Louise Speitel - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Louise Speitel

: Twelve aircraft interior materials were burned under standard flaming combustion conditions in ... more : Twelve aircraft interior materials were burned under standard flaming combustion conditions in the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) smoke chamber. Each material was also exposed to 600 Celsius (C) in a combustion tube furnace under conditions of oxidative pyrolysis. The combustion products were collected in liquid-filled impingers, and the contents were analyzed for hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide, and formaldehyde by differential pulse polarography, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide by visible spectrophotometry, and hydrogen fluoride by ion-selective electrode. Carbon monoxide was measured directly by a nondispersive infrared analyzer. The yields of the nine gases are reported in terms of milligrams per gram of material. The toxic gas yields were obtained for each material in the NBS smoke chamber and were compared to the yields obtained in the combustion tube furnace. The yields were also compared to those obtained using colorimetric d...

: This report presents an extensive review of the literature on the toxic and thermal hazards rel... more : This report presents an extensive review of the literature on the toxic and thermal hazards relating to human survival in aircraft cabin fires. Studies by various authors of exposures to single and mixed gases on humans, primates, rats and mice are presented for different activity levels and a wide range of concentrations and temperatures. Regression equations giving the best fit were derived from these studies. The regression equation which was judged to best model the human escaping from an aircraft cabin fire was selected for each gas and utilized in the survival model. The effect of carbon dioxide increasing the uptake of other gases was included in the model. This survival model uses incapacitation data to obtain a fractional effective dose for incapacitation (FED1) and lethality data to obtain a fractional effective dose for lethality (FEDl). The time when either FED reaches 1 determines the exposure time available to escape from an aircraft cabin fire and to survive postexp...

: This report contains a summary of available fire suppression agents and their properties. The a... more : This report contains a summary of available fire suppression agents and their properties. The applicability of various technologies for each major onboard aircraft application is assessed. Classes of agents, with presently available agents listed, are recommended for use in the development of test protocols. The test protocol developed for a class of agents can be used, with minor modifications, to test all agents belonging to that class.

The Energy Citations Database (ECD) provides access to historical and current research (1948 to t... more The Energy Citations Database (ECD) provides access to historical and current research (1948 to the present) from the Department of Energy (DOE) and predecessor agencies.

: This document describes the tests conducted to evaluate the effects of a spill of a strong corr... more : This document describes the tests conducted to evaluate the effects of a spill of a strong corrosive acid such as hydrochloric acid (HCl) on aircraft interior skin and to determine the time required for a spill of Department of Transportation (DOT) allowable volumes and concentrations to cause catastrophic failure. Test data indicate that the epoxy coated interior aluminum skin is resistant to acid attack. The acid reacted vigorously with scratched skin surfaces, creating a wide hole in the skin along the scratch line. Test data also indicate that a spill of concentrated HCl can eat completely through the rivets and ribs and may result in a significant loss of structural rib strength.

: Seventy-five typical aircraft interior materials were thermally decomposed using a combustion t... more : Seventy-five typical aircraft interior materials were thermally decomposed using a combustion tube furnace. A 250-milligram sample was exposed to a temperature of 600 C for 5 minutes while maintaining an airflow rate of 2 liters per minute through the combustion tube. The combustion products were collected in liquid-filled fritted bubblers, and the contents were analyzed for hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide, and formaldehyde by differential pulse polarography; nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide by visible spectrophotometry; and hydrogen fluoride by potentiometric titration. Carbon monoxide was collected in plastic sample bags and measured by nondispersive infrared analysis. The yields of the nine gases have been reported in terms of milligrams per gram of material. Parametric studies were also conducted to characterize the effects of experimental parameters on gas yields. These parameters include sample weight (250 and 750 mg), percent oxyge...

In 1987, an international treaty—the Montreal Protocol—was established to control the release of ... more In 1987, an international treaty—the Montreal Protocol—was established to control the release of materials that cause stratospheric ozone depletion. Under the Protocol, the production of halon fire and explosion protection agents was phased out in all industrialized countries at the end of 1993. To date, no environmentally acceptable halon replacement equivalent to the existing halons in toxicity, effectiveness, and dimensionality across all applications has been identified. A large number of new agents and technologies that provide adequate protection in most applications (usually, with tradeoffs) have, however, been developed. This paper presents an overview of halon options that have been commercialized or are near to commercialization. The term “options” is used here for anything that could be used in place of halons. There are two types of options: (1) “replacements” are halocarbon agents chemically similar to the present halons; (2) “alternatives,” are everything else. “Chemic...

Thirteen aircraft interior materials were thermally decomposed using a combustion tube furnace. T... more Thirteen aircraft interior materials were thermally decomposed using a combustion tube furnace. The thermal degradation products were analyzed for HCN, H2S, HC1, and HCHO by polarography; NO2 and SO2 by spectrophotometry; HF by potentiometry; and CO by NDIR. Parametric studies were conducted to characterize the effects of oxygen availability, airflow rate, and temperature on gas yields. These materials were also tested under flaming conditions in the NBS smoke chamber, and the same 8 gases were measured using identical analytical procedures. The gas yields obtained by the two test methods have been compared by calculating the coefficients of correlation.

: A method of collection and analysis was developed to determine the concentrations of water vapo... more : A method of collection and analysis was developed to determine the concentrations of water vapor in full-scale aircraft cabin fire tests as a function of time. Specialized collection tubes were developed which selectively trap water vapor. Particulates are filtered out of the sample stream and light fixed gases such as CO, C02, 02, methane, propane, and butane pass through the tube. The gas collection sections of the tubes are surrounded by ice-water to maximize collection efficiency of the desiccant packing material. The percentage of water in the test atmosphere is calculated based on the weight gain of the tube and the volume of sample drawn. The flow is controlled by a calibrated needle valve, downstream of the sampling assembly, held at a constant temperature. The method was validated by analyzing selected components of a sample tube from a full-scale fire test by Thermogravimetric Analysis. Water vapor, Water spray, Aircraft cabin fire tests, Combustion, Analysis, Water vapo...

: A computer model was developed and utilized for calculating the benefits of passenger protectiv... more : A computer model was developed and utilized for calculating the benefits of passenger protective breathing devices and other fire safety improvements based on an analysis of accidents involving fire occurring from 1966 to 1986. The results of exercising this model on 20 past accidents indicate that the 'lives saved' is very sensitive to assumptions. It was determined that seat cushion fire blocking (FB) would have saved almost half the lives. Floor proximity lighting (FPL) is much less effective than FB, saving 3-4 percent of fire deaths. Protective breathing equipment (PBE), assuming no donning delay and 100 percent usage by passengers, is more effective than FPL. However, a 15- second donning delay of PBE may have resulted in a net disbenefit. Keywords: Protective breathing equipment smoke hoods; Transport aircraft; Aviation accidents; Fire safety.

L. C. Speitel and R. G. 1-ill DOT/FAA/CT-88,03 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Wo... more L. C. Speitel and R. G. 1-ill DOT/FAA/CT-88,03 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Federal Aviation Administration Techn cal ente I1I. Contract or Grant No.

... panel Aramid Honycomb/Epoxy-Fiberglas 52 Wool Carpet/Epoxy Adhesive/Aluainum/ 0.690 198 Floor... more ... panel Aramid Honycomb/Epoxy-Fiberglas 52 Wool Carpet/Epoxy Adhesive/Aluainum/ 0.690 198 Flooring Floor panel ... Honeycomsb/Epoxy-Fibarglae 69 PVF/PVC/Phenulic-Fiberglae/Aramid 0.531 93.0 Panel Door assembly Honeycomb ...

This document is also available from the Federal Aviation Administration William J. Hughes Techni... more This document is also available from the Federal Aviation Administration William J. Hughes Technical Center at actlibrary.tc.faa.gov. U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturer's names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the objective of this report. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the funding agency. This document does not constitute FAA policy. Consult the FAA sponsoring organization listed on the Technical Documentation page as to its use.

This report summarizes the Federal Aviation Administration research effort to develop a laborator... more This report summarizes the Federal Aviation Administration research effort to develop a laboratory-scale test method for evaluating the thermal decomposition products produced inside an intact transport category fuselage during exposure to a simulated external fuel fire. An oil-fired burner, configured in accordance with Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 25.856(b) Appendix F Part VII, was used to simulate the fuel fire, and a 4- by 4- by 4-foot steel cube box was used to mount representative test samples. The cube box simulated an intact fuselage and served as an enclosure to collect emitted gases during fire exposure. Test samples representing a variety of fuselage constructions were evaluated, including a noncontemporary prototype structural composite material (without thermal acoustic insulation). A typical cross section consisted of a 40- by 40-inch aluminum panel representing the fuselage skin and the accompanying thermal acoustic insulation blanket behind the skin. Two...