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When working with E-glass I've
used a fine-tooth hacksaw blade snipped to a point, with a duct tape handle.
It's useful for making piercing cuts in the center of a panel during
construction and I think it'd be equally useful as an escape tool.
For carbon I'd suggest a carbide
grit hacksaw blade, ie 'Remgrit'. I tried one just holding it in my hand on a
piece of carbon skin. It was able to make a piercing cut without too much
difficulty. Once through it cuts well. A regular hacksaw blade slipped
around and quickly dulled. The teeth also tended to catch on the relatively thin
skin. The Remgrit also cuts carbon/honeycomb sections easily. Loew's sells
a handle that accepts hacksaw blades and reciprocating saw blades. A recip
Remgrit blade in one of those along with a duct taped Remgrit hacksaw
blade might make a good escape set.
Looking at the IV-P interior, I think the
best escape tool might be a cell phone to get the fire department as quickly as
possible. My first thought would be to cut around a rear window
but I think it'd be very slow going because of all the reinforcement. Other
models might have different possibilities.
I wonder if one of those windows could be
smashed from the inside as there wouldn't be much room to swing
anything. It occurs to me that a hatchet might rebound with possibly
nasty consequences- that might be something to consider
when testing.
-Bill Wade
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