Fire test methods burning products

There is no standardized test method for determining the combustion products given off from wood or other materials during a real fire situation. The gases and products obtained and their estimated hazard to life will depend on the experimental conditions of any test method selected. Most studies on the toxicity of combustion products show that the dominant hazardous gas from burning wood is carbon monoxide followed by carbon dioxide and the resulting oxygen depletion (46-50). 

Static smoke chamber methods have major limitations in terms of being indicative of the fire hazard due to smoke toxicity of products and materials in actual fires. As combustion products accumulate in the chamber during a test, the burning behavior of the test specimen may have a significant effect on the level of vitiation (oxygen concentration) and temperature rise in the chamber. 

No single laboratory test can determine the complete burning character of a particular textile.7 There are two types of tests, scientific or research test methods and the standard test methods. The research test methods help in understanding the burning behavior and are used to develop new products or fire-retardant finishes. 

In contrast to the considerable number of fire tests for plastics, there are relatively few fire tests specifically for rubbers as such. There are a number of tests for rubber products including cable insulation, hoses of various types, and cellular products. In some cases, e.g.. cellular products, the test relates to both cellular plastics and rubbers, e.g.. BS 4735 and ISO 3582. Horizontal burning characteristics when subjected to a small flame or BS 5111. Determination of smoke generation. For convenience, these have been described in the section dealing with plastics tests, Other tests for rubber products include ISO 8030 [51], Flammability of rubber hoses for underground mining, ISO 3401 [52], Conveyor belts Flame retardation specification and test method, and BS 5173, Part 103 [53], Fire rc.sistance of plastics and rubber hoses and hose assemblies, and linings of hoses, etc. 

Before adopting this method at the ordnance plant, sections of pipelines were chosen for test samples, to determine if the swab and pig method would satisfactorily clean these contaminated pipes. One half the sections were cleaned by this method and the other half was thoroughly flushed with water. They were allowed to dry and then were subjected to initiation by fires. The sections that had been flushed with water ignited and burned vigorously. The sections that had been subjected to cleaning with the swab and pig had no product remaining that would support combustion. 

---