Fire-Resistant Composite Shelters

Composite wall panels and composite shelters are becoming increasingly used in habitable military transportable structures. WebCore Technologies, Inc. has been developing a TYCOR based shelter panel technology to meet the stringent performance requirements of the ISO Composite Tactical Shelter (CTS). The increasing use of composites in settings involving human occupants raises the concerns about safety and elevates the requirements for fire-resistant composite panels and shelters. Under a Phase I effort WebCore successfully incorporated fire-resistant technology into TYCOR shelter panels. The Phase I effort involved a review and analysis of fire testing methods and standards resulting in a draft fire standard for composite flammability characteristics that aid in the safe escape from the shelter in the event of a fire. WebCore identified and tested shelter panel constituents (foams, fibers, resins and advanced coatings) for use in a fire-resistant thermoset composite TYCOR shelter panel. These results form a baseline solution for the Phase II effort, which will expand the possible solutions in thermoset composites and include thermoplastic composites fire-resistant solutions as well. WebCore will produce a fire-resistant shelter design and fabricate a fire-resistant ISO CTS. This composite shelter will go through complete Certification testing, including fire, structural, transportation and environmental testing.