Fire resistance testing standards

The following is a listing of specific U.S. industry standards for fire performance testing for specific fire exposures that may be applied in the petroleum industry. 

Specification for Fire Test for Valve with Automatic Backseats, 1994. 

Bulletin on Performance of API and ANSI End Connections in a Fire Test According to API Spec 6FA 1994. 

Fire Test for Evaluation of Valve Stem Packing, 1993. 

Fire Test for Soft Seated Quarter Turn Valves, 1993. 

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The addition of phosphorous-based plasticizers will provide a degree of fire retardancy to the polyurethane. Fryol PCF and CEF have been used in polyurethane systems. Most phosphorus-based fire retardants are thin liquids that are compatible with polyurethanes. Because of the very varied nature of fire-resistant tests, the material made must be tested to the appropriate standard. 

ISO Fire resistance tests, elements of building construction, ISO 834, 1999, International Organisation for Standardization. 

ASTM E 2032 Standard Guide for Extension of Data from Fire Resistance Tests Conducted in Accordance with ASTM E 119... 

ISO 834-1, Fire-Resistance Tests—Elements of Building Construction—Part 1 General Requirements, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Geneva, Switzerland. 

Haase has extensively reviewed the topic of fire resistant clothing standards and regulations, and Shaw also discussed the use of standards in the selection of protective clothing materials. Horrocks lists many standard test methods for flame resistant textile applications. 

Australia Standard (2005) AS 1530.4. Methods for Fire Tests on Building Materials, Components and Structures—Part 4 Fire-Resistance test of Elements of Construction, Standards Australia, Sydney. 

Some of the tests and criterion used to define fire resistance may be found in the Hterature (9). Additionally, the compression—ignition and hot manifold tests as defined in MIL-H-19457 and MIL-H-5606, respectively the Wick test as defined by Federal Standards 791, Method 352 flash point and fire point as defined in ASTM D92 autoignition temperature as defined in ASTM D2155 and linear flame propagation rate are defined in ASTM D5306 are used. 

Time-temperature curves for fire resistance for different types of materials are available from American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E 119 (Ref. 41). 

The material and its installation should be designed to protect for a specific time period. For hydrocarbon fire exposure materials and their installation are generally tested to either UL 1 709 or ASTM El 529 to determine time-to-failure of different thicknesses and installation methods. It should be noted that the fire resistance rating is a measure of the ability of the installed material to withstand a specific "standard" fire. While these conditions closely match those in any given hydrocarbon fire, during actual fires the material may be exposed to conditions that may be more or less thermal intense, thus it can be expected to retain its integrity for a greater or lesser time. 

SwRI 93-01, Testing Requirements for Protected Aboveground Flammable Liquid/Fuel Storage Tanks, includes tests to evaluate the performance of ASTs under fire, hose stream, ballistics, heavy vehicular impact, and different environments. This standard requires pool-fire resistance similar to that of UL 2085. 

SwRI 97-04, Standard for Fire Resistant Tanks, includes tests to evaluate the performance of ASTs under fire and hose stream. This standard is similar to UL 2080 in that the construction is exposed to a 2-h hydrocarbon pool fire of 1093°C (2000°F). However, SwRI 97-04 is concerned only with the integrity of the tank after the 2-h test and not concerned with the temperature inside the tank due to the heat transfer. As a result, UL 142 tanks have been tested to the SwRI standard and passed. Secondary containment with insulation is not necessarily an integral component of the system. 

An insulated tank can be a protected tank, built to third-party standards UL 2085 and/or SwRl 93-01, or a fire-resistant tank built to UL 2080 or SwRI 97-04. Protected tanks were developed in line with NFPA requirements and terminology, while fire-resistant ASTs were developed in line with Uniform Fire Code (now International Fire Code) requirements and terminology. Both protected tanks and fire-resistant tanks must pass a 1093°C (2000°F), 2-h fire test. 

There are no ISO, ASTM or British fire test method standards specifically for solid mbbers and there is no active fire test work being pursued in TC 45. There are, however, a number of published international test methods for cellular materials and plastics, the majority of which could be applied to rubbers. A comprehensive account of fire testing of plastics has been given by Paul in the Handbook of Polymer Testing81. There may be fire resistance requirements for particular rubber products and some examples were given by Schultz110. 

There now exists a definite need for standards and testing procedures whereby the qualities of fire-resistive paint may be tested, evaluated, and classified. 

The property of a wood material or assembly to resist the penetration of fire or to continue to perform a given structural function, or both, is commonly termed fire resistance. The measure of elapsed time that a material or assembly will exhibit fire resistance under the specified conditions of test and performance is called fire endurance. Large furnaces are used to measure fire endurance of walls, floors, roofs, doors, columns, and beams under the standard ASTM E119 (30) time-temperature exposure conditions. 

BSI Test methods and criteria for the fire resistance of elements of building construction, BS 476 Part 8, 1972, British Standard Institute, London. 

ASTM E05 fire standards (primary fire standards development committee, with subcommittees on smoke and combustion products (which includes heat release), surface burning, combustibility, external fire exposures, furnishings and contents, transportation, large-scale tests, and fire resistance)... 

ASTM E 1822 Standard Test Method for Fire Testing of Stacked Chairs ASTM E 1966 Standard Test Method for Fire-Resistive Joint Systems ASTM E 1995 Standard Test Method for Measurement of Smoke Obscuration Using a Conical Radiant Source in a Single Closed Chamber, With the Test Specimen Oriented Horizontally... 

NFPA 288 Standard Methods of Fire Tests of Floor Fire Door Assemblies Installed Horizontally in Fire Resistance-Rated Floor Systems... 

UL 2079 Standard for Tests for Fire Resistance of Building Joint Systems... 

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