Apparatus and Method to measure thermal insulation factors for use with BURNSIM

New aircraft such as the STOVL present a different thermal risk to personnel then traditional aircraft designs. Personnel operating within the thermal risk areas of these aircrafts wear personal protective equipment (PPE), but current PPE provide insufficient protection against the thermal hazards presented by these aircrafts. Currently, programs such as BURNSIM are used to estimate the hazard present to maintainers, but the BURNSIM program contains the heat transfer characteristics for a limited number of clothing types. Additionally, there is no standardized test method to define the dynamic heat transfer characteristics for the many types of PPE that may be available to protect aircraft maintainers. CSE proposes to develop a methodology and apparatus to characterize the heat transfer characteristics of PPE, especially those used by aircraft maintainers. The apparatus will be able to reproduce the high heat fluxes, both convective and radiative, that maintainers may encounter. The apparatus will also replicate some of the human factors that effect PPE performance – moisture from outside sources, moisture from perspiration and fabric compression. A methodology will be developed to interpret the measured performance of the PPE material, using software such as BURNSIM and other literature sources to assess the protective capabilities of the PPE.