Harmonisation of Fire Safety Assessments

Moves to harmonise fire safety assessment for building products in Europe has sparked a major shake-up in the flammability testing and classification of polymer materials [2]. As far back as 1998, over 30 tests were in use and more have been developed since then. The most radical change will be the introduction of the Single Burning Item for class B, C and D materials of intermediate combustibility, including most plastics. 

Two of the tests - a furnace test for non-combustibility and the oxygen bomb calorimeter - are used to classify the least combustible materials (classes A and B) and will apply to both flooring and non-flooring products. 

Flooring products are also be tested by two further tests including the floor radiant panel, while non-flooring products of appreciable combustibility, in classes E and F, are tested by an existing small burner test. 

Basically the test involves mounting a corner section specimen - a vertical 1.5 m high by 1.0 m wide panel and another 1.5 m by 0.5 m at 90 degrees - under an enclosed calorimeter bood. Tbe Fire Research Station says the setup can accurately measure the rate of heat release, considered one of the most important parameters in assessing fire growth, also time to ignition, rate of lateral flame spread, time of production of flaming droplets and rate of smoke release. 

A full summary of publishing standards for the evaluation of construction materials is given in Appendix 3.1. 

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