Extracts from the FAA 787 Special Conditions
"As a result of this extensive use of a new construction material,
the fuselage cannot be assumed to have the fire resistance previously
afforded by aluminum during the in-flight fire scenario mentioned
above. These special conditions require that the 787 provide the same
level of in-flight survivability as a conventional aluminum fuselage
airplane."
"We agree that the heat transfer characteristics of
aluminum influence its response to an in-flight fire, and that a
composite structure will doubtless behave differently. The goal of
these special conditions is to enable continued safe flight and landing
in the event of an in-flight fire that directly impinges on the
fuselage structure."
I bet nobody was then considering the effect of a red hot steel box transmitting heat to the composite structure for up to 180 minutes.
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Last edited by toffeez; 24th February 2013 at 08:53.