Standard Methods of FIRE TESTS OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS

Purpose: To determine the fire resistance of as-semblies of masonry units and composite assemblies ofstructural materials for buildings under controlled fireconditions.

General Information: Fire resistance is expressed inhours. It is the length of time the assembly will contain afire or retain its structural integrity. If a six-hour fire resistance is required, the testing time is six hours.Three-hour fire resistance requires a three-hour LebLperiod; therefore the time exposure of the test is pre-determined by the fire resistance requirement.

This test does not cover noncombustibility, flamespread, fuel contribution or smoke density.

Results of the test should only be used to describeand measure fire-resistive properties in each specifictest and is not to be used as an indication of per-formance or suitability under actual fire conditions.

Method: E 119 describes individual methods for testing: 1) bearing walls and partitions, 2) nonbearing walls and partitions, 3) columns, plus an alternative test of protection for structural steel columns, 4) floors and roofs, and 5) loaded restrained beams with an alternative classification procedure for loaded beams and an alternative test of protection for solid, structural steel beams and girders. The test methods for bearing walls and partitions and floors and roofs are most applicable to insulation products. In addition to fire exposure, certain types of assemblies are also subjected to a specified standard fire hose stream. Each laboratory test is concerned with the measurement of heat transmission through the assembly, measurement of the transmission of hot gases and the measurement of the structure's load-carrying ability.

Note: This is a very costly test procedure.