4 Test facility
4.1 General
The SBI test facility shall consist of a test room, the test apparatus (trolley, frame, burners, hood, collector and ducting), the smoke exhaust system and general measuring equipment. These components are specified in 4.2 to 4.7. Design drawings are given in Annex E. Dimensions given in the drawings are nominal unless tolerances are given in the text.
The air supply to the test room entering below the trolley should be fresh, uncontaminated air.
4.2 Test room
4.2.1 The test room shall have an inner height of (2,4 ± 0,05) m and an inner floor area of (3,0 ± 0,05) m in both directions. The walls shall be made of stone type building blocks (e.g. cellular concrete), gypsum boards, calcium silicate boards or other boards classified as class A1 or A2.
4.2.2 One wall of the test room shall have an opening to insert the trolley from the surrounding laboratory into the test room. The opening shall be at least 1 470 mm wide and 2 450 mm high (dimensions of the frame). Windows shall be placed in the two walls facing the front side of the two perpendicular specimen planes. To be able to handle the SBI apparatus and the specimen when the trolley is in place, an additional door is needed.
4.2.3 With the trolley in place in the test room, the distance between the long wing specimen surface touching the U-profile and the wall of the test room shall be (2,1 ± 0,05) m. This distance shall be measured perpendicularly to the wall facing the long wing. The areas of the openings in the test room, excluding the air inlet at the bottom of the trolley and the smoke exhaust opening in the hood, shall not exceed a total of 0,05 m2.
4.2.4 Both left-orientated arrangements, as shown in Figure 1, and right-orientated arrangements (the trolley shown in Figure 1 mirrored around a vertical line) are allowed. To be able to remove side plates of the hood without removing the collector, attention should be paid to the connection between the frame of the SBI apparatus and the ceiling of the room. It should be possible to move the side plate outwards at the bottom.
NOTE The relative position of the frame in the test room depends on the details of the connection
between room and frame.
4.3 Materials
Commercial propane, of minimum purity 95 %.
4.4 Test apparatus
NOTE See Figures E.1 to E.35.
4.4.1 Trolley, on which two perpendicular specimen parts are placed, with a sandbox burner at the bottom of the vertical corner.
The trolley is put in place with its back side closing the opening in the wall of the test room; the air inlet under the floor of the trolley is provided with perforated plates (open area to total area 40 % to 60 %; perforation diameter 8 mm to 12 mm) to produce an evenly distributed flow along the floor of the test room.
Using a spirit level placed in the gully, periodically check the level of the L profile (behind the burner) and the C profile (in front of the specimen) to ensure they are horizontal. This will ensure that any material which melts and flows from the specimen will remain in the gulley during the test.
In addition, periodically measure the level of the platform in front of the burner to ensure this is also horizontal.
4.4.2 Fixed frame, in which the trolley is pushed and which supports the hood; a second burner
is fixed to the frame.
4.4.3 Hood, on top of the frame, which collects the combustion gases.
4.4.4 Collector, on top of the hood with baffles and a horizontal outlet for the exhaust duct.
4.4.5 Exhaust duct, circular tube of inner diameter (315 ± 5) mm, and insulated with 50 mm
high temperature resistant mineral wool, with the following parts (in flow direction):
— connection to the collector;
— ducting, of length 500 mm with four thermocouple mountings (for optional temperature
measurements) at a distance of at least 400 mm from the collector (drawing E25 part A;
optional);
— ducting, of length 1 000 mm (drawing E25 part B; optional);
— two 90° bends, (radius of curvature of axis 400 mm) (drawing E25 part C and D; optional);
connection to the collector with an optional J-shaped bend;
— ducting, of length 1 625 mm with guide vanes and an orifice; guide vane length 630 mm
closest to the collector at a minimum distance of 50 mm; directly behind the guide vanes a
(2,0 ± 0,5) mm thick circular orifice with inner opening diameter 265 mm and an outer
diameter of 314 mm (drawing E25 part E; mandatory);
— ducting, of length 2 155 mm with mountings for pressure-probe, four thermocouples, gassampling
probe and white light extinction system; this section is called the “general
measurement section” (drawing E25 part F; mandatory);
— ducting, of length 500 mm (drawing E25 part G; mandatory);
— connection to exhaust.
Attention should be paid to the fixing of the measuring duct. The total mass excluding probes, etc.
is about 250 kg.
4.4.6 Two identical sandbox burners (see Figure E.9), one in the bottom plate of the trolley
(the “main (primary) burner”), one fixed to a post of the frame (the “auxiliary (secondary)
burner”), with the following specifications:
a) Shape: right angled triangle (top view) with two equal sides of 250 mm, height 80 mm, bottom closed except for a 12,5 mm pipe socket at the gravitational centre, top open. A rightangled triangular perforated plate shall be positioned in the burner at a height of 10 mm above the bottom. Metal gauze with a maximum mesh size of 2 mm shall be positioned at heights of 12 mm and 60 mm above the bottom. All dimensions shall be within ± 2 mm. b) Material: box made of 1,5 mm stainless steel, filled from bottom to top with, successively, a 10 mm void, a layer of pebbles within a size distribution of 4 mm to 8 mm up to a height of 60 mm, and a top layer of sand within a size distribution of 2 mm to 4 mm up to a height of 80 mm. The metal gauze is used to stabilize the two layers and prevent the pebbles from entering the gas pipe socket. The pebbles and sand used shall be rounded (river) stones, not broken ones. c) Position of main (primary) burner: mounted in the tray (see Figures E.9 and E.19) and connected to the U-profile at the bottom of the specimen position. The top edge of the main (primary) burner shall be (25 ± 2) mm above the top edge of the U-profile.
d) Position of auxiliary (secondary) burner: fixed to the post of the frame opposite to the specimen corner, with the top of the burner at a height of (1 450 ± 5) mm from the floor of the test room (1 000 mm vertical distance to the hood), its diagonal parallel and nearest to the hypotenuse of the main (primary) burner.
e) The main (primary) burner is connected to U-profiles at the long and the short wing specimen position (see Figure E.18, part 10). In both U-profiles a blanking plate (see Figure E.19) is placed with its top at the same height as the top of the U-profile and at 0,3 m from the corner line between the mounted specimen wings (at the border of the burner zone, see 8.3.4). f) The main (primary) burner shall be protected with a tilted triangular grid when previous tests on the same type of product have led to an early termination to the test due to fallen material on the sand-bed in accordance with 8.5. The grid shall have a ratio of open area to total area of at least 90 %. One side of the grid shall be placed on the hypotenuse of the burner.
The tilt angle is (45 ± 5)° with the horizontal, measured along the line from the hypotenuse midpoint to the specimen corner. See Figure E.36.
4.4.7 Shield of rectangular shape, width (370 ± 5) mm, height (550 ± 5) mm, made of calcium
silicate board (specification the same as the backing boards), to protect the specimens from the
heat flux of the flames of the auxiliary (secondary) burner.
It shall be fixed to the hypotenuse side of the auxiliary (secondary) burner, centred in the
horizontal plane (shielding the total width of the diagonal plus (8 ± 3) mm at both sides) with the
top edge (470 ± 5) mm above the top level of the auxiliary (secondary) burner.
4.4.8 Mass flow controller with a range of at least 0 g/s to 2,3 g/s and an accuracy of 1 % of
the reading for the range 0,6 g/s to 2,3 g/s. The mass flow controller shall be calibrated annualy.
NOTE The propane flow of 2,3 g/s corresponds to a heat release of 107 kW using the effective lower
heat of combustion of propane (46 360 kJ/kg). The accuracy of 1 % is when either using air, nitrogen or
propane.
4.4.9 Switch, used to supply propane to either of the burners.
The switch shall prevent propane being supplied to both burners at the same time, except during burner switching time (the short period of time in which the auxiliary (secondary) burner is decreasing and the main (primary) burner is increasing in output). This burner switch response time, !determined in the step calibration and” calculated in accordance with C.2.1, shall be between 9 s and 12 s.
It shall be possible to operate the switch and the preceding main valve from outside the testing
room.
4.4.10 Backing boards, used to back the specimen wings in the trolley.
The backing boards shall be high density calcium silicate boards as defined in EN 13238 with a
thickness of (12 ± 3) mm. The dimensions of the backing boards shall be:
a) for the short wing: (at least 570 + thickness of the specimen) mm × (1 500 ± 5) mm;
b) for the long wing: (1 000 ± 5) mm × (1 500 ± 5) mm.
On the short wing, the backing board is wider than the specimen. The additional width shall extend at one side only. For specimens mounted with an air gap, the width of the backing board for the long wing shall be increased by an amount equal to the size of the air gap.” 4.4.11 Removable panel parts, to allow for additional airflow behind both specimen wings panels 22 and 25 in Figure E.20 shall be replaced by half panels, covering only the upper half of the space covered by panels 22 and 25. The panel shall only be removed under the conditions given in 5.2.2, a).
4.5 Smoke exhaust system
4.5.1 Under test conditions, the smoke exhaust shall be capable of continuously extracting a
volume flow, normalized to 298 K, of 0,50 m3/s to 0,65 m3/s.
4.5.2 The exhaust duct shall have two side ducts (circular tubes of inner diameter 45 mm)
horizontally perpendicular to and at the height of the longitudinal axis of the exhaust duct (see
Figures E.32 and E.33).
4.5.3 The two possible configurations of the extraction duct are given in Figure E.1. The trolley opening in the test room is at the topside in the configuration drawings. The orientation of the duct may deviate from Figure E.1 if proof is provided that this does not change the airflow over the specimen. Removal of the 180° bend in the extraction duct and replacement of the hemispherical pressure probe are acceptable, provided that it is proved that the uncertainty in flow measurement is equal or better.
NOTE Due to changes in heat output, some exhaust systems (especially those provided with local fans)
can need manual or automatic readjustment during tests, to meet the requirement given in 4.5.1.
The duct should be cleaned at intervals to avoid excessive accumulation of soot.
4.6 General measurement section equipment
NOTE See Figures E.28 to E.35.
4.6.1 Three thermocouples, all of the K-type in accordance with EN 60584-1:2013, diameter in the range 0,5 mm to 1 mm, sheathed and insulated.
The position of the tips shall be at a radius of (87 ± 5) mm from the axis and with 120° mutual
angular distance.
4.6.2 Hemispherical probe, connected to a pressure transducer with a range of at least 0 Pa to 100 Pa, and an accuracy of ± 2 Pa. !The opening of the sphere of the hemispherical probe shall face the incoming flow.” (See reference [4].)
The pressure transducer output shall have a 90 % response time of 1 s or better.
4.6.3 Gas sampling probe, connected to a gas conditioning unit and gas analysers for O2 and
CO2.
a) The O2 analyser shall be of the paramagnetic type and capable of measuring at least a range of 16 % to 21 % oxygen (VO2/Vair). The response time of the analyser shall be not more than 12 s (as measured in accordance with C.2.2). The noise and drift of the analyser shall be not more than 100 ppm over a period of 30 min (both as measured in accordance with C.1.3). The output from the analyser to the data acquisition system shall have a resolution of maximum 100 ppm.
b) The CO2 analyser shall be of the IR type and capable of measuring at least a range of 0 % to 10 % carbon dioxide. The linearity of the analyser shall be 1 % of full scale or better. The response time of the analyser shall be not more than 12 s (as measured in accordance with C.2.2). The output from the analyser to the data acquisition system shall have a resolution of maximum 100 ppm.
4.6.4 Light attenuation system, of the white light type, mounted with a flexible connection to the side ducts of the exhaust duct, and consisting of the following:
a) Lamp, of the incandescent filament type and operating at a colour temperature of (2 900 ± 100) K. The lamp shall be supplied with stabilized direct current, stable within ± 0,5 % (including temperature, short-term and long-term stability).
b) Lens system, to align the light to a parallel beam with a diameter of at least 20 mm. The photocell aperture shall be placed at the focus of the lens in front of it and it shall have a diameter, d, chosen with regard to the focal length of the lens, f, so that d/f is less than 0,04.
c) Detector, with a spectrally distributed responsivity agreeing with the CIE, V(γ)-function (the CIE photopic curves) to an accuracy of at least ± 5 %. The detector output shall, over an output range of at least two decades, be linear within 3 % of the measured transmission value or 1 % of the absolute transmission.
For the calibration of the light attenuation system, see C.1.5. The 90 % response time of the
system shall be not more than 3 s.
To prevent smoke being trapped in the side ducts and the deposition of soot on the optics, air shall be introduced into the side ducts either by self-suction or pressurized airflow. If pressurized airflow is used, the flow rate shall be no more than 5 l/min.
4.7 Other general equipment
4.7.1 Thermocouple, of the K-type in accordance with EN 60584-1:2013, diameter (2 ± 1) mm, installed on the outer wall of the testing room within 0,20 m of the trolley opening and less than 0,20 m above the floor, for measuring the ambient temperature of the air flow into the test room.
4.7.2 Equipment for measuring the ambient pressure, having an accuracy of ± 200 Pa (2
mbar).
4.7.3 Equipment for measuring the relative ambient air humidity, having an accuracy
of ± 5 % within the range 20 % to 80 %.
4.7.4 Data acquisition system (used to record the data automatically) having an accuracy equal to or better than 100 ppm (0,01 %) for O2 and CO2, 0,5 °C for the temperature measurements, 0,01 % of full scale instrument output for all other instruments and 0,1 s for time. The data acquisition system shall record and store the following quantities every 3 s (information on a data file format is given in Annex F):
a) time, in seconds;
b) mass flow of propane gas through the burner, in milligrams per second;
c) pressure difference from the hemispherical probe, in pascals;
d) relative light intensity, dimensionless;
e) O2 concentration, in (VO2/Vair) %;
f) CO2 concentration, in (VCO2/Vair) %;
g) ambient temperature at air inlet at bottom of trolley, in kelvins;
h) three temperatures in general measurement section, in kelvins.
5 Test specimen
5.1 Dimensions of specimen
5.1.1 The corner specimen consists of two wings, designated the short and long wings. The maximum thickness of a specimen is 200 mm.
Sheet products shall have the following dimensions:
a) short wing: (495 ± 5) mm × (1 500 ± 5) mm;
b) long wing: (1 000 ± 5) mm × (1 500 ± 5) mm.
NOTE If additional products are used to construct the specimen (in accordance with 5.3.2), the given
dimensions refer to the total specimen dimensions.
5.1.2 Specimens with a thickness of more than 200 mm shall be reduced to a thickness of 200…+10 mm by cutting away the unexposed surface, unless otherwise specified in the product specification.
5.1.3 Two horizontal lines shall be drawn on the front side of the long wing near the edge of the specimen farthest from the corner, to allow for observation of lateral flame spread reaching the edge between a height of (500 ± 3) mm and (1 000 ± 3) mm above the bottom edge of the specimen. Each line width shall be a maximum of 3 mm.
5.2 Mounting of specimen
5.2.1 Mounting as in end use application
When products are tested, mounted as in their end use application, the test results are valid only
for that application.
5.2.2 Standard mounting
When products are tested using a standard mounting, the test results are valid for that end use application and can be valid for a wider range of end use applications. The standard mounting used and its range of validity shall be in accordance with the relevant product specifications, and the following:
a) Boards that are free standing in their end use application shall be tested free standing at a
distance of at least 80 mm from the backing board. Boards that have in the end use application a ventilated cavity behind it shall be tested with a cavity of at least 40 mm width as well as with the smallest possible cavity width in the end-use application. For these two types of boards the sides of the cavity farthest away from the corner shall be open, the panels in accordance with 4.4.11 shall be removed and the cavities behind both specimen wings shall be in open connection. For other types of boards the sides of the cavity farthest away from the corner shall be closed, the panels in accordance with 4.4.11 shall be in place and the cavities behind both specimen wings shall not be in open connection.
b) Boards that are fixed mechanically to a substrate in the end use application shall be tested fixed to a substrate using appropriate fixings. Fixings that stick out of the specimen surface shall be placed in such a way that the specimen wing can be placed against the U-profile at the bottom and against the other specimen wing at its side, over its full length.
c) Boards that in their end use application are fixed mechanically to a substrate with a cavity behind it shall be tested with a cavity between substrate and backing board. The distance between the substrate and the backing board shall be at least 40 mm.
d) Products that in their end use application are glued to a substrate shall be tested glued to a substrate. e) Products tested with a horizontal joint shall be tested with a horizontal joint in the long wing at a height of 500 mm from the bottom edge of the specimen. Products tested with a vertical joint shall be tested with a vertical joint in the long wing at a distance of 200 mm from the corner line, measured when the wings are mounted ready for testing. The centre line of the joint is decisive.
NOTE 1 The bottom edge of the specimen is not visible when the specimen is installed in the trolley. The
height is measured from the bottom edge of the specimen, not from the top of the U-profile of the trolley.
f) Multi-layered products with air channels shall be tested with vertical channels.
g) Standard substrates shall meet the requirements of EN 13238. The dimensions of the
substrates shall be in accordance with the dimensions of the specimens (see 5.1.1):
1) for the short wing, the substrate shall be the length of the small wing plus the specimen
and substrate thickness;
2) the substrate for the long wing shall be identical to the lateral and vertical dimensions of
the specimen.
h) Non-flat products shall be tested in such a way that not more than 30 % of a representative area of 250 mm by 250 mm of the exposed surface area is more than 10 mm behind the vertical plane through the rear side of the U-profile. Non-flat products may be reshaped and/or may partly extend over the U-profile to the side of the burner to fulfil this requirement. A product shall not extend over the burner (i.e. maximum extension over the U-profile is 40 mm).
i) If a product is not normally produced in a size large enough to provide one single test specimen for each specimen side, a special specimen shall be prepared as follows: Installation of full size products should be started at the bottom of the corner joint between both wings. The specimen shall then be constructed from full size pieces of the product radiating outwards from this bottom corner so that the cut pieces are located at the edges of the specimen walls.
Where the horizontal and/or vertical joint, in accordance with 5.2.2, e), is present in the test specimen, the positioning of the joints shall always prevail. The area of the parts of the long wing formed as a consequence of the horizontal and/or vertical joints shall be filled with full size products starting at the bottom corner, and again, with full size pieces, at the corner between the horizontal and vertical joints.
Products are mounted for testing against the rear side of the U-profile (see 5.3.1). A mounted,
totally flat product is therefore positioned in the vertical plane against the rear of the U-profile.
Since the position of the surface influences the heat received from the burner flames, the major
parts of a non-flat product should not be far behind the vertical plane through the rear side of the
U-profile.
NOTE 2 Figure 2 is an example of an arrangement of the specimen and backing board.
5.3 Installation of the specimen wings in the trolley
5.3.1 The specimen wings shall be placed in the trolley as follows:
a) The short wing specimen and backing board are placed on the trolley, with the extending part of the backing board at the main (primary) burner side and the bottom edge of the specimen against the short U-profile on the trolley floor.
b) The long wing specimen and backing board are placed on the trolley, with the side edge of the backing board against the extending backing board of the short wing and the bottom edge of the specimen against the long U-profile on the trolley floor.
c) Both wings shall be clamped at the top and the bottom.
d) To ensure that the corner joint within the backing boards does not widen during the test, a metallic L-profile, length 1 500 mm, shall be placed against the reverse side edge of the corner formed between the two wings. Connect the L-profile to the backing boards using fixings at a maximum of 250 mm centres.
5.3.2 The exposed edges of the products and the joint in the corner may be protected using additional products, if this is in accordance with its end use application. When additional products are used, the width of the wings including the additional product shall be in accordance with 5.1.1.
5.3.3 After installation of the specimen on the trolley, the following aspects shall be photographed:
a) A total view of the exposed surface of the long wing. The centre point of the long wing shall be in the centre of the view. The camera shall be directed perpendicular to the surface of the long wing.
b) A close-up of the vertical outer edge of the long wing at a height of 500 mm above the floor of the trolley. The camera angle shall be horizontal and at about 45° to the vertical plane of the wing.
c) If additional products (in accordance with 5.3.2) are used a close-up of the edges and/or
joints where the products are applied.
5.4 Number of specimens
At least three specimens (three sets of long plus short wing) shall be tested in accordance with Clause 8.
If the product being tested has an orientational effect and this document or the product standard does not specify the orientation which has to be tested, the one specimen of the product shall be tested once in both directions. The test shall then be completed by test on the configuration with the worst classification parameters a further two times. This is only valid if one orientation has worse results for all classification parameters (FIGRA0,2 MJ, FIGRA0,4 MJ, THR600s, SMOGRA, TSP600s,
LSF, burning droplets/particles). If some parameters are worse in one direction and others in the other direction, three specimen shall be tested in both directions.
7 Principle
A test specimen, consisting of two vertical wings forming a right-angled corner, is exposed to the flames from a burner placed at the bottom of the corner (the “main (primary) burner”). The flames are obtained by combustion of propane gas, diffused through a sandbox and give a heat output of (30,7 ± 2,0) kW.
The performance of the test specimen is evaluated over a period of 20 min. The performance parameters are: heat production, smoke production, lateral (horizontal) flame spread and falling flaming droplets and particles.
A short period before ignition of the main (primary) burner is used to measure the heat output and smoke development of the burner only, using an identical burner away from the specimen (the “auxiliary (secondary) burner”).
Some measurements are performed automatically, some are made by visual observation. The exhaust duct is equipped with sensors to measure the temperature, light attenuation, O2 and CO2 mole fraction and a flow induced pressure difference in the duct. These quantities are recorded automatically and used to calculate the volume flow, the heat release rate (HRR) and the smoke production rate (SPR).
Visual observations are made of the horizontal flame spread and falling of flaming droplets and
particles.
8 Test procedure
8.1 General
Perform the steps in 8.2 in sequence, with the measuring equipment operating and the trolley
with the test specimen and the main (primary) burner placed in the frame, under the hood. The
entire testing procedure until the end of the test shall be carried out within 2 h of removal of the
specimen from the conditioning environment.
All electronic devices and pumps shall be switched on sufficiently long beforehand to reach equilibrium before conducting any calibration or testing.
Half an hour has been found suitable for most devices. The stabilization time of gas-analysers
however is much longer. It is recommended that the gas-analysers remain on all the time.
8.2 Testing operations
Set the volume flow of the exhaust, V298(t), to (0,60 ± 0,05) m3/s [(calculated in accordance
with A.5.1.1, a))]. This volume flow shall be within the range 0,50 m3/s to 0,65 m3/s during the
total test period.
NOTE Due to changes in heat output, some exhaust systems (especially those provided with local fans)
can need manual or automatic readjustment during the test, to meet the requirement given.
8.2.2 Record the temperatures T1, T2 and T3 of the thermocouples in the exhaust duct and the
ambient temperature for at least 300 s. The ambient temperature shall be within (20 ± 10) °C,
and the temperatures in the duct shall not differ more than 6 °C from the ambient temperature.
8.2.3 Ignite the pilot flames of both burners (if pilot flames are used). Changes in the gas supply
to the pilot flames during the tests shall not exceed 5 mg/s.
8.2.4 Record the pre-test conditions. The data to be recorded are given in 8.3.2.
8.2.5 Start the time measurement with the chronometer and the automatic recording of data.
The time of start is t = 0 s. The data to be recorded are given in 8.4.
8.2.6 At t = (120 ± 5) s: Ignite the auxiliary (secondary) burner and adjust the propane mass
flow mgas to (647 ± 10) mg/s. The adjustments shall be made before t = 150 s. The mass flow shall
be within this range during the total test period.
NOTE The time period 210 s < t < 270 s is used to measure the base line for the heat release rate.
8.2.7 At t = (300 ± 5) s: Switch the propane supply from the auxiliary (secondary) burner to the
main (primary) burner.
8.2.8 Observe the burning behaviour of the specimen for a period of 1 260 s and record the data
on the record sheet. The data to be recorded are given in 8.3.3 and 8.3.4.
NOTE The nominal exposure period of the specimen to the flames of the main (primary) burner is
1 260 s. The performance is evaluated over a period of 1 200 s.
8.2.9 At t ≥ 1 560 s:
a) terminate the gas supply to the burner;
b) stop the automatic recording of data.
8.2.10 Record the end of test conditions on the record sheet at least 1 min after any remaining
combustion of the specimen has been totally extinguished. The data to be recorded are given
in 8.3.5.
The end of test conditions should be recorded without the influence of remaining combustion. If
the specimen is difficult to extinguish totally, the trolley can be removed.
8.3 Visual observation and manual recording of data
8.3.1 General
The quantities mentioned in this clause shall be observed visually and recorded in the format
given. The observer shall be provided with a chronometer equipped with an event logger. The
observations shall be recorded on a record sheet, of which an example is given in Annex G.
8.3.2 Pre-test conditions
The following quantities shall be recorded:
a) ambient pressure (Pa);
b) ambient relative humidity (%H2O);
c) ambient temperature (°C).
8.3.3 Lateral flame spread on the long wing
The lateral (horizontal) flame spread shall be recorded as the occurrence of sustained flames
reaching the far edge of the long wing specimen at any height between 500 mm and 1 000 mm at
any time during the test. The determining phenomenon shall be the boundary of sustained
flaming for a minimum period of 5 s at the surface of the specimen.
If the lateral flame spread criteria is not met, additional tests may be conducted, at request of the
sponsor, with the large wing having a width of 1 m plus the thickness of the specimen.
If in three additional tests the flame does not reach the edge of the long wing, the LFS criterion
shall be considered to be met.
8.3.4 Flaming particles or droplets
If flaming particles or droplets are expected, the test shall be recorded continuously using a
suitable high resolution camera.
The fall of flaming droplets or particles shall be recorded only within the first 600 s of the exposure period and only when the droplets/particles reach the floor level of the trolley (the level of the lower edge of the specimen) outside the burner zone. The burner zone is defined as the trolley floor area at the front side of the specimen wings, less than 0,3 m from the corner line between the specimen wings, as illustrated in Figure 3. The following occurrences shall be recorded:
a) the fall of a flaming droplet/particle, in the given time interval and area, that remains flaming for not more than 10 s after falling;
b) the fall of a flaming droplet/particle, in the given time interval and area, that remains flaming for more than 10 s after falling.
A quarter circle drawn on the floor of the trolley is needed to mark the boundary of the burner zone. The line width shall be less than 3 mm.
Flaming parts of the specimen touching the floor of the trolley outside the burner zone should be regarded as fallen particles although the part concerned can still be an integral part of the specimen (e.g. bending of a weakened product).
NOTE To prevent molten material from flowing from inside to outside the burner zone, an obstruction
plate is placed in both long and short wing U-profiles on the border of the burner zone (see 4.4.6).
9 Expression of results
9.1 For each test, the burning behaviour of the product shall be represented by graphs of average heat release rate HRRav(t), total heat release THR(t), and 1 000 × HRRav(t)/(t – 300), for the time interval 0 ≤ t ≤ 1 500 s; the values for the fire growth rate indices FIGRA0,2 MJ and FIGRA0,4 MJ, and the total heat release within 600 s THR600s, calculated in accordance with A.5, and the occurrence or not of lateral flame spread up to the edge of the specimen in accordance with 8.3.3.
9.2 For each test, the smoke production behaviour of the product shall be given as the graphs of SPRav(t), total smoke production TSP(t) and 10 000 × SPRav(t)/(t – 300), for the time interval 0 ≤ t ≤ 1 500 s; and the values for the smoke growth rate index SMOGRA and the total smoke production within 600 s TSP600s, calculated in accordance with A.6.
9.3 For each test, the behaviour of the product regarding the production of flaming droplets and particles shall be given as the occurrence, or not, of one or both categories of fallen flaming droplets and particles, in accordance with 8.3.4, a) or b) respectively.
10 Test report
The test report shall include the following information. A clear distinction shall be made between
the data provided by the sponsor and data determined by the test:
a) a reference that the test was carried out in accordance with this document;
b) any deviations from the test method;
c) name and address of the testing laboratory;
d) date and identification number of the report;
e) name and address of the sponsor;
f) name and address of the manufacturer/supplier, if known;
g) date of sample arrival;
h) identification of the product;
i) description of the sampling procedure, where relevant;
j) a general description of the product tested including the density, mass per unit area and thickness, together with the form of construction of the test specimen;
k) description of substrate and fixing to the substrate (if used);
l) details of conditioning;
m) date of test;
n) test results expressed in accordance with Clause 9 including method of smoke calculation
(A.6.1.2);
o) photographs in accordance with 5.3.3;
p) observations made during the test;
q) the following statement: “The test results relate to the behaviour of the test specimens of a product under the particular conditions of the test; they are not intended to be the sole criterion for assessing the potential fire hazard of the product in use”.
Single Burning Item Test Chamber According to EN 13823
The SBI test is in accordance with DIN EN 13823 for classification into the European classes A1, A2, B, C and D (EN 13501). The classification “table” covers building/ construction products under the CPR (Construction Products Regulation) excluding a few product groups like floorings and so-called linear products, e.g., cables.
FIGRA is one of the main parameter for classification of building products based on the SBI test. It is used for the prediction of the burning behavior of a great number of building products in real-life fire scenarios.
Method
The product specimen is mounted on the trolley rig forming a room corner. It is exposed to flames with a heat release of 30 kW for a period of 20 minutes. Heat and smoke production is measured within the ducting for the exhaust hood, and flame spread is observed during the test. The specimen consists of two parts which form a rightangled corner. A triangular propane diffusion gas burner acts as the heat and ignition source. The fire behavior of the specimen is observed for 20 minutes. The test configuration has a floor but no ceiling. Floor, specimen and burner are located on a trolley that can be removed from the room for easy mounting of the specimens. A hood collects the combustion gases. The gases are transported through a collector where the heat output is used for calculating the release rate (HRR), THR and FIGRA while the amount of smoke is used for calculating SPR, TSP and SMOGRA. Flame spread and burning droplets/ particles are visually observed.
Assembly Frame
The assembly frame is made of steel in a square design and lined with 2-cm-thick calcium silicate panels. The dimensions are 245 cm x 148 cm x 148 cm (HxWxD).
Specimen Trolley
The trolley is a welded square tube design made of steel and lined with calcium silicate panels. It has an air inlet, which ensures constant airflow. Placement of the specimen on the trolley should approximate the real-life situation as closely as possible. This includes the substrate beneath the specimen and mounting. The maximum dimensions of the specimen can amount to 20 cm in length x 49.5 cm in width x 150 cm. Up to 8 angle holders are available to support the specimen.
Main and Auxiliary Burners
The main burner is installed in the sample corner at the base. It is made of stainless steel and has a triangular shape. The bottom is closed with an integrated pipe connection for the gas supply;the top of the burner is open. The auxiliary burner is affixed to the assembly frame. Both burners include a check valve, ignition burner and flame detector.
Exhaust Hood, Collector and
Measuring Section The hood is made of stainless steel and insulated with replaceable Vermiculite panels. The collector is also made of stainless steel but insulated with mineral wool panels. The measuring section is a J-shaped, double-walled measuring tube also insulated with mineral wool. It contains a bidirectional sensor (or hemispherical probe in accordance with EN 13823:2020) for measuring the differential pressure, a type-K thermocouple, a gas sample probe and a light measuring system with a connection to compressed air flushing for the measurement of heat and smoke production. The assembly offers sensors for measuring roomtemperature and relative air humidity at ambient pressure.
Test Chamber
The walls of the test chamber carry a self-supporting ceiling, which allows for a maximum load of 100 kg/m2. For opening, a door and windows made of glass are integrated.
Exhaust Fan with Accessories
A direct-driven radial fan (process fan) allows for a maximum exhaust temperature of 300°C during continuous operation. The use of a frequency converter allows for exact and continuously regulation of requested flow rates.
FEATURES AT A GLANCE
∙ Base frame with calcium silicate lining
∙ Furnace with specimen trolley, exhaust hood, collector, measuring section, gas installation (gas installation with digital gas flow controller, pressure regulators and magnet valves), burners and sensors
∙ Test chamber with 2 windows, door, security ladder, handrail, accessible for service purposes
∙ Specimen trolley with calcium silicate lining
∙ Insulated extraction hood and collector made of stainless steel for protection from aggressive gases
∙ Main and auxiliary burners of stainless steel with filling, ignition device and flame detector
∙ Exhaust radial fan with volume flow control for constant exhaust flow (digital), with frequency converter
∙ Components for measuring data acquisition and control of all processes
∙ Insulated measuring tube section with bidirectional probe, NiCrNi thermocouples, light measurement system, and gas sampling probe
∙ Measuring and control unit with gas analyzer, measuring gas processing, measuring and control modules, and RS485 interface
∙ 19” PC rack, PC, monitor, printer
∙ Various options and accessories for extension of the exhaust system and calibration of the system
∙ Single license for the software