Bhaskar Biswas

Bhaskar Biswas, Safran Flammability Requirements for the Components of Composites Used in Aircraft Interior Structures

As learned from the aircraft incidents, fire has been one of the catastrophic reasons for many aircraft crashes and passenger death in aircraft. Therefore, legislative requirements have been established and passengers’ safety is a paramount requirement for the airworthiness of an aircraft to fly. In last two decades, applications of polymeric composites in aircraft interior structures have been growing significantly due to its merits like strength-to-weight property, which results in fuel saving of the aircrafts. In accordance with regulatory legislation, the materials used in aircraft interior structures must meet the fire safety requirements. There are various fire tests such as flammability, OSU heat release, smoke emission and toxicity tests performed as primary measures in order to ensure the materials comply with the above requirements. It is the same for the composite materials used in the aircraft interior structures. The materials with inherent fire retardant characteristics or fire retardant additive chemicals play an essential role in improving the fire retardancy of materials and fulfilling the regulatory requirements. Therefore, manufacturers take a pragmatic approach to conduct material selection, processing adjustment, quality control and certification for the structures and materials used in aircraft interior applications. This presentation focuses on the flammability requirements for the components of composites used in aircraft interior structures and typical practices taken by industries to ensure the regulatory requirements.

About the Speaker

Bhaskar Biswas works as a Director of New Materials Development and Process Engineering at Safran Cabin, USA. He leads the development and engineering activities of materials and processes for composites and structures used in aircraft interior applications. He has been working for Safran (formerly Zodiac Aerospace) for nearly 7 years. He received his PhD in Material Science (Aerospace Material) in 2007 from the University of Bolton, UK. After completion of his doctoral studies, he worked for various aerospace companies. His professional journey allowed him to work in Asia, Europe and America. His expertise includes introducing new technologies and providing advanced manufacturing solutions for improving production performance and growth of the business. Through his career, he published some technical papers and filed few patents related to composite science. He is a professional member of AIAA and SAE.