Composite Fire Safety
Initiative (CFSI)

The Composite Fire Safety Initiative has been established UD-CCM to develop a full understanding of composite combustion processes and to provide civilian and military firefighters with the technologies needed to assure rapid and safe extinguishment of composite material fires. Firefighting research has not yet addressed the impact of composite materials replacing more traditional noncombustible metals in military and civilian aircraft. The purpose of this initiative is to develop a full understanding of composite combustion processes and provide civilian and military firefighters with the technologies they need to assure rapid and safe extinguishment of composite material fires.

The Composite Fire Safety Initiative Consortium addresses these problems using an integrated Research and Development, Technology and Engineering, and Technology Transfer approach to provide tools and procedures to the firefighter in an increasingly effective spiral of development. Basic and applied research activities include design of high heat flux test methods for combustion of composite materials, thermo-mechanical performance as a function of flame exposure and damage assessment technologies. Technology transfer is initiated in the form of course development and training of First Responders in handling of composite fires.

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