Acomparison of the european SBI test and reaction-to-fire tests in north america

摘要

Building regulations put restrictions on the use of combustible floor coverings, wall linings, and ceiling materials to limit their contribution to a growing fire. These resetrictions vary depending on the type and use of a building, and may be more or less stringent for different locations inside the building. Typically, they are implemented in the form of requirements for minimum performance in one or several standard test methods. The tests measure flammability characteristics that are an indication of the reaction and contribution of a material to a fire. Therfore, they are commonly referred to as reaction-to-fire test. Building regulations use a classification system that defines different levels of reaction-to-fire test perf9rmance. The primary reaction-to-fire test method in the US in the so-called tunnel test, ASTM E 84. Based on the extent of flame spread and smoke developed in the test, interior finish materials are classified in one on three classes: A, B, or C. However, for certain types of materials, e.g., testile wall coverings, it was found that tunnel test data are incosistent with real fire performance. A standard full-scale room test is required for these materials, i.e., UBC 8-2 for textile wall coverings. The ASTM E 84 tunnel test and UBC 8-2 room test are beiefly described in the next section.