Oil Burn for Cargo Liner

Test Sample Requirements

Test samples must meet the following requirements:

• The sample size is 16-inch x 24-inch.
• A minimum of 3 samples must be tested.
• Each cargo liner panel type and design configuration will be tested. Design configurations include corners, joints, seams, lamp assemblies, pressure relief valves, sensors, etc.

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History of the Oil Burn for Cargo Liner Test

During the early post-World War II period, it was noted that adequate fire protection for cargo or baggage compartments included the factors of timely detection and prompt control of the fire when detected. Because the requirements for detection and extinguishment varied depending on the type and location of the compartment, a classification system was established. Three classes were initially established and defined as follows:

Class A — Compartments in which the presence of a fire would be easily discovered by a crewmember while at his station; all parts of which are easily accessible in flight.

Class B — Compartments with sufficient access in flight to enable a crewmember to effectively reach any part of the compartment with the contents of a hand fire extinguisher and that incorporates a separate, approved smoke or fire detection system to give warning at the pilot or flight engineer station.

Class C — As defined at the time of initial classification, any compartment that did not fall into either Class A or B was a Class C compartment. Class C compartments differ from Class B compartments primarily in that built-in extinguishment systems are provided for control of fires in lieu of crewmember accessibility.

Later, two additional classes were established and defined as follows:

Class D — Compartments in which a fire would be completely contained without endangering the safety of the airplane or the occupants.

Class E — The main cargo compartment of an airplane used only for the carriage of cargo.

At the time, cargo liners were only subjected to vertical and 45-degree bunsen burner tests. In the late 1970s to early 1980s the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a series of tests at its Technical Center to investigate the capability of three typical liner materials to resist flame penetration under conditions representative of actual cargo or baggage compartment fires. The tests were conducted using simulated Class C and D compartments. In conjunction with these tests, the FAA developed a method of testing liner materials utilizing a 2 gallons-per-hour kerosene burner, similar to that used in the Powerplant Fire Penetration Test. It was found that a fire could rapidly bum through Nomex or Kevlar under representative conditions. This, in turn, could result in a fire of increased intensity. It was therefore concluded that improved standards were warranted for the sidewall and ceiling liner panels of all classes of cargo or baggage compartments that depend on liners for fire control.

In 1986, The FAA issued a final rule amending 14 CFR 25.855 to add a new requirement for fire penetration resistance of cargo compartment liners. This new rule required all ceiling and sidewall liner panels in Class C and D compartments to meet the oil burn for cargo liner requirements of the newly created 14 CFR 25, Appendix F, Part III.

Individual manufacturers and organizations also established their own internal versions of the Heat Release Rate Test, such as Airbus (ABD0031/AITM 2.0010), Boeing (BSS 7323), and McDonnell Douglas (DMS 2273).

In order to facilitate improvements to the test standard without constantly changing the CFR, the FAA published Report DOT/FAA/CT-99/15 "Aircraft Materials Fire Test Handbook" in 1990. The tests in this handbook are considered an acceptable equivalent to those in the CFR. The handbook was updated in 2000 to DOT/FAA/AR-00/12, with the Oil Burn for Cargo Liner test located in Chapter 8 of the handbook.

Sources: Federal Register Vol. 49, No.154 / Federal Register Vol. 51 No. 95

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Additional Resources

Resource	Description
14 CFR 25.855	Cargo or Baggage Compartments (Transport Category Airplanes) U.S. Regulations for FAR 25.855 at Amendment 25-142.
14 CFR 25, Appendix F	Appendix F to Part 25 (Transport Category Airplanes) U.S. Regulations, Criteria and Test Procedures.
FAA Fire Test Handbook, Chapter 8	FAA Aircraft Materials Fire Test Handbook (DOT/FAA/AR-00/12); Chapter 8; Oil Burner Test for Cargo Liners. This handbook provides an acceptable means of compliance with the relevant regulations. This is the preferred test method to find compliance with the listed regulations.
FAA Fire Test Handbook, Chapter 15	FAA Aircraft Materials Fire Test Handbook (DOT/FAA/AR-00/12); Chapter 15; Two Gallon per Hour Oil Burner Certification Testing for Repaired Cargo Compartment LIners. This handbook provides an acceptable means of compliance with the relevant regulations. This is the preferred test method to find compliance with the listed regulations.