A Fire Simulator/Shutter System for Testing Protective Fabrics and Calibrating Thermal Sensors

摘要

The design, construction, calibration, and use of a JP-4 fueled, shuttered furnace is described. Based on a NASA design, this furnace simulates the radiative and convective thermal environment of a postcrash fire in rotary-wing aircraft. Heat fluxes ranged from 0.5 to 3.6 + or - 3% calories per square centimeter per second with steady-state furnace wall temperatures from 519 C (967 F) to 1353 C (2450 F) and a radiative/total flux ratio of approximately 0.9. A pneumatically propelled, water cooled shutter, mounted in a rolling animal carrier, controlled the exposure of pigs and thermal sensors to the fire. An electronic data acquisition and control system is also described. This system automatically controlled the opening and closing of the shutter and provided strip chart and FM magnetic tape records of exposure time, furnace wall temperature, heat flux, and sensor output. Sources of error including nonuniformity of flame front and shutter dynamics are discussed. Methods of animal handling, burn grading, and photographic documentation are introduced along with a brief description of some nine experimental protocols carried out using this fire simulator shutter system. (Author)