Modern fire science research shows that the heat release rate of materials is an important factor in fire hazard analysis. It not only plays a decisive role in the development of fire, but also affects other fire disaster factors. The heat release rate of a material is also the most important parameter in the combustion performance of a material. A more accurate measurement of the heat release rate during the combustion process of a material is extremely important for predicting fire hazards and their flame retardant treatment. The EN ISO5560-1 standard is the most commonly used test standard for combustion heat release rate, and many standards use the ISO5660-1 standard for fire performance evaluation.
The EN ISO 5660-1 standard is a test method for the heat release and heat release rate of materials. The fire performance of the material is evaluated by the amount of heat release.
ISO 5660-1 Reaction to fire tests-Heat release, smoke production and mass loss rate-Part 1: Heat release rate (cone calorimeter method)
ISO 5660-1 Standard overview
The cone calorimetry test is currently the most advanced method for evaluating the reaction of materials to fire. The test is based on the oxygen consumption principle of material combustion, that is, the heat generated by consuming unit mass of oxygen when the tested material is completely combusted with oxygen.
This method is measured in accordance with the international standard ISO 5660-1. To
In addition, smoke production and smoke toxicity can be measured during the test.
The test mainly evaluates the following test items:
Flammability;
Flame propagation;
Smoke output;
Smoke toxicity;
ISO 5660-1 Reference standard
ISO 554 Pretreatment and Testing Standard Atmosphere-Specification
ISO 13943 Fire Safety-Glossary
ISO/TR 14697 Fire Test-Guide to Selection of Base Material for Building Products
ISO 5660-1 Test principle
The surface of the specimen is exposed to stable thermal radiation, which is generated from a conical heater, ranging from 0-100 kW/m2. The volatile gas escapes from the heated sample and is ignited by the spark initiation device. The burned gas is collected by the range hood for further analysis. Analysis of this gas can calculate the heat release rate and evaluate the smoke toxicity. The smoke production is evaluated by measuring the light attenuation of smoke in the exhaust pipe. The amount of attenuation is related to the volume flow and is expressed in [m2/s].
This specimen is installed on a load cell to record the mass loss rate of the specimen during the combustion process.
A comprehensive analysis test requires several radiation levels. Typical radiation levels are 25, 35, 50 and 75 kW/m2. According to the ISO 5660-1 standard, three samples are required for testing at each heat flux level.
The cone calorimetry test has not been implemented in the Norwegian fire protection code classification, but it is very suitable for quantifying the reaction of materials to fire. The test results can provide a reference for how to improve the product's fire protection performance.
ISO 5660-1 Test requirements
1. Ignition time [s];
2 .Heat release [MJ/m2];
3 .Maximum heat release rate [kW/m2];
4. The average heat release rate after 180 seconds and after 300 seconds [kW/m2];
5 .Effective combustion heat [MJ/kg];
6. Average smoke production [m2/s];
7 .Carbon monoxide content [g];
It can also be used to measure the content of other toxic gases such as (cyanic acid).
Post time: Aug-04-2020