- Author
-
Hartzell, L. G.
- Title
- Development of a Radiant Panel Test for Flooring Materials. Final Report, 1972-1973. [Revised Version of NBSIR 74-427 Issued March 1974.]
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
-
NBSIR 74-495
May 1974
78 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
carpets
|
fire tests
|
flammability
|
heat flux
|
ignition
|
radiant panel test method
- Abstract
- This paper summarizes the work of a year long program to continue the development of a radiant panel type test for flooring materials, the original concept of which was developed at the Armstrong Cork Company's Research and Development Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This program at the National Bureau of Standards had as its goal, the further development of the test for possible adoption as a standard ASTM test method. The program work was divided into five phases. During the first phase, an attempt was made to duplicate the performance of the original apparatus in a similar one at the National Bureau of Standards Laboratory. The proof of this duplication was shown in replicate testing using a wide range of flooring on both apparati. In the second phase of the program, a new set of test conditions were found in an attempt to eliminate some of the more serious equipment and procedural problems of the test. These new conditions provided the test with the ability to rate flooring materials according to their ability to resist the surface spread flames. Under the third and fourth phases of the program, the effects of changes in some test parameters was investigated and other test caharacteristics were measured. Phase V, the data analysis and report, concluded the program.