Perhaps it was seen as too large a gamble, to test the structure for flame products invasion.

On to 'flight test' then.

Presumably all part 25 aircraft must meet the in service damage tolerance requirements outlined in 25.571. The specific methodology to be used to perform these evaluations is not detailed in the regulation. I would expect that test and evaluation methodology guidelines exist in other documents and new ones are developed and approved as needed.

Time will tell how well any airliner type tolerates the abuse of day to day service and whether or not established inspection methods and intervals are sufficient to prevent critical failures. Past experience demonstrates that the prevention and detection of such damage greatly depends upon the level of care and diligence practiced by the individual airline. With that being the case, I fully expect that it's only a matter of time before a severely impact damaged 787 is inadvertently taken into the air to test the efficacy of the damage tolerance testing and evaluation required to become certificated. It's happened with most types to date!

Will baggage carts and belt loaders stop smashing into airliners at the gate? Will ill-trained ground handlers with no investment or background in aviation recognize the need to report incidents to qualified personnel when the inevitable accidents occur? The answer to both questions is obvious. Ground damage will occur. Some instances will then go undetected and/or unreported. Time will tell as to whether the consequences of those events will be any different than they have been with aluminum airliners up to today. It could go either way.

Lyman

Here is some work done to look at flammability on Boeing's composite material.

http://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/pdf/07-57.pdf

TD

Just curious--not trying to stir any pot.
Does that Boeing test rig include freezing the airframe to minus 60 and baking it to plus 50 a few times a day?

Couldn't see anything.

Just curious. Thank you.

No, the entire structure resides outdoors at Everett, so operates within the normal meteorological conditions for that location. I don't know for sure, but I think there are a number of small cold-soak and/or baking chambers where examples of critical structure are cycled.

I will check around.