Evaluating Current Fire Test Methods for Determining Flammability Performance of Ceiling Materials

Abstract

Many fire tests have been developed to evaluate the flammability performance of a lining material. According to the test methods, specimens are usually mounted vertical as a wall or horizontal as a floor. The only exception is the ISO 9705 room corner test in which ceiling material is installed beneath a ceiling. This study was accordingly designed to discuss the test results of ceiling materials in the ISO 9705 room corner test with the testing capacity of the other commonly-used tests to evaluate the feasibility of the other tests to rank materials mounted beneath a ceiling. Materials used were gypsum board and particle board, which were ranked in the best and the worst classes by the cone calorimeter, a commonly used testing apparatus. Our results showed that the fire behaviors associated with materials tested in the other tests can not completely perform those tested in the ISO 9705 room corner test. A penetration occurred in the gypsum test and led to a severe fire although flashover was not observed. The results from the other tests primarily considered the potential of a material leading to flashover. The penetration of flames through ceiling materials cannot be assessed in the other tests. A modification of an existing test is recommended when ceiling materials are tested.