# Presentation: 433616

- Verification of Systems in the Aircraft**Smoke Detection Tests**
- Design Office Comments summarized for revising FAA advisory circular 25-9A
- International Aircraft Systems Fire Protection Working GroupMeeting in Bremen on May 3/4th, 2000

**Fire Protection Fuselage **

## Contents

**Fire Protection Fuselage **AC25-9A Smoke Detection, Penetration & Evacuation Tests

- Note: Update of presentation held during
- FAA Kickoff Meeting in Renton on February 25, 1998
**Contents**
**A.****	****Present situation****B.****	****DASA-Airbus position****C.****	****Recommendations for standardization**
- Appendix 1: Expectations on adapted FAA AC25-9A

## A.    Present situation

**Fire Protection Fuselage **AC25-9A Smoke Detection, Penetration & Evacuation Tests

**A.    Present situation**
- A1.	Aircraft manufacturers use company standards to perform       smoke detection response time tests
- A2. Test-smoke characteristics (loss of weight, density, dynamic, temperature increase) have a direct impact on the fail/pass        result
- A3.	The wish to detect a very small quantity of (visible) smoke        has a significant impact on smoke detection system design        for a questionable performance improvement

## Caution: Too sensitive detectors will lead e.g. to

**Fire Protection Fuselage **AC25-9A Smoke Detection, Penetration & Evacuation Tests

**Caution:** Too sensitive detectors will lead e.g. to
- more false alarms due to environmental conditions (freight)
- more false alarms due to less immunity to condensation
- shorter maintenance intervals to maintain sensor stability
- less allowable tolerances in the equipment production process
- more system efforts to identify and suppress false alarms

## B.   DASA-Airbus position

**Fire Protection Fuselage **AC25-9A Smoke Detection, Penetration & Evacuation Tests

**B.   DASA-Airbus position**
- B1. The 60 sec detection time requirement leads to false alarms.
- More detection time (>60sec) could be necessary to check    the warning situation and to confirm a fire.
- With a more reliable detection/signaling an increased level    of safety can be reached
- B2. Fire/smoke detection performance tests have to be carried out       in laboratories and not in the A/C (e.g. in accordance with       standards for automatic fire detection systems such as EN54)
- B3. Guidance material should not penalize the development of new        fire detection instruments like multicriteria detectors using e.g.       heat rate of rise & smoke signals to actuate an alarm.
- B4. Standardization of test methods is desirable & will be supported

## C.   Recommendations for standardization 

**Fire Protection Fuselage **AC25-9A Smoke Detection, Penetration & Evacuation Tests

**C.   Recommendations for standardization **
- C1. **Verification of system efficiency**
- Detection test methods to be applied in a/c should consider:
- simulation of representative materials what would be ex-    pected to burn (ref § 9.d-3)
- typical fire/smoke characteristics (e.g. loss of weight,    density, dynamic, temperature increase)
- size of the compt., ventilation , containment & accessibility
- C2. **Fire/smoke simulator**
- Standardized test-fire/smoke shall allow to get similar results with different detection principles (e.g. photoelectric and multicriteria smoke detectors or semiconductor gas detectors )

## Expectations on adapted FAA AC25-9A

**Fire Protection Fuselage **AC25-9A Smoke Detection, Penetration & Evacuation Tests

**Expectations on adapted FAA AC25-9A**
- 1.	Clarification of ”small amount of smoke in order to simulate a smoldering fire” (ref. § 10.a.2, §10.d.2)
- 2.	Standardized smoke for detection response time tests should represent real fire conditions
- 3.	Retention of flexibility regarding the choise of ”any other acceptable smoke generator” for detection tests (ref. § 9.a.1.vi)
- 4. 	Clarification of various dispatch able A/C configurations to be tested (ref. § 9.d-3) w.r.t. the probability of occurrence (SSA)
- 5.	To exceed the 60 sec detection time requirement if enhanced fire recognition and confirmation procedures are used within the sensors/systems to confirm a fire

## Fire Protection Fuselage AC25-9A Smoke Detection, Penetration & Evacuation Tests

**Fire Protection Fuselage **AC25-9A Smoke Detection, Penetration & Evacuation Tests

- For further information contact
- DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus**Klaus Schmoetzer**, ESM2
- Systems Engineering
- Head of
- Fire Protection and Conveyance Systems
- 28183 Bremen / Germany
- Phone:  +49(0)421 538 2856
- Fax    :  +49(0)421 538 5031
- e-mail:  klaus.schmoetzer@airbus.dasa.de