Fire Classification of Construction Products and Building Elements
BS EN 13501-1: 2007+A1:2009 Fire classification of construction products and building elements — Part 1: Classification using data from reaction to fire tests
About EN 13501-1
With the fire science and fire engineering research in the field continued to deepen, the content on the combustion characteristics is from flame spreading simply extended to include the combustion heat release rate, combustion heat release, smoke density and other parameters. The EN 13501-1 classification system is actively considering the above parameters, and therefore more scientific. EN 13501-1 provides a number of testing methods take into account both the actual fire scenario, but also took into account end-use of materials, which is more practical representation.
Classes of Reaction to Fire Performance
The classes with three product categories are shown as follow:
? Construction products excluding floorings and linear pipe thermal insulation products (A1, A2, B, C, D, E and F)
? Floorings (A1fl, A2 fl, B fl, C fl, D fl, E fl and F fl)
? Linear pipe thermal insulation products (A1L, A2L, BL, CL, DL, EL and FL)
Test methods
The following test methods are specified in relation to the envisaged reaction to fire classification.
? Non-combustibility test (EN ISO 1182)
? Heat of combustion test (EN ISO 1716)
? Single burning item test (EN 13823)
? Ignitability test (EN ISO 11925-2)
? Determination of the burning behaviour of floorings, using a radiant heat source (EN ISO 9239-1)
Non-Combustibility Test (EN ISO 1182)
? This test identifies products that will not, or not significantly contribute to a fire, regardless of their end use.
? The test is relevant for the classes A1, A2, A1fl, A2 fl, A1L and A2L.
Heat of Combustion Test (EN ISO 1716)
? This test determines the potential maximum total heat release of a product when completely burning, regardless of its end use.
? The test is relevant for the classes A1, A2, A1fl, A2 fl, A1L and A2L。
Single Burning Item Test (EN 13823)
? This test evaluates the potential contribution of a product to the development of a fire, under a fire situation simulating a single burning item in a room corner near to that product.
? The test is relevant for the classes A2, A2L, B, BL, C, CL, D and DL.
Ignitability Test (EN ISO 11925-2)
? This test evaluates the ignitability of a product under exposure to a small flame.
? The test is relevant for the classes B, C, D, E, Bfl, Cfl, Dfl, Efl, BL, CL, DL and EL.
Determination of the Burning Behaviour of Floorings, Using a Radiant Heat Source (EN ISO 9239-1)
? This test evaluates the critical radiant flux below which flames no longer spread over a horizontal surface.
? The test is relevant for the classes A2fl, Bfl, Cfl, Dfl and Efl.
Burning Test of Plastic, Rubber and Cellular Plastic
? Horizontal Burning Test; HB
(UL94, ASTM D 635 or IEC60695-11-10)
? 50W (20 mm) Vertical Burning Test; V-0, V-1, or V-2
(UL94, ASTM D 3801 or IEC 60695-11-10)
? 500 W (125 mm) Vertical Burning Test; 5VA or 5VB
(UL94, ASTM D 5048 or IEC 60695-11-20)
? Thin Material Vertical Burning Test;VTM-0,VTM-1 or VTM-2
(UL94, ASTM D 4804, or ISO 9773)
? Horizontal Burning Foamed Material Test; HBF, HF-1 or HF-2
(UL94, ASTM D 4986 or ISO 9772)
Flammability Test of Textile and Curtain
? Fire tests for flame propagation of textiles and films (NFPA 701)
? Fabrics for curtains, drapes and window blinds - Flammability requirements (BS 5867-2)
? Textile fabrics - Measurement of flame spread properties of vertically oriented specimens (EN ISO 6941)