Noncombustibility: Testing and regulatory requirements

Abstract

AbstractThis work describes the test methods used in the United States and in Western Europe for regulatory assessments of whether a material can be considered to be a noncombustible material for use in building construction. It also provides the history of the development of such test methods, which is essential for understanding their use in regulation. The work distinguishes between the absolute concept of noncombustibility and the use of the concept in actual practice, for building construction. A key aspect of the work is that it describes both the origin of the pass/fail criteria associated with the test methods in use and their application. The work also describes the type of requirement that is being associated, in codes and regulations, with materials (which are designated limited combustible materials by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and as A2 materials by the European Union) that provide “no significant” contribution to fire hazard. Such materials are often permitted for use in applications where otherwise only noncombustible materials are permitted. The work discusses other proposed methods for assessing noncombustibility, mainly based on heat release, which, although technically sound, have not become adopted for regulation in either the US or Western Europe. The work also discusses pass/fail criteria associated with the major noncombustibility tests, namely those associated with ASTM E136 (in the US) and ISO 1182 (in Western Europe and the maritime world) and the rationale for such criteria.