Development of a Method to Assess the Hazard of Plastic Components to Passengers Trapped in Post-Collision Motor Vehicles Fires

This paper describes the development of a method to assess the fire hazard of automotive materials. The fire scenario of concern for these materials involves a front-end collision followed by an engine fire that may spread and expose trapped occupants in the passenger compartment. The hazard assessment method consists of the seven steps that are described in ASTM E 1546, Standard Guide for Development of Fire-Hazard Assessment Standard. Application of the method is illustrated for nineteen exterior and ten interior automotive materials that were tested in the Cone Calorimeter. Additional work is needed to determine suitable acceptance criteria and to expand the method so that other relevant post-collision motor vehicle fire scenarios are addressed. The paper is largely based on a previously published paper at the 2004 Interflam conference¹.