Burning Behavior of Selected Automotive Parts from a Minivan

摘要

Selected functional parts from a minivan were subjected to a gas flame ignitionsource and burned in a manner that allowed measurement of the resulting total heat release rate, mass loss and heat fluxes to the surroundings. This study was undertaken to: (1) assess a possible means for determining the flammability characteristics of automotive components, (2) obtain data on the range of flammability behavior exhibited by such components and the physical processes underlying that behavior, and (3) obtain insights into the fire behavior seen in related full-scale vehicle fires. For most of the vehicle components examined in this study, a significant aspect of the burn behavior was the development of a polymer melt pool fire below the part.