Piloted Ignition of Polypropylene/Glass Composites in a Forced Air Flow

The Forced Ignition and Spread Test (FIST) is being used to study the flammability characteristics of combustible materials in forced convective flows. The FIST methodology is based on the ASTM E-1321, Lateral Ignition and Flame Spread Test (LIFT) which is used to determine the ignition and flame spread characteristics of materials, and to produce 'Flammability Diagrams' of materials. The LIFT apparatus, however, relies on natural convection to bring air to the combustion zone and the fuel vapor to the pilot flame, and thus cannot describe conditions where the oxidizer flow velocity may change. The FIST on the other hand, by relying on a forced flow as the dominant transport mechanism, can be used to examine variable oxidizer flow characteristics, such as velocity, oxygen concentration, and turbulence intensity, and consequently has a wider applicability. Particularly important is its ability to determine the flammability characteristics of materials used in spacecraft since in the absence of gravity the only flow present is that forced by the HVAC of the space facility. In this paper, we report work on the use of the FIST approach on the piloted ignition of a blended polypropylene fiberglass (PP/GL) composite material exposed to an external radiant flux in a forced convective flow of air. The effect of glass concentration under varying external radiant fluxes is examined and compared qualitatively with theoretical predictions of the ignition process. The results are used to infer the effect of glass content on the fire safety characteristics of composites.