1992

Kokkala, Matti; Göransson, Ulf; Söderbom, Johan

Five tests of surface linings were carried out in a large room, 6.75 m by 9 m and 4.9 m high, at SP in Borås, Sweden. The test series was a part of a joint Nordic fire research programme EUREFIC. The purpose of the test series was to produce data for comparing the performance of different kinds of products in a large room with their performance in various small scale tests and, especially, in the standardized Room/Comer Test (ISO DIS 9705 or NT FIRE 025). The tests were performed following the procedure of the standard Room/Comer Test as much as possible. The linings were mounted on the ceiling and on the walls of the room. A propane burner was placed in the rear comer of the room. The heat output of the burner was 100 kW for 10 minutes, 300 kW for another 10 minutes and 900 kW thereafter. The measurements included rate of heat release, rate of smoke and CO production, flow out of the open door, and heat flux, gas temperatures and surface temperatures at various locations of the room. Plywood and combustible faced mineral wool, which both caused a flashover with the 100 kW burner output in the Room/Comer Test, caused a flashover also in the large room. Two wall coverings and a fire retarded particle board, which caused a flashover soon after the burner output was raised to 300 kW in the Room/Comer Test, did not cause a flashover in these tests. The results indicate that the larger room is a less critical fire scenario than the standard Room/Comer Test. The heat output has to be higher for a progressive flame spread to appear. The report is a summary of the test results and observations. Each test is described in detail. The performance of the five different products are compared by the aid of the test results. Finally, all the results of the measurements are listed as tables in the appendix of the report.