1. Critical operating conditions for aeronautical CMOs

1.1 Industrial and scientific context

In the early days of civil aeronautics, fire safety and cabin test requirements were not the aviation industry's primary concern, as passenger comfort was considered more important. The first aeronautical fire safety regulations date back to the 1940s, and concern commercial aircraft with 50 to 150 seats. The "fire" tests proposed at the time were limited to a vertical flame propagation test in which materials were subjected to a bunzen nozzle. Gradually, with the emergence of plastic materials and organic matrix composites, the aeronautical industry also recommended more comprehensive test methods to improve cabin material safety (to limit smoke emissions and their toxicity in particular). It was in the 1980s, following a number of accidents...