Galvanized sheet is the most common, most economical of the acceptable materials used in small general aviation aircraft. We are currently experiencing some issues with slow log ins. The firewall is an important component in your aircraft. The builders of all-metal airplanes can also benefit from a Fiberfrax firewall blanket to prevent excessive heat from entering the cockpit during an engine fire. Control cables will usually come though the firewall low and in the center, because that is where they need to be to attach to the engine. In a typical airplane project, a titanium firewall can save about 2 pounds compared to stainless. Portions of the website, including membership login, join, renewal, shopping, and AirVenture ticketing may be unavailable at that time. 5. You could assure yourself that you are obtaining the correct thickness if you bring your own micrometer to check the various sheets. Run the wires or cables through the tube and wrap it in Aeroquip Firesleeve. And thats not going to help fuel or brake lines when they need to pass through it. To provide a better user experience, EAA uses cookies. fiberglass material to provide a superior heat barrier in high temperature applications. Shop our store today, or contact us to learn more about how we can provide your maintenance facility with the parts needed to repair and maintain a wide variety of aircraft. in. In some aircraft the battery is installed in the tail section, use thick wires for connection! Some long aluminum pull rivets or #6 screws can hold the Fiberfrax and aluminum sheet in place against the composite structure. All rights reserved worldwide. Instead, a layer of FIBERFRAX is attached to the firewall and overlaid with a .016 inch sheet of 2024 T3 aluminum to protect it. It is easy for drills to catch on the metal as they try to break through. Like stainless steel, titanium is more difficult to cut and fabricate, but not in exactly the same way. If you are building from plans, there are a few more decisions you must make, such as how to lay it out, the material and thickness to be used and how to pass things through or secure them to the firewall. Any airplane with a constant-speed prop will have at least three control cables penetrating the firewall: throttle, prop and mixture. The firewall must be able to contain a fire in the engine compartment, and the melting temperature of aluminum rivets is simply too low to fulfill that role. Or you can make a pattern of the structure hidden by the firewall and transfer it to the engine side, where it can more easily be seen. This is where builder support groups can come in handy. Heavy objects require localized reinforcement. About Contact & Advertise Privacy & Cookies Site Map Sponsorship. Never lose sight of the fact that the addition of unnecessary weight, no matter how slight, degrades the aircrafts performance. A scrap piece of titanium large enough to make a firewall will cost about $200 plus shipping. Any serious heat will quickly melt a plastic fitting. When youre operating at thousands of feet above the ground, nothing should be left to chance. Items that cant be supported by the firewall include such things as oil coolers and batteries. Your firewall may never be put to the test, but if it is, you will be glad you took the time to do a good job. However, you can still find it in some plumbing shops and hardware stores. A chassis punch makes a much cleaner hole than a hole saw. Thats all there is to that. Should you want to read the exact language, refer to paragraph 23.1191, Firewalls (FAR Part 23, Airworthiness Standards: Normal, Utility and Acrobatic). In addition to providing protection, the firewall has other useful functions. A thin metal firewall can support lightweight items attached to it fairly well, especially if a doubler is used to give the firewall extra strength. Its bulky and large although not very heavy but it dictates where everything else is going to be placed. If you want to use some other material for your firewall, you may have to prove its ability to meet certain criteria for compliance as a fireproof material. At the very least, the material for the firewall is likely included, as is a plan or pattern to use to cut it out to size. You will probably never need the protection it is designed to provide, but if you do, you will be glad you took the time to build it well. Mild, chrome-moly or galvanized steel can be used. Some builders use in combination with these grommets a fire retardant sealant to prevent any leakage of fumes or gases into the cockpit, but do this after the firewall is finished and needs no more modifications. The firewall must be constructed so that no hazardous quantity of liquid, gas or flame can pass from the engine compartment to other parts of the airplane. This Super Cub firewall by F. Atlee Dodge is made of commercial pure titanium and saves about 2 pounds compared to a stainless-steel firewall. When cutting sheet metal, be sure to wear gloves and deburr parts as you go. Another function of the firewall is to have a convenient surface to install essential components for the operation of the engine. The minimum thickness for a stainless-steel firewall is 0.016 inches. When he isnt building something, he shares his love of aviation with others by flying Young Eagles or volunteering as an EAA Technical Counselor. Act promptly, howeverthe regulations require firewall materials and fittings to resist flame penetration for at least 15 minutes. You will need it after hanging the engine. The EAA website is currently undergoing maintenance. Riveting stainless-steel firewalls should be done with solid stainless steel, Monel rivets or stainless-steel CherryMAX blind rivets, with Monel being the most common choice. Stainless steel is the most common material for firewalls, but there are other choices available. Engines generate heat and to protect both the engine, and the body of your aircraft; you need the right insulation. Although the standards established by regulation for production-line aircraft do not necessarily apply to experimental aircraft, deviation from accepted practices may result in your having to get into a proof testing demonstration. There are, however, better and worse ways to go about penetrating the firewall while still maintaining its integrity. A step drill or Unibit makes easy work of drilling medium-size holes in sheet metal. . In the event of a fire, the protective aluminum would quickly melt away, but the Fiberfrax will do its job of insulating. Although aluminum is deficient when used alone as a firewall material, its use with FIBERFRAX is acceptable because it is really the FIBERFRAX that provides the fireproof barrier. Mild or chrome-moly steel require painting on both sides. Kitplanes.com and the Kitplanes logo are protected properties under international copyright law. From oil filters to navigation lights and aircraft engine parts; we offer everything needed for all aircraft maintenance from general maintenance to full engine component replacement. The technique for using it seems to have been standardized as follows: The layer of asbestos cloth ordinarily used under the stainless steel firewall sheet in wood or composite aircraft may be omitted. Its function is to make sure that in the event of an engine fire the aircraft structure and its occupants and protected from the heat and flames long enough to execute an emergency landing (FAR PART 23.1191). Eyeball firewall fittings provide maximum fire protection at cable penetrations and allow the cable to pass through at angles of up to 50. The firewall can be held in place initially by the four bolts securing the engine mount to the fuselage. GlaStar builder Ed Zaleski installs an acrylic temporary firewall in preparation for determining the location of final firewall penetrations. Most kits come with stainless-steel firewalls or material to make one, and plans builders will typically use the same material. This special bulkhead must be constructed so that no hazardous quantity of liquid, gas or flame can pass through it. One is that you can find someone with a similar airplane and engine installation and copy what they did (assuming they did it well). Next item of interest is the cabin heat box (in case of air cooled engines) or the hoses for the cabin heat radiator (water cooled engines). This is very great even for the next younger generation those who will be interested in aerospace engineering I think they will be attached to this very great work for the firewall. Where necessary, take the extra steps to protect any vulnerable structure behind the firewall, too. Go half as fast, and youll get more done. Note the factory-furnished firewall blanket made to protect the composite structure of the airplane. Brown Aircraft provides a full selection of aircraft heat shielding products to help minimize these risks and ensure the longevity and safety of your aircraft. Unfortunately, chassis punches cost considerably more than hole saws. Our high heat tape, featuring a temperature range of up to 1000 F, provides aircraft heat shielding anywhere you need it around hoses, cervices, and more. Acceptable Firewall Materials In All-Metal Fuselages The most popular stainless-steel alloy is 304, but 301 half-hard will also work. Other materials may be used if they can pass the fireproof test. With your help this website can keep growing as a source of information for all aviation enthusiasts! Drilling into the firewall steel will result in a hole(s) with very sharp edges. Cabin-heat valves are the biggest offenders of firewall integrity on many airplanes. If you install something different then you need to discuss this with the engine manufacturer to obtain any drawings for the engine mount and other requirements. Here is a sample of the buildup of materials needed for the firewall of a wood airplane. You will need heat resistant tubing toward the firewall. Your firewall will undoubtedly consist of a single sheet of metal with nothing behind it for support except perhaps a diagonal tube welded across the front of the tubular frame of the fuselage. Your browser is not compatible with this website. From the US Federal Aviation Regulations: The following materials may be used in firewalls or shrouds without being tested as required by section 23.1191: Most aircraft kit manufacturers supply you with a sheet of the correct material so you will be safe in that department. Caution: Asbestos has developed a bad reputation and, according to federally funded studies, constitutes a health hazard. This is going to be the first item to be installed on the firewall. Born into a family of builders, it was only natural that he would make his living as a contractor and spend his leisure time building airplanes. It is not used much today because it isnt as commonly available as galvanized. Trying to push a drill bit or saw blade through stainless too quickly will just result in a burnt tool and little progress. In most cases, an aluminum tube with a 2-inch diameter punches a big hole through the firewall, offering almost no protection from an engine fire. A firewall grommet shield is opened up to show the grommet. If such protection is provided, it is vital that you install it per the manufacturers instructions. Is it worth the trouble? Do it right. This is not the lowest-cost solution, but it is the safest. This may introduce in-service problems unless the material is somehow protected from abrasion and abuse. See Table A (below) for a comparison of firewall materials. The downside to this method is that you will have to remove the engine and mount from the airplane to take out the temporary firewall, but the trade-off may be worth it. Testing performed by Stoddard Hamilton (the predecessor of Glasair Aviation) revealed that the backside temperature of a stainless-steel firewall reached about 1600 F after 8 minutes, sufficient to ignite the fiberglass airplane structures. Thats why a temporary firewall makes a lot of sense. If you have a carburetor, you can add a carburetor heat cable to that list. Please consider supporting us by whitelisting our site in your ad blocker or with a donation,
Cutting and drilling stainless steel requires patience. Some builders find this technique helpful when their kit does not include firewall layout instructions. He has so far completed fourtwo GlaStars, a Glasair Sportsman, and a Texas Sport Cuband is helping a friend build an RV-8. Some people use cannon plugs to bring wires through the firewall, and they make for a clean-looking installation, but a large plastic cannon plug is almost as bad as having an open hole in your firewall. The layers: plywood, stainless steel (0.016 inch), four layers of eighth-inch Fiberfrax and an aluminum protective sheet (0.020 inch). Cookies are required for this site to operate correctly. Metallic cannon plug bodies and housings are available, but theyre comparatively heavy and expensive. However, a good hole saw can be used if you are careful and patient. Any engine operated in flight must be isolated from the rest of the airplane by a firewall or equivalent means. Copyright 2006 - 2022, Experimental Aircraft Info. Because of its strength and location, the firewall also can be a handy place to mount battery boxes, voltage regulators, and other engine accoutrements. Luckily, Aircraft Spruce now has an all-stainless-steel cabin heat box that should go a long way toward solving this problem. Firewall metal in this type of installation is, therefore, often made more rigid by embossing random beads or ridges across the sheet. The steel ones will last as long as the rest of the firewall in a fire and make for a neat, professional installation. That rubber grommet will last about 30 seconds when exposed to direct flames, as will the red RTV, which is only rated to 500 F for continuous exposure. 1. Concern over weight leads some builders to consider the use of aluminum. Sometimes small tabs are welded to the firewall bulkhead and sheet metal screws, rivets or bolts are added to secure the firewall. On the cabin side of the firewall there will be a deflector to control the airflow to the floor or to the windshield for defrosting. The minimum thickness for galvanized steel is 26 gauge. Firewalls in Welded Steel Frames (Dont forget that unfilled sockets in a cannon plug are like open holes; for best results, populate every socket in the connector, even if the pin is unused.). Fuel lines are particularly hazardous firewall penetrations. No useful purpose would be served by using a heavier firewall sheet than that required to meet acceptable minimums. Nut plates are more work to install initially, but they allow you to remove bolts without an assistant inside the cockpit in the future. Commercial pure titanium is by far the best choice. Many builders like to add sound insulation to the cabin side of their firewall. see our sponsor page for more information. This is usually one of the first items that get installed on the firewall after the engine mount, it will also need the lowest position. The firewall must prevent any hazardous quantity of liquid, gas, or flame from passing through the firewall to other parts of the airplane. The bulkhead, although structural in nature, is not fireproof because it is commonly made of wood overlaid with plywood. You can punch holes in this until you are completely happy with the location of everything, and then use it as a pattern to make holes in the permanent firewall. Most aircraft supply retailers sell firewall grommet shields that minimize the exposure of the rubber grommets to any potential fire. Compliance is relatively easy and no homebuilder wanting to try a new firewall treatment should slight the requirement. Some manufacturers of composite airplane kits now provide pre-made, fire-resistant firewall protection for their customers. It must be protected against corrosion, and each opening in the firewall must be sealed with close-fitting, fireproof grommets, bushings, or other fittings. ENABLE JAVASCRIPT TO ENJOY ALL MODERN FEATURES ON OUR SITE, Mild steel sheet (coated with aluminum or otherwise protected against corrosion) 0.018 inch thick, Steel or copper base alloy firewall fittings. Weld small metal washers or discs of .032 inch steel across each of the open ends. The firewall metal for a two-seat aircraft will probably weigh as much as 4-1/2 pounds anyway, so why make it seven? Enjoy free shipping on most orders over $200! Lancair, for example, includes such firewall protection in its kits. All fuel lines on the engine side of the firewall should be protected with Aeroquip Firesleeve or a similar product. The Fireproof Test Aluminum firewall blankets are also available, appropriate for applications such as the underside of cowlings to protect from temperature extremes. Look for a thickness of 0.016 to 0.020 inches. It also has a small hole drilled to let air in or out of the reservoir. But when you have a composite aircraft like a Pelican PL, DynAero MCR then an extra sheet of fiberfrax high temperature ceramic blanket is installed between the firewall sheet and the aircraft bulkhead.