Fire test methods

Fire test methods attempt to provide correct information on the fire contribution of a product by exposing a small sample to conditions expected in a fire scenario. Methods can be viewed in two ways the first entails the strategy of the fire test, ignition resistance or low flammabiUty once ignited the second addresses the test specimen, a sample representative of the product or a sample of a material that might be used in the product. Fire science has progressed markedly since the older test methods were developed and it is known that the basis for many of these tests is doubthil. Results from older tests must be used with great care. 

In a joint research project in Sweden under the main title "Fire hazard - Fire growth in compartments in the early stage of development (pre-flashover)" (1, 2) a number of different factors have been studied. In the process of developing a full-scale fire test method - "room-corner" configuration - for surface lining materials, Nordtest NT-FIRE 025, the emission of smoke and gas was studied. That study covers data from thirteen different single and... 

For the small scale fire test methods it was possible to determine the mass of the sample burnt. In the full scale fire test this could not be done. To make gas emissions comparable between the fire models, the emissions of gases in the small scale fire tests have been reduced by the amount of material burnt in each case. 

The European classification system of reaction to fire must reflect the behaviour of tested products in real fires. Test methods should be designed so that the results can be used as important part of risk assessment. 

Room Fire Test in Full Scale for Surface Products", NORDTEST Fire Test Method. NT FIRE 025. 

Fire retardant treatment, for wood, 26 348 Fire science, 11 450 Fire test methods, 11 449—450 Fire test terminology, 19 588 Fire-tube furnaces, 12 319—320, 327 Firing, of ferrites, 11 73 Firming agents, 12 32 as food additives, 12 57 First aid and rescue, 21 858 First aid, for nitric acid exposure, 17 192 First failure, time to, 26 987 First falling rate period, 23 67 First-generation ionic liquids, 26 837-838, 841, 865... 

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. 

Fire test methods attempt to provide correct information on the lire contribution of a product hy exposing a small sample to conditions expected in a fire scenario. 

McNaughton, G. C., and Van Kleeck, A., Forest Products Laboratory, R1443. Fire-test methods used in research at Forest Products Laboratory. 

Gross, D., Loftus, J., and Robertson, A., In Method for Measuring Smoke From Burning Materials, Fire test methods Restraint and smoke, ASTM STP 422, June 26-July 1, 1966, Atlantic City, NJ, American Society for Testing and Materials Philadelphia, PA, June 26-July 1, 1966, 1967, pp. 166-204. 

Babrauskas V. Fire test methods for evaluation of fire-retardant efficacy in polymeric materials. In Fire Retardancy of Polymeric Materials. Grand AF, Wilkie CA, Eds. Marcel Dekker Inc. New York, 2000 chap. 3, pp. 81-113. 

A number of modern full-scale fire test methods have been developed for products, relying on heat release rate measurements, such as those involving testing of upholstered furniture (ASTM E 153792 and CA TB 13391), mattresses (ASTM E 1590,85 CA TB 129,82 CA TB 603,88 16 CFR 1633,19 and ASTM F 1085 [Annexes A1 and A3]171), stacking chairs (ASTM E 1822172), electrical cables (ASTM D 5424,173 ASTM D 5537,174 and UL 1685123), plastic display stands (UL 1975),175 other decorative items (NFPA 289,176 a generic furniture calorimeter test), electrical equipment (UL 2043),120 or wall-lining products (NFPA 265,116 NFPA 286,115 ASTM E 2257,177 and ISO 9705178). In fact, room-corner tests are now being used in the codes, as alternatives to replace the... 

As discussed earlier, a number of organizations and technical committees develop fire-test methods or specifications that are specific to some particular material or product. It is not possible to cover all of them in this work and they are usually publicly available from the responsible organization via their website. 

Buch, R., Fire test methods for electrical and dielectric materials, IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine, 1990, 6(3), 12-19. 

It will be permissible to apply the CE mark to sheets of High Pressure Laminate in accordance with the regulations contained in the European Construction Products Directive however, until European fire test methods and specifications are harmonized fire certification by individual countries still will be necessary. 

A number of fire tests for polymeric materials have been developed, during the past several years, by the International Standards Organization (ISO). Hopefully, these tests will replace the present national test methods, which often correlate badly with each other. I he development at ISO is aimed at describing the fire properties of polymeric materials comprehensively, with test methods chosen so as to be applicable to all types of samples. At present, the ISO fire test methods are published as standards (ISO R 1182-79 for non-combustible materials, ISO R 1326-70 and ISO R 1210-70 for flame spread, etc.), or as draft for development (DP 5657, ISO/TC 92 N 531-79 as an ignitability test). One can only sympathize with using certain complex fire hazard indices for describing material behavior in fire... 

In Type A, the closed-cell content is high, providing low thermal conductivity. Type A should be able to pass various types of fire tests. JIS-A-1321 (incombustibility test for internal finish material of buildings) is a Japanese fire test method said to be the strictest test in the world. Type A has successfiilly passed the Model Box Test, one of the items of this severe standard. 

Fire-test method development has followed two separate but complementary paths. One path, theoretically oriented, is characterized by the measuring of scientifically-meaningful fire properties, such as mass loss and rate-of-heat release. This approach also includes the development of mathematical models incorporating these properties to predict propagation and flame spread. A new lab-scale apparatus, the "cone calorimeter" developed at NIST is an example of the hardware now available to measure these fire properties. 

Note 1 ASTM s policy is not to use descriptive terms such as nonflammable, flame retardant, self-extinguishing, non-burning, and similar. According to ASTM, results of any of fire test methods must be described in numbers, such as flame spread index of 75, or flame spread index below 200, or a burning rate of... 

All fibres described in this chapter are used iu textiles which must achieve acceptable levels of heat and/or flame resistance as determined by national and international standards which are usually deliued iu regulations and/or legislation. It is beyond the scope of this chapter to describe the many and varied textile heat, flame, and fire testing methods but receut treatments of this complex subjecT have been published and mention is made of seme in Chapters 9, 10, and 11. Generally, heat and flame resistance tests for technical textiles are required for the following application areas where national and/or international regulations exist... 

Sorathia and co-workers [51] investigated the use of smaller scale fire test methods. From these investigations, two methods, differing in concept and technique, were developed. The methods developed by the UL in the late 1950s are still in use today and are described in the Approval Standard for Class 1 Roof Covers, FM 4470 [52] and Fire Test of Roof Deck Constructions, UL 1256 [53]. 

One major reason for performing room fire tests is to learn about various fire stages in the room so that results of standard fire test methods can be related to the performance of the products in full-scale room fires. In addition, some of the tests or their reduced versions are used for the acceptance of building products as they are specified in the prescriptive-based fire codes. 

The hazards have been discussed [31 37] and Bowles [38] has suggested a fire test method for cfrp. The risks of fire are greatest in a confined space such as on board an aircraft, where carbon fiber can be released from a burning carbon composite, presenting... 

Bowles KJ, Fire test method for graphite fibre reinforced plastics, NASA Technical Memorandum 81436, 1980. 

Uniform fire test methods that are valid for the whole of the EU will be introduced in the near future. 

It is recommended that a suitable fire test method be agreed and a test programme of trial joints be carried out to confirm the observed suitability of these expansion joint arrangements. 

PD 6520 1998 Guide to the Fire Test Methods for Building Materials and Elements of Construction... 

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