Fire test
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Fire test of a firestop assembly, as per ULC-S115, Canadian test method for firestops, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. [edit]
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Coreslab frame being readied.
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Penetrants being hung.
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Penetrants have been hung.
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Firestop mortar being pumped into place.
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Material test on firestop mortar.
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Firestop mortar is in, ready to be smoothed up.
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Furnace used in fire testing. Bottom pipes are gas jets. Middle row of pipes are shield for thermocouples.
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Fire test assembly is ready, thermocouples are in place. Time to switch on the fire.
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Ignition has occurred.
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Fire test is in full swing. Test sponsors nervously pace up and down, looking and listening for hot spots.
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The 3 hour fire endurance has passed successfully. No openings developed, not too much heat went through. Ready for the hose stream test.
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Hosers eh?!
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30PSI hose first hits.
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30PSI hose continues.
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30PSI hose continues.
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30PSI hose continues.
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The hose stream passed except for two locations where the water came through, making a fire-resistance rating impossible in the US, but not in Canada. The two penetrations shown were filled with intumescent laced rockwool, sealed on top with silicone caulking. The caulking let go from the sleeves during the hose.
Fire Test resulting in UL Certification Listing C-AJ-8073 [edit]
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Fire test preparation for proven re-entry procedure with firestop mortar.
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Fire test preperation with re-entry of firestop mortar, re-sealing using intumescent firestop caulking for fire-test-proven compatibility between mortar and caulking in the same certification listing.
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Fire test preparation: reentry of firestop mortar with cable and re-sealing with intumescent firestop putty for fire-test-proven compatibility between mortar and putty.
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Fire test assembly leading to UL certification listing C-AJ-8073.
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Fire test assembly leading to UL certification listing C-AJ-8073.
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Fire test assembly leading to UL certification listing C-AJ-8073.
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Fire test penetrant preparation including foamed glass pipe covering for UL certification listing C-AJ-8073.
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Fire test preparation, leading to UL certification listing C-AJ-8073.
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Fire test preparation leading to UL firestop listing C-AJ-8073. Firestop mortar is first applied in the hardest to reach area: between the cables inside the cable tray.
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Fire test preparation leading to UL certification listing C-AJ-8073
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Fire test preparation leading to UL Firestop Certification listing C-AJ-8073. Piping penetrations, top and bottom.
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Post fire test pictures showing how 3/4 in. thick acrylonitrile butadiene/polyvinyl chloride (AB/PVC) flexible foam pipe covering can go through the seal unhindered. It was wrapped inside the mortar with an intumescent wrap strip, which stopped the fire. There was no autoignition of the insulation due to flame retardants inherent in its organic composition.
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Intumescent repair: Cable was pulled from the fire test assembly after it has passed the fire and hose stream tests. This is proven compatibility between the original seal and the repair method. This formed part of UL Firestop Certification Listing C-AJ-8073 Configuration E.
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Firestop mortar re-entries, underside, after 2 hour fire test with 30PSI hose-stream, leading to UL Firestop Certification Listing C-AJ-8073.
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Underside of Assembly for UL certification listing C-AJ-8073 Configuration D, the mortar is intact, the fibreglass has disappeared and the intumescent wrap strip has occupied the space formerly held by the insulation.
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Underside of cable tray penetration after fire and hose stream testing leading to UL Firestop Certification Listing C-AJ-8073.
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Fire test assembly after having passed fire and hose stream testing to achieve listing status under UL Certification Listing C-AJ-8073.
Private sector fire tests [edit]
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Private fire test furnace in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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Private fire test furnace in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Governmental fire tests [edit]
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Radiant heat panel at NRC/Ottawa for testing exposores to precisely measured energy.
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Fire house used for running tests that aid in the development of Canada's building and fire codes.
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Smoke Density Test Set-up for spray fireproofing plaster as per DIN 4102 at iBMB, part of Technische Universität Braunschweig.
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Full scale floor furnace at iBMB, part of Technische Universität Braunschweig.
1970's Firestop fire test in Sweden [edit]
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Fire house loaded with cable trays, loaded with cables, winding back and forth and through compartment floors. Various local firestop vendors were invited to install their products and expose them to a test.
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Kindling blocks were placed below the trays and then ignited. The cable jacketing quickly caught on fire and spread this fire within the compartments.
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It quickly became apparent that an enormous amount of smoke is generated when burning cable jacketing.
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Supplied air even for outside observers. Environmentalists would struggle to approve such a test much beyond the nineties.
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The fire was eventually extinguished. Results were mixed among the firestop vendors. The enormity of smoke created was a big lesson. Also, ferrous cable trays expand, buckle and twist during a fire. That's why fireproofing is used on steel. This can tear soft firestops, such as rockwool with rubber coatings, out and render the firestop useless, negating the rating of the barrier.
