Fire Resistance Test

Fire Resistance Tests

The new classifications and approaches adopted in the European Union countries for the fire resistance performance of building elements have also been adapted to the legal regulations of our country. In this context, a significant change has been experienced in the field of fire safety in our building materials sector.

In developed countries, there are serious legal regulations and local standards regarding fire safety measures for building materials. These principles aim to minimize fire risks. At the same time, it provides guidance to companies producing building materials on the conditions under which appropriate and effective measures can be provided. In fact, most of the legal regulations regarding fire safety measures of countries are related to building materials and building elements.

However, each country's evaluation of construction materials and construction elements within its own legal regulations and local standards has led to the emergence of different standards, classification forms and evaluation criteria for each country. Therefore, the Construction Materials Directive 89/106/EEC has been published in order to regulate the different approaches emerging among the European Union countries and to ensure the free movement of construction materials among the member countries. This directive brings a general approach to building materials and building elements.

The said directive is one of more than twenty product groups created within the framework of the new approach directives applied in the European Union countries. The Construction Materials Directive contains six basic requirements in itself. In order of importance, these requirements are as follows:

Mechanical strength and stability

Safety in case of fire

Hygiene, health and environment

Operating safety

Protection against noise

Energy saving and heat preservation

 Among these, the subject of safety in case of fire includes five sub-requirements. The first of these sub-requirements is that the load-bearing capacity of the constructed structure does not decrease for a certain period of time, that is, fire resistance and wastage resistance. In the European Union countries and in our country, the resistance performance against the side of the building elements or the fire resistance performance is an important issue in this regard, and the fire resistance tests carried out in authorized laboratories aim to increase the fire resistance of building materials. Classes for fire resistance performance of building materials are explained in resolution 2000/367/EC published in 2000. This classification is included in the EN 13501-2, EN 13501-3 and EN 13501-4 standards published by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN).

In our country, these standards have been published by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) under the following headings.

TS EN 13501-1 Construction products and construction elements, fire classification - Part 1: Classification using data obtained from behavior tests against fire

TS EN 13501-2 Part 2: Classification using data obtained from fire resistance tests (excluding ventilation installations)

TS EN 13501-3 Part 3: Classification using data obtained from fire resistance tests on products and elements used in building service installations: Fire resistant air ducts and fire dampers

TS EN 13501-4 Part 4: Classification using data obtained from fire resistance tests on the components of smoke control systems

TS EN 13501-5:2016 Part 5: Classification using data obtained from experiments on exposing roofs to external fires

TS EN 13501-6 Part 6: Classification using data obtained from the reactions of fire tests on electrical cables

TS EN 1634-1 Fire resistance tests-Doors and shutters-Part 1: Fire doors and shutters

This standard specifies a method for determining the fire resistance of doors and shutters designed for installation in openings in vertical separators.

TS EN 16034 Door sets suitable for pedestrian access, industrial, commercial, garage doors and windows that can be opened – Product standard, performance and features – Fire resistance and/or smoke control features

TS EN 14351-1 + A1 Windows and doors - Product standard, performance characteristics - Part 1: Windows and ready-made exterior doors suitable for pedestrian access - Without fire resistance and/or smoke leakage prevention features

TS EN 1191 Windows and doors - Resistance to repeated opening and closing - Test method

TS EN 1634-3 Fire resistance tests - Doors and shutters - part 3: Smoke control doors and shutters

TS EN 1634-1 - Fire Resistance Tests - Integrity (E), Insulation (I1 or I2), Radiation (W) values are checked for Fire Doors and Shutters, and classification is performed in minutes for the fire resistance classification of the product.

TS EN 1366-4+A1 - Fire Resistance Tests for Service Installations - Linear Joint Gaskets tests are carried out as fire resistance tests for walls and linear joint gaskets and the test classification is Integrity (E), Insulation (I1 or I2) according to TS EN 13501-2 standard ) is carried out within the scope of a special test according to the radiation (W) values.

TS EN 81-58 - Fire Resistance Tests for Elevator Landing Doors

What Does Fire Resistance Test Mean?

Fire resistance testing is a test procedure to evaluate the fire resistance and performance of materials or structures. These tests are used to determine how materials behave during a fire and to verify that designs comply with safety standards to contain the spread of fire. Fire resistance tests are generally performed to evaluate the combustion resistance, flame spread, smoke production, heat conduction and behavior of materials during fire. These tests are performed based on national or international standards. Fire resistance tests can be applied for many materials and structures that are important for fire safety. These include building materials, coatings, electrical equipment, cables, furniture, textiles and others. For example, to test a building material's fire resistance, it is usually subjected to a standard fire resistance test such as ASTM E119 or EN 1363. In these tests, the performance is evaluated by keeping the material under fire, heat and pressure for a certain period of time. Fire resistance tests are an important step to ensure safety and obtain certificates of conformity. These tests contribute to the development of firefighting and safety standards and are used to ensure that people and property are protected against fire.