Fire behaviour tests in transportation sector

In the transport sector, fire safety has always been a key issue, due to the variety of possible fire scenarios and the social and economic impact of these events. In contrast to other sectors, such as construction, fire scenarios are characterized by generally short emergency response times and confined spaces, often involving the exposure of people.

Thus, the number of parameters studied to avoid accidents depends on the characteristics of the transport system, just as it depends on the possible exposure times. This leads, for example, to a graduation of requirements in terms of both reaction to fire and fire resistance.

• Automotive transport, with its supposedly short exposure time, has the lowest requirements. Indeed, in the event of a fire, the safety system assumes that the driver can stop and evacuate, as the time required to immobilize the vehicle is very short.

• In rail and maritime transport, the requirements are even more stringent. In addition to these fire behavior requirements, there are provisions for active systems (detection, extinguishing) and smoke characterization (opacity and toxicity). The two systems differ, however, in terms of the volumes involved and the evacuation philosophy. In the rail sector, people have to be brought to safety inside the vehicle and then outside, and the requirements are very high in terms of fire behavior and smoke toxicity. In the maritime sector, the ship is the last refuge. The emphasis is therefore on compromises between fire resistance and extinguishing systems. Strict requirements in terms of reaction to fire also apply to escape routes.

• In the aeronautical field, two families of fire scenarios are considered. They entail two different constraints. The first involves limiting the ignitability of materials, which is achieved through very stringent requirements in terms of reaction to fire. The aim is to prevent an in-flight fire from starting, making evacuation impossible. The second family concerns materials used in cargo holds and fuselage, as well as seats in the event of a crash. The attack considered here is a very intense kerosene fire, the development of which must not jeopardize the evacuation of people.

  In all cases, the primary objective remains the preservation of people through safe evacuation, by limiting the occurrence of fire, its development and its effects in the vicinity or in the environment.