Title: Fuel-fed fires and commercial vehicle design

Authors: J. O'Day

Addresses: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Michigan, USA

Abstract: An analysis of US fatal accident data indicates that accidents involving large trucks are accompanied by fire in more than one out of twenty cases. Further review of these cases showed that diesel fuel was frequently the major material burned. The frequency of such truck fires is high during the summer months and in the southwestern region of the USA. The present study reports on further studies of fuel temperature and flash point which may help to explain this phenomenon.

Keywords: commercial vehicles; large trucks; fuel-fed fires; temperature-related hazards; vehicle design; vehicle safety; heavy vehicles; diesel fuel; truck fires; USA; United States; fuel temperature; flash point.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1988.061523

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1988 Vol.9 No.4/5, pp.512 - 516

Published online: 26 May 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article