AS ISO 9705 FULL SCALE ROOM TESTING
O U R E X P E R I E N C E D E X P E RT S M I T I G AT E YO U R R I S K , S A F EG UA R D YO U R R E P U TAT I O N A N D H E L P YO U AC H I E V E CO M P L I A N C E ABOUT US Warringtonfire offers a comprehensive range of fire safety services, globally. Our services include fire safety engineering, fire testing, fire assessment and product certification. Warringtonfire can help with all aspects of fire and life safety. We have an established and extensive presence in Australia including our NATA accredited laboratory in Melbourne and our consulting offices located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth. FIRE TESTING FOR WALL AND CEILING LININGS Wall and ceiling linings in Australia are controlled by the use of Group Number classifications defined in AS 5637.1, where the Group Number of a material gives an indication of the time to reach flashover, or a Heat Release Rate of 1MW, under standard test conditions. Although AS 5637.1 allows for the prediction of Group Numbers using testing to AS/NZS 3837 or ISO 5660-1, predictions can only be used for materials where a correlation between AS ISO 9705 and the cone calorimetry tests have been established and for suitable materials. We provide a solution to determining Group Numbers by using the AS ISO 9705 apparatus to measure the time to flashover directly, as well as offering AS/NZS 3837 and ISO 5660-1 testing. When testing to AS ISO 9705, a full-scale room with non-combustible internal surfaces is fully lined with the material being evaluated; three walls and the entire ceiling must be covered. The room size is 2.4 m wide by 3.6 m long with a ceiling height of 2.4 m. The specimen is exposed to a specific gas-fired burner placed on the floor in one corner of the room at an initial output of 100 kilowatts.
Observations of significant events are made, and data is continuously recorded to allow ongoing calculation of the total heat release rate. After 10 minutes of initial exposure, the burner output is increased to 300 kilowatts and observations and measurements continue for a further ten minutes. The exposure is stopped after twenty minutes. The test may be concluded earlier if the total heat release rate exceeds 1 megawatt which is considered to be the onset of a flashover fire. From the data collected it is possible to assign a Group Number to the material as well as a smoke growth rate index, or SMOGRA, which determines the suitability of the material for specific applications within specific classes of buildings. A Group 4 material will flash over within two minutes, Group 3 between 2 and 10 minutes, and Group 2 between 10 and 20 minutes. A Group 1 material is the only category which will not reach flashover conditions. Warringtonfire Australia is accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), Australia as being proficient in testing in accordance with AS ISO 9705. KE Y CONTAC T DETAIL S Warringtonfire Australia Unit 2, 409-411 Hammond Road Dandenong, Victoria t: +61 3 9767 1000 e: info.fire.melbourne@warringtonfire.com
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