Flammability of Aircraft Fuels

This paper presents a brief review of the behavior of jet fuels under simple ASTM-type tests and under the complex conditions of simulated fires. Then, focusing on the flammability of an aircraft fuel tank under ballistic threat conditions, it is shown that dynamic processes (associated with aircraft maneuvering, tank breathing, and projectile-impact) can alter significantly the equilibrium flammability envelope of a fuel. Differences in fuel properties that are apparent in small scale tests can be overshadowed under these conditions.