The following are examples of common fire and flammability tests used in different industries. VTEC offers these tests and many others, including custom tests.
1. ASTM E119
This test determines how long certain building elements contain the fire and maintain their strength and form. Technicians place the item in a controlled fire situation, in which the fire's temperature varies according to specifications. This step may be followed by dousing with a fire hose, which provides a thorough test of how the material might respond in real-life conditions. The variability of the ASTM E119 test simulates the variable conditions in actual fire situations.
2. ASTM D93
This flashpoint test determines the temperature at which chemical mixes with air and combusts. This is but one characteristic of a chemical's flammability, but it is an important factor in categorizing a chemical as hazardous or combustible. The Pensky-Martens closed-cup method tests chemicals in the range of 40 degrees to 370 degrees Celsius.
3. UL 555
UL 555 covers standards for fire dampers and is in accordance with NFPA 90A, or the National Fire Protection Association Standard for Installation of Air-Conditioning and Ventilating Systems. Fire dampers can be used in the following situations.
Static systems: These automatically shut down during a fire.
Dynamic systems: These remain in operation during a fire.
Combination fire and smoke dampers: These are used at points in HVAC systems where both a fire and smoke damper are needed in the same place.
Corridor dampers: These dampers are placed where air ducts end in the ceiling of interior hallways.
In this test, a damper is exposed to a fire with a specified course of temperatures, then is doused by a fire hose to simulate a real-life fire situation.
4. ASTM D1929
This test is useful for comparing the conditions under which different plastics combust, and is useful for reporting the minimum air temperature at which combustion will occur. To achieve these results, the test makes use of a hot-air furnace.
5. ASTM D635
This test is of value in comparing the rates at which materials burn and the characteristics of their burning. It is not intended to measure flammability, but is often used to compare different materials. Because different variables like density and presence of pigments contribute to burn rate, the test only compares materials of similar thickness.
6. ASTM D2843
It is important to measure the relative thickness of smoke produced by burning plastics. Such information determines visibility during a fire. This test exposes plastics to controlled flame or heat so the plastic produces smoke, though it is not necessarily intended to determine other characteristics of the plastic's decomposition or burning.
7. ASTM D2863
This test is interesting because it seeks to determine the minimum amount of oxygen necessary to produce a candle-like flame in a plastic. A mixture of oxygen and nitrogen is blown in, and the oxygen level is expressed as a percentage of volume. This method is divided into three separate procedures.
Procedure A: Igniting the top surface of the material
Procedure B: Propagating the ignition
Procedure C: Running a comparison with a predetermined minimum oxygen percentage
This test is designed to describe the tendencies and behaviors of materials under flame, though not necessarily under the same conditions as in a standard flame test.
8. ASTM E162
This is another test of surface flammability, except that the heat is administered via radiant heating. This test determines how the material's surface will react to radiant heat from fire. Though smaller samples of the material are generally used for testing, they are comparable to the dimensions and design of the material in practice.
9. BSS 7239
Also known as the Boeing Safety Standard 7239, this fire test is intended to test the generation of toxic gases emitted when different materials combust. It is most often used on material in aircraft. The item is placed in a smoke chamber, and a specified amount of heat is used to generate smoke. From there, the gases are captured and analyzed for toxicity. This test is performed both with flames and without, when the material is merely decomposing as a result of heat.
This test is used to measure the production of particular gases: hydrogen chloride, carbon monoxide, hydrogen fluoride, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen cyanide.
10. UL 94
UL 94 is a flammability test that examines a material's tendency to either spread or retard flame once it has been set on fire. This test uses a small bar or plaque and makes use of a flame more severe than in other tests.
11. ASTM D257
This test studies the behavior of a component when it is subjected to direct current, and is used to measure DC surface, volume and insulation resistance. The component is shrouded in high-resistance insulating material and is tested to find its voltage stress limits. The dimensions allow operators to calculate the amount of surface resistivity in the insulation and provide several other useful calculations for comparison.
12. SMP 800C
Also known as the Bombardier toxicity test standard, the SMP 800C measures the release of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen bromide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. A standard imposes limits on how many parts per million can be emitted by burning materials.