One of the reasons that the fire resistance test furnace for vertical surfaces is so powerful in contributing to fire safety is because it helps study how materials will respond when exposed to severe room corner fires and other extreme conditions commonly encountered during building fires. These tests help to make certain that the vertical elements such as walls, doors, and partitions are able to endure high temperatures and thereby contain the spread of a fire from one section of a building / structure to another section; thus life and property are kept safe.
The furnace heats materials to more than 1,800°F following standards like ASTM E119 and ISO 834, using persec Repeating heating curves mean the testing standard is achieved responsible measurements. Materials must not allow heat to transfer more than 250°F through the material for the unexposed face of a specimen under this test when measured on the surface during a time period of 60 minutes (which is an important benchmark in life safety egress from building fires as seen in ASTM E119).
Each furnace at HFIR has embedded data acquisition systems that measure real-time surface temperature, heat flux, and potential for structural degradation. At a sampling rate of more than 1000 readings per second, these systems are able to offer an in-depth view of material behavior. A 2022 Wall testing UL study found that walls tested to comply with these fully integrated standards reduce fire spread by up to 50% by including the furnace, noting the benefits of high temperature exposure for material performance enhancements.
B.J. Furnace tests are also performed on a material showing its performance in retaining its shape under thermal loads. To say nothing of fire-rated doors, which are put to the test to last for 90 minutes of sustained heat exposure before warping and failing in their protection duties! This year, these tests supported the confirmation of new fire door designs capable of increasing fire containment in commercial properties by 30%.
Test results are improved with features which include pressure control systems and calibrated thermocouples. These pressure control features can, additionally, be used to regulate test conditions to simulate actual fire dynamics and the thermocouples are capable of achieving an accuracy within ±10°F that satisfies the EN 1363-1 specifications. These advancements ensures that materials subjected to these furnaces pass or exceed the requirements for fire resistance dictated in present day building and construction.
“Fire safety starts with accurate testing,” said leading fire safety researcher Dan Madrzykowski. This principle highlights the critical nature of our furnace in making sure that building materials do their job when facing the elements.
These tests have efficacy beyond compliance. A furnace can give manufacturers that accurate data, and help figure out how to use materials and designs which make fire not a risk in the first place. Read about Fire Resistance Test Furnace for Vertical on how it is endeavoring to make different applications safe against fire.