Examination of Aircraft Interior Emergency Lighting in a Postcrash Fire Environment

摘要

This report describes the effectiveness of emergency interior lighting in a wide-body aircraft test fuselage subjected to elevated temperatures and dense smoke generated by an external fuel fire and interior materials fire. Photometric measurements show significant smoke stratification. The dense smoke at the ceiling can reduce the effectiveness of emergency lighting sources in the upper one third of the aircraft cabin in the very early stages of a cabin fire, while temperatures are survivable in the lower two thirds of the cabin. Placing emergency lighting sources at or below the height of the passenger seat armrest can increase the time span over which the lights are effective. (Author)