27th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV): Enhanced and Equitable Vehicle Safety for All: Toward the Next 50 Years
In many case studies, post-collision fires originating outside the occupant compartment were found to have propagated into the occupant compartment through the cabin exhauster vents. HVAC systems in modern vehicles include exhauster vents to flow air out of the occupant compartment, while preventing air, moisture and dirt from flowing in. Cabin exhauster vents are typically constructed with a matrix of elastomeric flaps mounted to a rigid plastic grate and attached directly to the sheet metal of the vehicle body. This study evaluates the ability of production and improved exhauster vent designs to resist fire propagation.