NTL Record

Title Electrical Insulation Fire Characteristics: Volume II. Toxicity
Record ID 50001
Personal Name
Creator
Crane, C. R.; Sanders, D. C.; Endecott, B. R.; Abbott, J. K.
Source 102p. in various pagings
Corporate Creator Boeing Company
Corporate
Contributor
John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.); United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration
Publisher United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration
Publication Date 19781201
Language English
Abstract The purpose of this research was to determine the relative inhalation toxicity of the thermal degradation products or gaseous pyrolysis of selected types of electrical wiring insulations. The specific materials to be evaluated were supplied by the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company and were selected from a much larger population on the basis of prior testing of properties other than toxicity. The contract work-statement required that toxicity be evaluated utilizing the basic principles of a system designed at the Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) that was used for an earlier study of aircraft interior materials. The relative toxicities of the combustion products of 14 electrical wiring insulations were evaluated using animal incapacitation as a measure of toxicity. One gram insulation samples were pyrolyzed in a quartz combustion tube connected in-line with a 12.6-L-exposure chamber by an air re-circulation assembly to form a closed exposure system. Each material was pyrolyzed under three thermal degradation conditions and the time-to-incapacitation for the shortest time condition was used to rank the materials in order of their relative potential toxicity. A rank order for all 14 materials is presented on the basis of potential toxicity for equal weights of insulation and relative ranking by toxicity for equal lengths of conductor is presented for those materials supplied on conductors of equal gauge. Techniques are suggested for converting measured toxicity of an insulation on wire of one size to the equivalent toxicity of the same insulation on wire of a different size. The report presents cautions and limitations on the discipline of combustion toxicology and presents suggestions for future research.
Rosap ID dot:11408
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/11408
TRT Terms Cables; Combustion; Electric insulating materials; Fire resistant materials; Flammability; Flammability tests; Insulating materials; Passenger cars; Pyrolysis; Rapid transit; Rapid transit cars; Safety; Smoke; Specifications; Tests; Thermal degradation; Toxicity; Vehicle design
Classification AGR - PASSENGERS - PASSENGERS;
AGR - PASSENGERS - Transit;
NTL - PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - Transit Safety and Security;
NTL - PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Vehicle Design;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - SAFETY AND SECURITY;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Transit Safety and Security
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Contract Number DOT-TSC-1221
Report Number UMTA-MA-06-0025-79-2.II; DOT-TSC-UMTA-78-48.II
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/50000/50000/50001/DOT-TSC-UMTA-78-48-2.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository