Fire test methods compartment

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... 

As intended, the test criteria are applicable to small polymer parts in the interior of vehicles exposed to small ignition sonrces. The test is not intended to be applied to large exposed polymer snrface areas or polymers in the engine compartment exposed to high-intensity ignition sources. The test method has not been developed to predict the fire behavior of polymers expected in actual fires but rather to screen out polymers with higher resistance to fire propagation from those with low resistance. 

Because of this, in most countries the fire regulations specify periods of fire resistance, as measured in a standard fire-test for load-bearing elements, depending upon the size and function of the building. They tend to concentrate on passive rather than active methods of protection, and the required periods of fire resistance are frequently listed in a tabular format relating periods of fire resistance to maximum compartment dimensions and building height for various types of occupancy. 

For the purpose of this article, fire tests are associated with the second strategy and defined as experimental methods to characterize the behavior of polymers under more severe thermal exposure conditions that are representative of the growth phase of a compartment fire. These conditions are simulated with a gas-fired or electrical heater or a large gas burner turbulent diffusion flame (flame length of the order of a meter or several feet). The incident heat flux to the specimen is primarily radiative when heaters are used, and mainly convective for flame exposure. Total incident heat flux varies from approximately 1 kW/m to more than 100 kW/m. Note that the maximum radiant heat flux from the sim on earth is approximately 1 kW/m. Polymers that are not treated with fire retardant chemicals typically ignite when exposed to heat fluxes of 10-20 kW/m in the presence of a small pilot flame or hot spark. 

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