Judicious application of shipboard materials and choice of compartment furnishings can significantly reduce the threat of serious fire on board ship. Unfortunately, the fire performance of materials is currently difficult to ascertain from laboratory fire tests on the materials. Full size and quarter-scale compartment fires in conjunction with an analytical treatment were performed to obtain an improved understanding of the relationships between the laboratory fire test assessment and the observed behavior of materials in actual fires. The compartment fire experiments indicated that the temperature of the hot air layer below the ceiling is a suitable quantitative measure of the level of fire buildup in a compartment. When this temperature exceeds 700°C there is sufficient radiation from the hot air layer and the heated upper surfaces to cause ignition of all combustible materials in the compartment. For a3x3x2.1m (10x10x7 ft) space lined with asbestos millboard having a 0.69 x 1.9 m (27 x 75 in) open doorway, a heat production rate of about 72 kW/m(6.3 Btu/s/ft^) of deck area is enough to attain this condition. Fires in some bunk configurations alone could exceed this critical rate of heat generation. Ventilation and its points of application were found to be very important considerations. Observations of the fire scenarios in the compartment tests along with an empirical and analytical analysis of fire growth in compartment spaces have resulted in an improved application of the fire test ratings. Consequently more rational design rules for fire safe material usage have been developed taking into account the ignitability , flame spread, rate of heat release, potential heat and smoke generation potential of materials. The study also indicated the practicality of using quarter-scale fire tests for studying fire performance in full size compartments. 1.

Certain foam rubber materials which are currently used to insulate the interior of submarines are shown to possess a serious fire risk potential. Flame spread tests often do not adequately reflect the fire hazard potential of these materials.It is shown that compartment fire testing is the only satisfactory method of evaluating these kinds of materials at the present time.Fire barrier coatings for protecting these hull insulations are also investigated. Two candidate coatings are found to prevent full fire involvement of an insulated compartment following a moderately large flame exposure and at the same time meet the Navy's elasticity requirement for submarine application.The study includes comparisons of model and prototype compartment fire behavior and demonstrates the practicality of using quarter-scale fire tests for screening compartment finish materials.