Fire Containment Characteristics of Aircraft Class D Cargo Compartments.

Eighteen tests were conducted in a 640-cubic foot simulated class D cargo compartment test article. Various ceiling lining materials, cargo loading configuration, air leakage rates, and fire sources were examined in a effort to determining the conditions likely to occur during a class D cargo compartment fire. The lining materials used in this project passed the requirements of FAR 25.853 and 25.855 vertical and forty-five degree bunsen burner lab tests however, they did not always successfully contain the cargo fires. The major conclusion of this study is that FAR 25.853 and 25.855 do not insure adequate burn-through resistance of class D cargo liners subjected to realistic fires. Author