Fire test methods ignition

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. 

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... 

Fire tests on building materials and structures. Part 12 Method of test for ignitability of products by direct flame impingement. Replaced BS 476 Part 5 1979 AMD 1 Fire tests on building materials and structures. Part 20 Method for determination of the fire resistance of elements of construction (general principles) (AMD 6487) dated 30 April 1990. Replaced BS 476 Part 8 1972... 

Hill, S.M., Investigating materials from fire using a test method for spontaneous ignition case studies, MS Thesis, Department of Fire and Protection Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 1997. 

IEC 60695-2-13 Fire Hazard Testing—Part 2-13 Glowing/Hot-Wire Based Test Methods—Glow-Wire Ignitability Test Method for Materials. International Electrotechnical Commission, Geneva, Switzerland. IMO FTP Code International Code for Application of Fire Test Procedures, Annex 1. Part 2. International Maritime Organization London, U.K. 

Fortunately, for school children, in spite of the inactivity of the federal government, local education authorities in many U.S. states and Canadian provinces have decided to adopt a very simplistic but effective fire test, namely the National Safety Council Standard School bus seat upholstery fire block test, which was approved by the National Conference on School Transportation as part of the National Standards for School Buses and National Standards for School Bus Operations.76 The test involves putting a few sheets of newspaper in a paper bag, placing the bag on a school bus seat and igniting it with a match. If the seat is made of adequate materials, most of it will not bum and if the materials are unsafe, the seat padding and cover will be completely destroyed. Unfortunately, this test has not been adopted by all the local education authorities and it is being applied in different ways. The ASTM subcommittee E05.17, on fire safety and transportation, is working on the development of a paper bag seat test method based on the National Safety Council Standard. 

A typical criticism of this test method, for example, is that ordinary newsprint, and even tissue paper, will meet its requirements. That is a valid criticism. However, there seems to be general agreement that, in spite of its lack of sophistication, this test method has been successful in eliminating the fabrics with the poorest fire performance from the general population of fabrics in use for apparel in the United States. Thus, fabric types such as the fibrous torch sweaters with raised surface fibers that ignite readily and spread flame quickly are no longer legally sold in the United States due to the test requirements. The test has also been able to screen out the use of very sheer... 

In the early 1980s, Vytenis Babrauskas, at the NIST (then NBS), developed a more advanced test method to measure RHR the cone calorimeter (ASTM E 1354).71164 This fire test instrument can also be used to assess other fire properties, the most important of which are the ignitability (as discussed earlier), mass loss, and smoke released. Moreover, results from this instrument correlate with those from full-scale fires.165-170 To obtain the best overall understanding of the fire performance of the materials, it is important to test the materials under a variety of conditions. Therefore, tests are often conducted at a variety of incident heat fluxes. The peak rates of heat release (and total heat released) of the same materials shown in Table 21.15 at each incident flux, are shown in Table 21.16.147... 

ASTM D 6113 Standard Test Method for Using a Cone Calorimeter to Determine Fire-Test-Response Characteristics of Insulating Materials Contained in Electrical or Optical Fiber Cables ASTM D 6194 Standard Test Method for Glow Wire Ignition of Materials ASTM D 6413 Standard Test Method for Flame Resistance of Textiles (Vertical Test)... 

Test methods for spontaneously ignitable sustances based on the Fire Services Law(U)... 

Fire Point. It shall be determined in accordance with method 1103.7 of Federal Test Method Std 791B (Jan 1969) (ASTM Method D92—66). See under Flash Point above. To det flash point, the test is continued until application of test flame causes the DOA to ignite and bum for 5 sec s [For details see ASTM Standard, Part II (1971), pp 66-92]... 

---