5.1 This test method provides a means to measure a variety of fire-test-response characteristics associated with heat and smoke release and resulting from burning the materials insulating electrical or optical fiber cables, when made into cables and installed on a vertical cable tray. The specimens are allowed to burn freely under well ventilated conditions after ignition by means of a propane gas burner.
5.2 The rate of heat release often serves as an indication of the intensity of the fire generated. General considerations of the importance of heat release rate are discussed in Appendix X1 and considerations for heat release calculations are in Appendix X2.
5.3 Other fire-test-response characteristics that are measurable by this test method are useful to make decisions on fire safety. The test method is also used for measuring smoke obscuration. The apparatus described here is also useful to measure gaseous components of smoke; the most important gaseous components of smoke are the carbon oxides, present in all fires. The carbon oxides are major indicators of the completeness of combustion and are often used as part of fire hazard assessment calculations and to improve the accuracy of heat release measurements.
5.4 Test Limitations:
5.4.1 The fire-test-response characteristics measured in this test are a representation of the manner in which the specimens tested behave under certain specific conditions. Do not assume they are representative of a generic fire performance of the materials tested when made into cables of the construction under consideration.
5.4.2 In particular, it is unlikely that this test is an adequate representation of the fire behavior of cables in confined spaces, without abundant circulation of air.
5.4.3 This is an intermediate-scale test, and the predictability of its results to large scale fires has not been determined. Some information exists to suggest validation with regard to some large-scale scenarios.
1.1 This is a fire-test-response standard.
1.2 This test method provides a means to measure the heat released and smoke obscuration by burning the electrical insulating materials contained in electrical or optical fiber cables when the cable specimens, excluding accessories, are subjected to a specified flaming ignition source and burn freely under well ventilated conditions. Flame propagation cable damage, by char length, and mass loss are also measured.
1.3 This test method provides two different protocols for exposing the materials, when made into cable specimens, to an ignition source (approximately 20 kW), for a 20 min test duration. Use it to determine the heat release, smoke release, flame propagation and mass loss characteristics of the materials contained in single and multiconductor electrical or optical fiber cables.