagi
We are in the process of developing a burning-rate model for char-forming materials. Currently, the combustion of a horizontal slab of wood, exposed to an external radiant source, is being modeled in terms of two coupled sub-models which simulate gas and
Thomas G. Cleary, M D. King, Jiann C. Yang, William L. Grosshandler
The evaluation of alternative agents for application in engine nacelle fire protection includes delivery efficiency of agent from a remote storge bottle through piping to the nacelle injection loacation. Present military requirements for halon systems
R Buch, Anthony Hamins, John R. Shields, P. Borthwick, R T. Baum, Marc R. Nyden, Takashi Kashiwagi
Siloxane fluids have a number of industrial applications including use as transformer fluids. The objective of the present study was to improve our understanding of the burning of siloxane fluids. The fluids studied are octamethylcyclotetra siloxane, [(CH3
Kathryn M. Butler, Howard R. Baum, Takashi Kashiwagi
An intumescent coating protects the underlying surface from fire by swelling into a thick insulating char. Design of intumescent materials has proceeded largely by systematic testing of a variety of formulations, since the mechanisms of physical, thermal
Anthony D. Putorti Jr., William D. Walton, W H. Twilley, Scott Deal, John Albers
This report of test addresses a fire experiment conducted on July 14, 1994 in a vacant single family dwelling at 1315 South Bristol Street in Santa Ana, California. Fire phenomena measured included: temperatures within various rooms, the velocity and
Anthony D. Putorti Jr., William D. Walton, W H. Twilley, Scott Deal, J. C. Albers
The Santa Ana Fire Department of Santa Ana, California conducted a series of fire experiments in residences on South Bristol Street in the city of Santa Ana in July, 1994. NIST provided technical support, consisting of measurements of fire phenomena, to
The composite materials of interest in this work contain several piles of long, high strength fibers, typically woven in some fixed pattern; the layered multi-ply structure is embedded with an organic polymer resin. Such composites offer a high strength-to
The proposed replacements to halon 1301, mainly fluorinated and chlorinated hydrocarbons, are expected to be required in significantly higher concentrations than CF3Br to extinguish fires. At these higher concentrations the by-products of the inhibited
Richard G. Gann, Carlos R. Beauchamp, Thomas G. Cleary, J L. Fink, Richard H. Harris Jr., F Horkay, G B. McKenna, Thomas P. Moffat, Marc R. Nyden, Richard D. Peacock, Richard E. Ricker, Mark R. Stoudt, W. K. Waldron
A key facet of the evaluation of new fire suppressants is their behavior under pressure and at elevated temperature in a metal storage container with an elastomer seal. In this study, 13 candidate chemicals have been examines: C2F6, C3F8, C4F10, cyclo-C4F8
The mechanisms of inhibition premixed methane-air flames in the presence of difluoromethane, trifluoromethane, and tetrafluoromethane are studied. The chemistry of these agents is expected to be similar to that of agents which may be used as replacements
The flammability properties of honeycomb composites, which are used in the interior cabin compartments of commercial aircraft, were examined. Analyses of the gases evolved during the thermal degradation of the components indicated that the phenol
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is interested in the possibility of using elevators for evacuation of air traffic control towers during fire emergencies. Assuming that the FAA could design, install, and maintain elevators that could safely be
William M. Pitts, Erik L. Johnsson, Nelson P. Bryner
Building fire fatalities often occur at locations remote from the room where the fire is actually burning. The majority of these fire deaths are the result of smoke inhalation, primarily due to exposure to carbon monoxide (CO). Although causing nearly 2500
Anthony P. Hamins, D Trees, K Seshadri, H K. Chelliah
An experimental, analytical, and numerical study was performed to elucidate the influence of eleven gaseous agents, considered to be substitutes for CF3Br, on the structure and critical conditions of extinction of diffusion flames burning liquid
M Y. Choi, Anthony Hamins, H. Rushmeier, Takashi Kashiwagi
Detailed measurements of the temperature, soot volume fraction and CO2 have been performed for a 10 cm diameter heptane fire. In addition, the concentrations of H2O and CO were inferred from generalized state relationships. The heat feedback to the surface