Accession Number:

ADA399321

Title:

Flammability of Automotive Child Restraint Seats for Use in Aircraft

Descriptive Note:

Technical note

Corporate Author:

WILLIAM J HUGHES TECHNICAL CENTER ATLANTIC CITY NJ

Personal Author(s):

• Johnson, Richard
• Wuethrich, Lindsey

Report Date:

2001-11-01

Pagination or Media Count:

25.0

Abstract:

Child restraint seat used in aircraft are based on automotive designs that are required to pass a horizontal bum rate test method. The flammability of child seat materials was gauged against the Federal Aviation Administration FAA vertical Bunsen burner tests method. Basically, the vertical test prescribed in Federal Aviation Regulation FAR 25.853 a1II allows a bum length of 8 inches and flame time of 15 seconds after exposure to a Bunsen burner flame for 12 seconds. Eight child restraint seats were purchased from a retail store. The seats were disassembled in order to cut test specimens from the various seat components. Because of the size of the seat and use of materials, in most cases it was not possible to prepare the required sample size and replicates. However, this did not impact the overall conclusions regarding the flammability of the materials tested. The test results indicated that the large majority of materials would not meet the FAA vertical fire test criteria. Also, some of the failed materials burned across the entire sample length, and others produced high flames or dense smoke. The findings are consistent with the knowledge that a horizontal bum test is far less severe than a vertical bum test.

Descriptors:

• *RESTRAINT
• *FLAMMABILITY
• *FIRE RESISTANT MATERIALS
• *SEATS
• TEST AND EVALUATION
• UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
• AIRCRAFT
• AVIATION SAFETY
• REGULATIONS
• AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS
• CHILDREN

Subject Categories:

• Miscellaneous Materials
• Surface Transportation and Equipment

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE