- Author
- Babrauskas, V.
- Title
- North American Experiences in the Use of Cone Calorimeter Data for Classification of Products.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Book or Conf
- EUREFIC (European Reaction to Fire Classification). Performance Based Reaction to Fire Classification, International Seminar. September 11-12, 1991, Interscience Communications Ltd., London, England, Copenhagen, Denmark, 89-103 p., 1991
- Keywords
- classifications | cone calorimeters | wall linings | ceilings | room fires | mathematical models | equations
- Abstract
- North American building codes traditionally use the concept of 'non-combustible' required of products to be used in certain applications, plus other requirements, which can be considered 'degrees of combustibility'. Non-combustibility is intended to ensure a low heat release rate. However, these traditional concepts are not entirely in harmony with current fire protection engineering, where only a single, quantitative scale for heat release rate exists. This scale should be used to quantify the performance of products for any required applications. Nonetheless, as an intermediate step, it is shown that replacement of non-combustibility and various degree-of-combustibility requirements by heat release-based measurements may be fruitful. In recent years, the acceptance and widespread use of the Cone Calorimeter (ISO DIS 5660) has prompted a number of exploratory studies. The goal of these studies has been to determine if a heat release-based substitute for these traditional measures could be established. Such a scheme would correct existing classification anomalies, but otherwide classify products into exactly the same categories as used by these building codes at the present. In this paper, the progress of these exploratory studies towards this goal is reviewed, and it is found that such a replacement is feasible and appropriate.