AC 25.853-1 Flammability Requirements for Aircraft Seat Cushions

Various fire test procedures have been developed by the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prove that aircraft materials meet certain performance criteria when exposed to heat or flame. One of them is the AC 25.853-1 standard. This standard provides guidance for demonstrating compliance with the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) regarding the flammability of aircraft seat cushions.

Full-scale and laboratory fire tests conducted by the US Federal Aviation Administration have shown that the large foam pad material found in the aircraft is a major factor in a cabin fire. Thermal radiation can penetrate the outer upholstery of the seat and cause the foam core to ignite. Due to the excess of foam material used in airplanes, this potential fuel source can cause a fire to spread inside the cabin and produce large amounts of smoke and toxic gas emissions.

A fire-retardant layer is used to delay the combustion of seat cushion foam. Accordingly, a thin layer of highly fire-resistant material is used to enclose the foam mass and protect it from external fire sources. Research and development studies have confirmed the feasibility of this method. Therefore, a test method has been developed to ensure adequate fire protection for specific seat cushion configurations. This new test method, defined in the AC 25.853-1 standard, uses a two-gallon-per-hour oil burner operating at temperatures and heat flow levels representing a cabin fire. Seat cushions that pass this test provide significantly improved fire safety in aircraft cabins.

In the use of this standard,

• The rear bumper sample is the bumper sample in the vertical direction. This refers to the backrest or the seat base, or both if they are of the same construction.
• The bottom pillow sample is the pillow sample in the horizontal direction. This refers to the backrest or the seat base, or both if they are of the same construction.
• The sample set consists of a vertical sample and a horizontal sample. Both samples in the sample set have proportionally the same structure and materials.

Among the numerous tests, measurements, analyses, and evaluations our organization provides for businesses in various sectors, we also offer testing services for the flammability requirements of aircraft seat cushions under the AC 25.853-1 standard, utilizing a trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.