Fire test performance requirements

The International Marine Organization (IMO)/American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has fire test performance requirements for the protection of piping systems (primarily for shipping that utilize a fire exposure very similar to UL 1709 for durations of 30 and 60min. Four different level ratings are used. There has been some limited apphcation of these in the industry ... 

Firebrake ZB-XF fire retardant la intended to replace Fire-brake ZB-Fine for use in applications that require maximum fire test performance results and critical physical properties such as In thin film forming. In contrast to Firebrake ZB-Flne, the XF grade has no particles greater than 12 microns, as determined by Laser Diffraction technique. 

The different fire safety requirements within the Member States of the Community certainly present an obstacle to this objective, because a manufacturer who wants to market his product all over Europe, at present, has to perform a lot of different fire tests,... 

The reliability and availability performance requirements of safety systems and especially fire protection systems should be considered in the design. Fire protection systems are not used on a regular basis, but must work when required. It is also important that the design of the fire protection system facilitate a testing and maintenance program for achieving these goals. 

Often it is very difficult to determine the burning behavior of complex objects on the basis of the performance of its individual components in bench-scale reaction-to-fire tests. It is much more practical to measure the heat release rate and related properties for the complete object. This requires a large-scale test. In other cases, it is not possible to capture certain aspects of real fire behavior such as melting, delamination, joint effects, etc., in a bench-scale test. A large-scale test is needed to assess these effects. Two commonly used large-scale reaction-to-fire tests are test methods are discussed as follows. 

Chapter 7 is the chapter dealing with Special Conditions and it addresses most of the cables with highly improved fire performance. Thus, Articles 725 (Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 Remote-Control, Signaling, and Power-Limited Circuits), 760 (Fire Alarm Systems), and 770 (Optical Fiber Cables and Raceways) all use the same two schemes for fire performance of cables, as shown in Figures 21.4 and 21.5. The figures show that the best is NFPA 262,65 a cable fire test for flame spread and smoke, conducted in a modified Steiner tunnel (86 kW or 294,000 BTU/h), for which the requirements in the NEC are that the maximum peak optical density should not exceed 0.5, the maximum average optical density should not exceed 0.15, and the maximum allowable flame travel distance should not exceed 1.52m (5 ft). The next test, in the order of decreasing severity is UL 1666,64 known... 

Motor Evaluation. Many different operations are performed in propellant and motor evaluation. The main safety precaution is to keep personnel contact to an absolute minimum. Most operations are performed remotely, the only contact required being during assembly and installation or removal of the test device. The most hazardous operation, test firings, are performed remotely in reinforced concrete barricaded cells (see figure 2). The technician who connects the ignition circuit, the last operation before firing, retains the key to the firing circuit such that it cannot be activated until he returns to the control room. 

Intumescent sealants usually have 25% movement capability. They meet the relevant performance requirements of BS 4254 and pass the fire testing programme in accordance with BS 476, part 20-1987. 

A number of possible answers exist to the question why carry out a fire test" including direct legal requirements for duty of care or product liability reasons, by a purchase specification, etc., but ultimately the single answer must be to improve safety by reducing fire hazards. To achieve this, it is essential that the fire test carried out and the performance... 

In BS 6387 1982, three kinds of tests are included for the performance requirements of cables under fire conditions. The test procedure for resistance to fire alone is identical to that in lEC Publication 331-1970, with the following criteria for rating ... 

---