Abstract
As land, marine and air transport becomes more safety conscious, achieves higher velocities and capacities and increasingly uses composites within their structural components as a means of weight reduction, so the potential flammability of all materials used to construct them increases in risk. Furthermore, the desire for increased passenger comfort ensures that textiles in seating, other furnishings, floorcoverings and décor are part of the transport environment. Not surprisingly, since transport crosses international borders, fire regulations are becoming increasingly global in character.
This chapter identifies the key textile-related fire risks in transport and relates these to the general need for international regulations and fire standards. It outlines the regulations and standards relating to the use of textiles in land, marine and air commercial transport. It describes the major uses of textiles and composites such as seating of which they are a part, their respective fire risks, test regimes and favoured textile materials.