- Author
-
Lee, T. G.
|
Huggett, C.
- Title
- Interlaboratory Evaluation of ASTM E 84-70 Tunnel Test Applied to Floor Coverings.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Journal
-
Journal of Testing and Evaluation,
Vol. 3,
No. 1,
3-14,
1975
- Keywords
-
tunnel tests
|
ASTM E84
|
floor coverings
|
fire tests
|
interlaboratory evaluation
|
carpets
|
flame spread test
|
smoke measurement
|
reproducibility
|
flammability testing
- Abstract
- Results of an interlaboratory evaluation of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Test for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials (E 84-70), involving eleven laboratories and nine materials including four carpets, are reported. Data on flame spread, smoke, and fuel contribution were analyzed statistically to determine the reproducibility and repeatability of the test method. 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 are not definitely known but may reasonably be attributed to variations in tunnel construction, instrumentation, and operation in different laboratories