Material flammability, combustion, toxicity and fire hazard in transportation

Abstract

Many materials used in transportation vehicles are combustible, often dramatically so. These materials may include gases, liquids and solids. They are sometimes employed in order to increase fuel efficiency, reduce manufacturing cost or meet other market demands such as durability or appearance. Extensive research has been conducted on such materials both with and without the expressed intent of applying the results directly to transportation. Combustion and fire research, considered generally, are much broader than (and in fact encompass), the specific applications to transportation issues discussed here. Much if not most of fire and combustion research, therefore, has a direct bearing on transportation. This review ties together disparate subjects of fundamental fire and combustion research that have relevance to transportation fire. The goal is to provide a technical overview of the combustion literature related to, but not exclusively concerned with or focused on, transportation fire safety. Although they are not a large percentage of transportation-related fatalities, fires can be costly in human and economic terms. In the United States, post-collision fires occur in 1–5% of fatal motor vehicle accidents, while approximately 20% of air traffic fatalities are attributed to fire. This review addresses scientific and technical engineering issues in the fields of fire initiation; fire spread; products of combustion and their toxicity; and practical fire prevention in vehicles and other modes of transportation.