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www.sname.org/sname/mt HOW A SIMPLIFIED FLAME SPREAD MODEL, INTEGRATED WITH CFD TOOLS, CAN ENABLE A GO/NOGO SCREENING APPROACH FOR ASSESSING MATERIAL FLAME SPREAD POTENTIAL BY NICHOLAS A. DEMBSEY, BRIAN J. MEACHAM, KURT SCHEBEL, MATTHEW JOHANN, JEFFREY TUBBS, AND JARROD ALSTON FIRE SPREAD Fire development in a passenger vehicle will be in uenced by the size and location of the source re; the type, amount, and characteristics of fuel available to burn (e.g., interior linings, seating materials, and contents); vehicle con gurations; and other passenger- related items that may be carried onboard. Any given combination of these parameters can signi cantly a ect the ultimate re size. Factors such as the e ects of adjacent materials on re spread and growth, the potential for ame spread away from the re origin, and ven- tilation conditions must be considered. For instance, a re initiating on a oor adjacent to a stainless steel panel and away from any seats will not likely grow to a signi cant size because of the absence of fuel. However, a re on a seat directly adjacent to a clear plastic advertise- ment panel that extends upwards to a plastic laminate ceiling panel may result in signi cant ame spread and a large ultimate re size.