- Author
-
Lee, T. G.
|
Huggett, C.
- Title
- Interlaboratory Evaluation of the Tunnel Test (ASTM E 84) Applied to Floor Coverings. Final Report
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NBSIR 73-125,
March 1973,
56 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
tunnel tests
|
ASTM E84
|
floor coverings
|
fire tests
|
interlaboratory evaluation
|
carpets
|
flame spread test
|
building materials
|
round-robin
|
statistical analysis
|
test methods
- Abstract
- Results of an interlaboratory evaluation of the ASTM E84 tunnel test method involving eleven laboratories and nine materials, including four carpets, are reported. Data on flame spread, smoke, and fuel contribution are analyzed statistically. Selected physical characteristics of each tunnel are tabulated and compared relative to specifications in the test method. The between-laboratory coefficient of variation (reproducibility) in flame spread classification (FSC) was found to range from 7 to 29% for the four carpets and from 18 to 43% for the other materials tested. The between-laboratory coefficients of variation for smoke developed and fuel contribution ranged from 34 to 85% and from 22 to 117%, respectively, for all materials tested. The causes of higher variability in smoke and fuel contribution measurement between laboratories is not definitely known but may reasonably be attributed to variations in tunnel construction, maintenance, and operation, in the location of photometers, and in the mounting of thermocouples in different laboratories. Some variability of results may possibly be due to variation in test specimens. Variation in construction and measurement techniques among tunnels may be minimized by updating the test method standards.