A new fire test is performed on a composite material in the frame of the HITCOMP project

LIR-UC3M IR camera and CalcifiR_RX camera manufactured by SENSIA, used for monitoring temperature on the side of the specimen where the flame is applied

Thermoset and PAEK specimen set up to be tested under fire conditions

The test was carried out at Fire Laboratory at Airbus facilities in Getafe, Spain. LIR-UC3M researchers and Airbus personnel are currently analysing the outcomes in order to contribute to the project development

One of the tasks in HITCOMP is the correlation of the simulated specimen behaviour using Finite Element Models (FEM) with experimental results. These latter have to be obtained exciting the specimen using a heat source and applying some type of force to the specimen.

The specimen used this test was a thin plate made of thermoset and PAEK composite material. As a heat source, a standard flame provided by Airbus was used. This flame is designed and calibrated specially for testing fire resistance in airborne equipment, following the standard ISO:2685:1998. While focusing the flame onto the specimen, a pulling-out force was applied to determine the mechanical degradation of the material.

IR sequences were recorded on the front and rear faces of the specimen by UC3M Researchers. These will allow to obtain its temperature evolution along the duration of the test. These sequences are currently analyzed in order to extract thermal characteristics of the model which will act as a feedback for the FEM model. During this test, the dual-system camera manufactured by SENSIA was used for monitoring temperatures on both sides of the specimen.

The resistance observed in the material will be used as a ground-truth for the thermo-mechanical model developed in a joint action between UC3M and INTA. The accuracy of this model will allow to reproduce virtually the behavior of this material in the presence of fire on board. This task fits into the purposes of Clean Sky 2 objectives in terms of improving the existing methods for materials testing while opening up the possibilities for new materials to be used.