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Flammability Test Procedure for Seating
This test procedure is designed to test seating furniture for use in occupancies that are identified as or considered to be public occupancies. Such facilities might include, but are not limited to, jails, prisons, nursing care homes, health care facilities, public auditoriums, hotels and motels.
This test procedure is not intended to be used for the evaluation of residential furniture. It is the intent of the Bureau that furniture complying with Technical Bulletin 133 be safer furniture when subjected to the ignition source specified by this test. This type of ignition may be typical of arson or incendiary fires or common accidental fires in public buildings. This Bureau expects manufacturers attempting to comply with this standard will also seek to make safer furniture, and will not attempt to compromise the intent of the standard in any manner.
Test Facility
The test burn room shall be 12 x 10 feet or a close approximation with an 8-foot ceiling height. The room shall have no openings other than a doorway opening approximately 38 x 81 inches, located as indicated in Figures 1 and 2, and such other small openings that may be necessary to make test measurements. The test room shall be constructed of wooden or metal studs and lined with fire rated gypsum wallboard. Tests may be conducted in rooms of different physical dimensions than those specified, for example, the proposed ASTM room, when equivalent test results can be demonstrated. In addition, if compliance is claimed using the heat release criteria, tests performed using a furniture calorimeter are acceptable. When using test rooms of different dimensions or a furniture calorimeter the ignition source must be as specified in Section V of this standard.
The test burn room shall be instrumented to monitor temperature, carbon monoxide concentration, smoke opacity and sample weight loss. Other test room instrumentation may be added as required. In addition, the test facility may be instrumented to measure total heat release and heat release rate when compliance with the alternate heat release criteria is claimed. A typical system used to measure heat release, on the principle of oxygen consumption, is described in Appendix A.
The test room shall be unfurnished except for the test sample. The test sample shall be positioned as indicated in Figure 1 or 2.
Test Sample
The test sample shall consist of typical seating furniture suitable for use in public occupancies, or a full-scale mock-up of the furniture. When a full-scale furniture mockup is used, the mock-up shall in all respects (including fabrics, filling materials,
combustible decorative parts and furniture style) reflect the construction of the actual furniture that it is intended to represent. See Appendix D.
Test Conditioning
The test sample and newsprint shall be conditioned for at least 48 hours prior to testing at 70±5°F and a relative humidity of less than 55%. Test materials shall be tested within 10 minutes of removal from such conditions if test room conditions differ from the above.
Test Ignition Source
The test ignition source shall be a square gas burner as described in Appendix C.
An ignition source of five double sheets of loosely wadded newsprint contained in an ignition box, as described in Appendix B, may be used as a screening test.
An ignition source of five double sheets of loosely wadded newsprint contained in an ignition box, as described in Appendix B, may be used as a screening test.
Test Procedure
Position thermocouple in two test locations (see Figure 1 or 2):
1. Over the geometric center of the ignition source, one inch below the ceiling. This shall be designated as the ceiling thermocouple.
2. Three feet in front of the ignition source, four feet below the ceiling. This shall be designated as the 4 foot thermocouple.
Position a smoke opacity monitor in one test location (see Figure 1 or 2): Four feet above the floor level. This shall be designated as the 4-foot smoke opacity monitor.
The gas sampling line shall be positioned 6.5 inches below the ceiling and 6.5 inches from the corner (see Figure 1 or 2).
A weighing platform shall support the base of the furniture 5±2 inches above the floor. The furniture and weighing platform shall be positioned in the corner so that the furniture is no more than 10 inches from both walls. If the seating furniture is no more than 40 inches in width, refer to Figure 1. If the seating furniture is more than 40 inches, refer to Figure 2.
If the seating furniture is no more than 40 inches in width, the square gas burner shall be positioned at the center of the crevice area, 2 inches from the furniture back and 1 inch above the seat surface. (See Figures 12D and 13).
If the seating furniture is more than 40 inches in width, the square gas burner shall be positioned 5 inches from the left arm crevice or edge of the seating surface. (See Figures 12D and 14).
The gas flow through the square gas burner, described in Appendix C, shall be maintained for 80±2 seconds.
Allow combustion to continue until:
1. All combustion has ceased; or
2. 1.0 hour of testing has elapsed; or
3. Flameover or flashover appears to be inevitable.
Test Criteria
Seating furniture fails to meet the requirements of this test procedure if any of the following criteria are exceeded in a room test using the room instrumentation.
1. A temperature increase of 200°F or greater at the ceiling thermocouple.
2. A temperature increase of 50°F or greater at the 4-foot thermocouple.
3. Greater than 75% opacity at the 4-foot smoke opacity monitor.
4. Carbon monoxide concentration in the room, as measured in accordance
with Section VI, Part C, of 1000 ppm or greater for 5 minutes.
5. Weight loss due to combustion of 3 pounds or greater in the first 10
minutes of the test. Seating furniture fails to meet the requirements of this test procedure if any of the
following criteria are exceeded in a room test using oxygen consumption calorimetry.
1. A maximum rate of heat release of 80 kW or greater.
2. A total heat release of 25 MJ or greater in the first 10 minutes of the test.
3. Greater than 75% opacity at the 4-foot smoke opacity monitor.
4. Carbon monoxide concentration in the room, as measured in accordance with Section VI, Part C, of 1000 ppm or greater for 5 minutes.
It is not required that all of the above criteria in VII A and VII B, be measured. Furniture must comply with the criteria described in VII A or VII B. When a furniture calorimeter is used furniture must comply with Criteria B, 1 and 2.
2018-09-12 16:49
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