Empirical prediction of smoke production in the ISO Room Corner Fire Test by use of ISO Cone Calorimeter Fire Test data

The combustion conditions in the ISO Room Corner Fire Test make it possible to predict full scale smoke production by use of prediction models and bench scale fire test data procured by the ISO Cone Calorimeter Fire Test. The full scale smoke production is governed by the type of material burning only if the rate of heat release is less than 400–600 kW. For higher rates of heat release, the smoke production is more governed by the combustion conditions. The influence of the combustion conditions on the full scale smoke production reduces the possibilities of smoke prediction to materials causing flashover within 10 min in the ISO Room Corner Fire Test. The smoke to heat ratio S_Q (m²MJ) was used to compare smoke production between the scales. In general, the comparison revealed that the smoke yield was significantly less in full scale than in bench scale, especially for the plastics. Plastics do yield more smoke than wood based materials in both scales, but the differences in full scale are not as extreme as indicated by the bench scale smoke data. No simple correlations between the scales seem to exist. Multiple regression studies on empirical smoke prediction models show that bench scale fire parameters can be used to predict full scale fire performance. A quite accurate empirical smoke prediction model is presented for the group of materials which caused flashover within 10 min. The model predicts the full scale rate of smoke production at a rate of heat release of 400 kW. The presented results might be used to assess the fire safety hazard of visible smoke, but benchmarks of smoke hazard do not seem to exist. Thus further studies and agreement on safety levels and principles are needed for general visibility analysis concerning fire safety engineering purposes. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of Nordtest FIRE 007, CEN draft proposal (Radiant Panel) and Cone Calorimeter methods in the fire testing of floor coverings

Different types of floor coverings were tested using three different methods: the Cone Calorimeter (ISO 5660), the Nordtest floor covering test NT FIRE 007 and the German Radiant Panel Method (DIN 4102 Teil 14). The results of the comparisons between both flame spread and smoke production are given. Some correlation is found between the results of the Cone Calorimeter and the NT FIRE 007. Between other methods, no correlations seem to exist.     

Investigation of polymeric materials using the cone calorimeter

The use of polymeric materials in building or construction applications is steadily increasing. Therefore, the potential for these materials to be exposed to fire is also increased. The understanding of the pyrolysis characteristics of these materials is thus a necessity. There are many standard tests used to evaluate materials. Unfortunately, the correlation between these tests and large scale fire is less than desirable. A new bench scale rate of heat release apparatus, the Cone Calorimeter, is now being used more frequently in pyrolysis testing of polymeric materials. This apparatus has been shown to correlate much better between room scale testing and large scale fire testing. The cone Calorimeter provides a pyrolysis profile of a material under ambient oxygen conditions. Characteristics such as ignition time, total heat release, maximum rate of heat release, mass loss during pyrolysis, CO₂, CO, and smoke production are determined. In this work several almost neat polymers are examined and the general pyrolysis characteristics of these polymers are discussed. The objective of this work is to provide information of basic polymeric pyrolysis properties of these materials. Variations in the material, i.e., molecular weight, polydispersity, and residual catalysis, along with changes in testing procedures, can have dramatic effects on results. Obviously the addition of flame retardant and flame retardant packages to any of these materials will have dramatic effects on results.     

Rate of heat release and ignitability indices for surface linings

Dimensional analysis is applied to one form of fire growth in a compartment to derive two indices for the classification of linings, an ignitability index and a rate of heat release index, that can be combined into a fire growth parameter, which here is made proportional to the time to flashover in the internationally standardized Room/Corner Test. The ignitability index is the inverse of the time to ignition. The rate of heat release index is obtained by integrating the rate of heat release in time, weighted in such a way that the values of rate of heat release immediately after ignition are of higher importance than those at later times. Both indices are determined from test results of the Cone Calorimeter.     

Evaluation of the fire-retardant properties of zinc hydroxystannate and antimony trioxide in halogenated polyester resins using the Cone Calorimeter method

An investigation of the burning behaviour of a series of halogenated polyester resin formulations has been carried out using the Cone Calorimeter technique. The data obtained clearly indicate that zinc hydroxystannate (ZHS) is more effective than antimony trioxide (Sb₂O₃) in reducing the average and peak rates of heat release in a chlorinated resin and in decreasing the peak rate of heat release in a brominated resin. The decreases in average heat release rate in the brominated resin are similar for ZHS and Sb₂O₃. Hence, at an addition level of 2 phr (parts per hundred of resin), ZHS reduces the average heat release rates of a chlorinated and a brominated resin by 41% and 26%, respectively, and the peak heat release rates of the same resins by 38% and 39%, respectively. The degree of smoke suppression exhibited by ZHS in these Cone experiments is significantly greater than that given by Sb₂O₃. In general, the correlation between Cone Calorimeter data and results obtained using other laboratory fire tests (UL-94, LOI) is poor, except in the case of smoke density measurements, where the correlation with NBS Smoke Box data is remarkably good. No correlation is observed between the measured values of CO and CO₂ output by different test methods, although it is now generally considered that small-scale fire tests cannot be used to predict gaseous concentrations in real-fire situations.     

几种热塑性塑料的燃烧行为研究

应用锥形量热仪研究了几种常见热塑性塑料在燃烧过程中的燃烧行为，定量得到聚乙烯（HDPE、LDPE）、聚丙烯、高抗冲聚苯乙烯和聚氯乙烯等在不同入射热流强度（25kW/m^2、50kW/m^2、75kW/m^2）下的热释放速率、质量损失速率、有效燃烧热和总释放热等燃烧性能参数；分析比较了各热塑性塑料的燃烧行为特性，为火灾预防和材料设计提供了文献资料。     

Sandwich panel performance in full-scale and bench-scale fire tests

Fire hazard assessments must be primarily driven by life safety variables. Concern is often highly focused on toxicity issues, since fire deaths, in the majority of cases, are found (in whole or in part) to be due to toxic gas inhalation. Procedures have recently been published by ISO, wherein the toxicity assessment of fire products is focused primarily on bench-scale testing for toxic potency (the ‘per-gram toxicity’). Yet hazards of products with regards to fire toxicity may be determined much more by their differences in burning rates than by any differences in toxic potency. Burning rates are not assessed in the pertinent standards (ISO 13344 and ISO TR 9122). For most product categories, techniques for predicting full-scale burning rates from bench-scale data are not yet in hand. Thus, today the best means of comparing actual, full-scale toxic fire hazards is the full-scale fire test, equipped with additional gas measuring instrumentation. Such an approach is not among the recommended methods of the international standards, yet it is the only one with innate validity. In the present work, a series of sandwich panel products were tested in a full-scale room configuration. Bench-scale comparison was made to the ISO 5660 Cone Calorimeter and the DIN 53436 tube furnace. The toxic gases were quantified in all cases by chemical analysis. The product which showed the best performance in the full-scale tests (rock wool insulated sandwich panel) did not achieve a good fire toxicity performance due to minimization of toxic potency. Instead, the successful performance was attributed wholly to reduction of burning rate. Bench-scale measurements of toxic potency were shown to lack relevance to reality in such cases where even the full-scale toxic potency is not a determining factor. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparison of fire retarded and non‐fire retarded wood‐based wall linings exposed to fire in an enclosure

Full‐scale fire experiments were carried out in an ISO room to study the behaviour of commonly used cellulosic lining materials in real fire conditions. In addition to the temperature measurements recommended by the ISO 9705, temperature recordings were made at each node of grid lines on the wall lining surfaces. Four lining materials were chosen to represent different types of products and the surface spread of classifications determined using the BS 476 Part 7 flame spread test environment. The linings included fire retarded, melamine faced and non‐fire retarded boards which facilitated a comparative study of the behaviour of these materials with respect to ignition, flame spread, heat release rate and time to flashover. Corner fire scenarios were used in all the experiments. A T shape flame spread pattern on the surface of the two adjacent walls was observed prior to flashover. Prior to the onset of flashover conditions, downward opposed flow surface flame spread to the wall/ceiling intersection. For the non‐retarded wood based materials, such as plywood and medium density fibre board, flashover conditions occurred approximately 4 min after the start of the experiment. However, the fire retarded chipboard ignition was delayed by some 11 min 45 s after which flame spread was very rapid with flashover occurring within a further 1 min 45 s. An explanation for this particular behaviour is the considerable pre‐heating which occurred during the pre‐ignition period. For the fire retarded linings, much higher surface temperatures were recorded compared with those for non‐fire retarded linings. It was found that the areas of the fire retarded linings facing the source flame suffered extensive pyrolysis and charring which penetrated to the rear surface of the lining. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of geometry and ignition mode on ignition times obtained using a cone calorimeter and ISO ignitability apparatus

Three timber-based materials were investigated by subjecting them to a constant uniform heat flux in the range 20–70 kW m^?2 using a Cone Calorimeter and the ISO Ignitability Apparatus. The specimens were examined in the vertical and horizontal orientations in the Cone Calorimeter using gas flame pilot, spark pilot and spontaneous methods of ignition. They were also studied using the ISO Ignitability Apparatus in the normal and inverted horizontal orientations using gas flame pilot and spontaneous methods of ignition. The results obtained are compared by specimen, orientation and mode of ignition.     

A cone calorimeter for controlled-atmosphere studies

Many fires occur in ambient atmospheric conditions. To investigate certain types of fires, however, it is necessary to consider combustion where the oxidizer is not 21% oxygen/79% nitrogen. The Cone Calorimeter (ASTM E 1354, ISO DIS 5660) has recently become the tool of choice for studying the fire properties of products and materials. Its standard use involves burning specimens with room air being drawn in for combustion. To facilitate studying fires involving different atmospheres, a special version of the Cone Calorimeter was designed. This unit allows controlled combustion atmospheres to be created by the use of bottled or piped gases. To make such operation feasible, a large number of design details of the standard calorimeter had to be modified. This paper describes the background for these changes and provides an explanation of how the controlled-atmospheres unit is operated.     

Flame retardancy of ceramic-based rigid polyurethane foam composites

In this work, ceramic fillers zirconia and alumina powder were incorporated in the rigid polyurethane foams derived from modified castor oil and their impact on the mechanical, thermal, and fire performances of composite foams have been analyzed. It was observed that the addition of ceramic filler showed improved mechanical and thermal properties and best properties were shown by 6% zirconia with compressive strength of 6.61 MPa and flexural strength of 5.72 MPa. Zirconia also demonstrated an increase in T_5% up to 260 °C. Cone calorimetry shows a decrease in peak of heat release from 118 to 84 kW m⁻² and 94 kW m⁻² by the incorporation of alumina and zirconia powder, respectively. Furthermore, total heat release (THR), smoke production rate (SPR), and total smoke release (TSR) were also found to decrease remarkably on the incorporation of ceramic fillers. So, these fillers have a great potential as an additive to incorporate good mechanical, thermal, and fire properties in bio-based rigid PU foams. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48250.     

高抗冲聚苯乙烯的阻燃研究

利用锥形量热仪(CONE)研究了阻燃高抗冲聚苯乙烯(HIPS)的燃烧性能,同时也采用垂直燃烧、氧指数等方法进行了对比测试。含十溴二苯乙烷的试样不仅保持了原有的物理机械性能,而且阻燃效果明显。相对于使用十溴二苯醚阻燃的HIPS,十溴二苯乙烷的使用不会产生多溴代二问题,产品符合一定的环保要求。     

An assessment of PVC smoke

The conventional test method for evaluating the potential of a material to produce smoke in a real fire is the NBS Smoke Density Chamber. However there are major problems with this approach. These include foremost the fact that its results do not correlate with those of real fires. Furthermore, materials that melt and drip are able to achieve a favorable, but misleading, evaluation because a significant fraction of the sample escapes the burning process. Another problem is that the test takes no account of the role the rate or extent of material burning plays in controlling the smoke density in a real fire situation. The physical problems are solved by material smoke production evaluation techniques based on measurements from the Cone Calorimeter rate of heat release apparatus, which has been developed by the National Bureau of Standards. A smoke parameter has been developed, calculated from cone calorimeter measurements, which reflects the smoke hazard of a real fire. The smoke evolution characteristics for a series of rigid thermoplastic materials have been measured using the cone calorimeter and the smoke parameter concept. The results demonstrate that due to its tendency to resist ignition and to burn very slowly, PVC would produce very little smoke in a real fire situation. Of the 15 materials tested, the expected real fire smoke performance characteristics of PVC were superior to those of all other materials except one.     

Short Communication: Aircraft interior panels tested according to the maritime high-speed craft code

The fire standard for aircraft interior panels has been compared to the corresponding marine standard with respect to smoke emission and heat release rate. This has been performed by testing an aircraft panel approved by the Federal Aviation Administration according to one of the International Maritime Organization standards for High-Speed Craft, according to the full-scale room fire test, ISO 9705. The test showed that even if the panel met the strict requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration it did not fulfil the apparently even stricter requirements of the International Maritime Organization. The panel failed on several accounts, including smoke production, heat release and structural integrity. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of the Cone Calorimeter and ConeTools software for development of innovative intumescing graphite systems

The Cone Calorimeter test method has been one of the most used small‐scale fire test method for years now and is at present widely spread over the world. In contrast to many other fire test methods, the Cone Calorimeter provides a range of data with sound scientific basis, which allows a wide range of applications. It can be used for modelling and also for enhanced product development. This paper describes the use of the Cone Calorimeter for the development of new innovative materials in combination with a mathematical model. As example, the cost effective development of an innovative intumescing graphite system for protecting particle board is explained. The performance goal of the project is to obtain the threshold values for a B class in the Single Burning Item (SBI) test method used for the newly developed Euroclass system. The focus of this paper is on the development tools and not on the chemical development of the protective system. During the research it was necessary to develop a new sample holder for the Cone Calorimeter. The results from the project show that the industry can save development time and resources by using the Cone Calorimeter in combination with a simple mathematical model. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of test protocols for the standard room/corner test

As part of international efforts to evaluate alternative reaction‐to‐fire tests, several series of room/corner tests have been conducted. Materials tested were mostly different wood products but included gypsum board and a few foam plastics. This is a review of the overall results of related studies in which the different test protocols for the standard room/corner test were used. Differences in the test protocols involved two options for the ignition burner scenario and whether or not the ceiling was also lined with the test materials. The test materials were placed on three walls of the room in all the tests. The two burner scenarios were (1) 40 kW for 300 s followed by 160 kW for 300 s and (2) 100 kW for 600 s and 300 kW for 600 s. The 40 and 160 kW burner scenario without the ceiling lined did not provide a severe enough test for flashover to occur with fire‐retardant‐treated materials. Use of the 100 and 300 kW burner scenario without lining the ceiling provided the ability to differentiate between wood products with ASTM E 84 flame spread indexes of 70 to 125 and those with higher flame spread indexes. Lining the ceiling with test material creates a more severe test.     

Flammability of oil‐based painted gypsum wallboard subjected to fire heat fluxes

The flammability of painted gypsum wallboard (GWB) exposed to fire heat fluxes is investigated. GWB samples coated with multiple layers of alkyd/oil‐based paint are subjected to constant incident heat fluxes of 35, 50 and 75 kW/m² in the Cone Calorimeter for periods of 5, 10 and 15 min. A number of coats of alkyd/oil‐based interior semi‐gloss enamel paint, including 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 coats, are applied over a single coat of oil‐based primer to the exposed surface of 16 mm (5/8 in.) thick type X GWB. Unpainted type X GWB is also evaluated under the same exposure conditions. The potential for upward flame spread based on the Cone Calorimeter results is evaluated. The occurrence of paint ‘blistering’ is observed to have a significant effect on the time to ignition and consequently on the potential for upward flame spread. Further work is needed to evaluate the conditions under which ‘blistering’ will occur and its effects on the potential for surface flame spread on painted gypsum wallboard. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heat release testing of stacked chairs: Analysis of repeatability in a single laboratory

Fire testing of furniture has been a focus of much attention in the 1990s, particularly in terms of the heat it releases in real-scale fires. One aspect that has received insufficient attention is the case of stacked chairs, often found in places of assembly. Early data have shown that the fire hazard resulting from burning a stack of chairs is often much higher than would have been expected simply from the combined hazard of the individual chairs. A test has been designed, ASTM E1822, in which the flames from a propane gas burner (at 12 l min⁻¹) are applied to a vertical stack of 5 chairs for 80 s, and the important fire properties measured. This test was developed with the collaboration of two laboratories; the variables studied were: number of chairs in the stack and duration of exposure. In order to evaluate the repeatability of the method, one laboratory tested six different types of chairs, in triplicate, in a furniture calorimeter. The chairs were donated by different manufacturers for this purpose. A statistical analysis was conducted on seven properties (peak rate of heat release, total heat released, peak rate of smoke released, total smoke released, mass loss, time to peak rate of heat released and initial mass). The overall relative standard deviations for the properties studied ranged between 1% and 20%, which is adequate for a fire test. Thus, the repeatability study was successful. It is of interest that very poor correlation was found between mass loss and heat release, so that the highest fractional mass loss corresponded to the chairs with the lowest heat release rate. Additionally, there is also relatively poor correlation between heat and smoke release rates. The peak heat release rate of the stacks of chairs ranged from almost 300 kW to >1 MW, and the chairs lost between 4% and 40% of their initial mass; only one set of chairs did not release enough heat in any test for a room containing it to go to flashover. Thus, the results suggest that the potential exists for severe fires to develop when such chairs burn. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heat release rates of modern residential furnishings during combustion in a room calorimeter

Results are presented from a number of fire experiments that were conducted in a room environment to study the fire characteristics of typical residential furnishings and assist in the design of a subsequent phase of a project involving fully furnished room fire experiments. The experiments were conducted in a 16‐m² test room (with dimensions 3.8 m wide × 4.2 m long × 2.4 m high), which had a 1.5 × 1.5‐m window opening. The furnishings tested included mattresses, bed clothes, bed assemblies, upholstered seating furniture, clothing arrangements, books, plastic audio/video media and storage cases, toys, shoes, and a computer workstation setup. The smoke (gaseous products of combustion) from the room was collected using a hood system in order to measure the heat release rate (HRR) and optical density of the smoke. The test room was instrumented with load cells, heat flux gauges, thermocouples and velocity probes in order to take the following measurements: mass loss, total heat flux on gauge‐installed flush with the internal surfaces (floor, walls, and ceiling), temperatures at numerous locations, and gas velocities in the window opening. Twin‐size mattresses produced peak HRRs of approximately 3800 kW, and the maximum room temperature was approximately 980°C. The HRRs of bed assemblies of various sizes and configurations ranged from 1800 kW for a twin‐size bed to 6250 kW for a bunk bed. The maximum temperature and heat flux recorded in the experiments were 1071°C and 221 kW/m², respectively. Upholstered chairs and sofas had HRRs ranging from 630 kW for an ottoman to 3360 kW for a two‐seat sofa. In tests with clothing, toys, shoes, books, a computer workstation, and CD/DVD media, the peak HRRs ranged from 440 kW for a bookcase to 2045 kW for toys. Furnishings containing a large proportion of rigid thermoplastic plastics, such as shoes and media cases, produced very dense smoke even at low HRRs. The effect of parameters such as bed clothes, mattress type, foundation type, bed assembly and chair size, material composition, and fuel package arrangement was evident in the results. Because the room dimensions and wall lining materials remained constant, temperatures were linearly proportional to the peak HRR (and exposure time) until the ventilation limit (approximately 4100 kW) was reached. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.