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DOT/FAAlCT·94/04

FAA Technical CenterAtlanlic City Intamalione! Airport,N.J. 08405

Analysis of Test Criteria forSpecifvjnCJ Foam Firefighting

;·"",~@ro~@x"81 t Rescueand Firefighting

U.S. Department of TransportationFaderal Aviation AdminlotroUon

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S.Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. TheUnited States Government assumes no liability for the contents or usethereof. The United States Government does not endorse products ormanufacturers. Trade or manufacturer's names appear herein solelybecause they are considered essential to the object of this report.

Technical Report Documentation Page

1 Report No. 2. Government AccessIon No. 3. Recipient's catalog No.

JOT/FAA/CT-94-04

4. nle and Subtitle 5. Report OIt.August 1994

ANALYSIS OF TEST CRITERIA FOR SPECIFYING FOAMFIREFIGHTING AGENTS FOR AIRCRAFT RESCUE AND FIREFIGHTI~G

6. Perfonning Organization Code

7. Author(sl 8. Performing Orgamzation Report No.

Joseph L. Scheffey*Joseph A. Wright

9. Perfonning Organization Name and Add,.. 10. Work Unit No. (TAAIS)

*Hughes Associates, Inc.6770 Oak Hall Lane, Suite 125 11. Contract or Grant No.

Columbia, MD 21045

12. SponSOfing Agency Name and Addre. 13. Type of Report and Period Ccwered

FinalU.S. Department of TransportationFederal Aviation Administration 14. sponSOMQ Agency COdeTechnical Center ;'.CD-240Atlantic City International Airport. NJ 08405

15. Supplementary Notal

FAA Project Manager: Joseph A. Wright, ACD-240

16. AbStract

Foam agent quantities and application rates for FAA certified airports are based onlarge-scale fire test data of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) and protein-based foams.The philosophy is to control aircraft fuel fires in sixty seconds. Foam agents whichare used for aviation applications should demonstrate this level of performance,including a safety factor which assures adequate performance under less than optimumconditions.

A review of standard test methods and performance criteria indicates a wide range ofrequirements. The U.S. Military Specification (MIL SPEC) for AFFF, on which theoriginal agent criteria was developed, is the most stringent in terms of extinguishmentapplication density. However, no direct correlation has been demonstrated between manyof the required physical/chemical properties tests and fire extinguishment/burnbackperformance.

It was demonstrated, using comparative data from numerous small- and large-scale firetests, that the small-scale MIL SPEC fire tests correlate with large-scale test results.MIL SPEC agents, which provide a safety factor over minimum FAA requirements, also areformulated to have proportioning, storage, stability, and shelf-life attributesappropriate for crash rescue firefighting applications. Adoption of the MIL SPEC forAFFF agents is recommended. Future work related to foam testing should focus on the useof first pri.nciples to establish fundamental foam extinguishment mechanisms.

17. KeV Words 18. Dilitribution Statement

Foam, foam testing, AFFF, This document is available to the publicMilitary Specification, through the National Technical InformationAircraft crash rescue firefighting, Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161Hydrocarbon fuels, spreading co-efficient,Protein foam, surface tension,Expansion, drainage, foam standards

19. Security Claaaif. 20. Secunty CtaiSif. 21. No. of Pages 22. Pt1ce

For official use only. Unclassi fied 93

Form DOT F1700.7 (8'72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

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PREFACE

The intent of this work, performed by Hughes Associates, Inc., was to review available test data andregulations and standards related to foam agent performance. Based on this review, recommendationsare made for appropriate specifications for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to adopt so thatadequate performance is achieved when certified airports procure firefighting foam. The evaluationrelied strictly on existing test data; no testing was performed specifically for this evaluation. The datainclude previously unpublished data of tests performed by George Geyer of the FAA, which waspresented at the International Conference on Aviation Fire Protection, Interlaken, Switzerland, inSeptember 1987. The contributions of Mr. Geyer, which also include much of the earlier, baseline data,are recognized.

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