Studies on fire safety assessment of construction products

Various aspects of assessing the fire safety of construction products related to the initiation and development of fire and the determination of toxic smoke gases have been studied. The primary objective has been to provide new information on the subject in the context of the harmonized European fire classification system as well as related to more general fire safety aspects.

Two models for predicting the results of a European intermediate-scale reaction-to-fire test, the SBI test, have been introduced. The essential feature of the models is that only the heat release rate data of a single cone calorimeter test at the heat exposure level of 50 kW/m² is required as input for predicting the performance of a product in the Euroclass system. The models gave a correct classification for 80–90% of the products studied. The models provide practical tools for product development and quality control.

The fire test methods and classification parameters of the Japanese and European fire classification systems of surface linings are different. Owing to the common reference scenario, the classification systems are still strongly consistent for the majority of products. Inconsistencies can be recognized by examining the product type and composition and by considering the special features of the main fire tests used in the classification. Modelling of SBI test results on the basis of cone calorimeter data provide a link between the Japanese and European fire classification systems.

An optimised sampling system for smoke gas measurements in the fire test environment using the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry has been defined. Recommendations related to data analysis, calibration and software have been given. The FTIR technique has been verified against alternative determination methods of smoke gases in the fire test environment. The precision of the method has been determined in an interlaboratory trial.

The fire behaviour of wooden facades in multi-storey houses has been studied in two different fire scenarios: an external fire and a post-flashover compartment fire. Fire tests of wooden facades with different materials, surface treatments and structural details have been performed on the intermediate and large scales. Acceptance criteria for the facades of sprinklered and unsprinklered buildings have been proposed in terms of heat flux, fire spread and falling parts. The basic principles of the criteria are applicable also to other facade fire scenarios under various test conditions.

Post-flashover gas temperatures and charring behaviour of timber construction compartments have been studied in large-scale fire experiments. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)