ASTM E84 Fire and Flame Retardant

Regulatory requirements:

In the North American market, all interior decoration materials and ceiling materials must undergo testing and be rated according to ASTM E84 before they can be appropriately applied in specific construction projects.

Regarding specific testing:

How is ASTM E84 tested?

The testing equipment for ASTM E84 is a tunnel oven, approximately 7.6 meters in length, as shown in the figure below.

The testing section of the furnace resembles a train, featuring a trapezoidal-shaped furnace chamber extending up to 7.6 meters in length. The furnace mouth opens upward. During testing, the sample is placed on the furnace rack and covered with a movable furnace lid to prevent the leakage of flames and smoke.

The left side of the tunnel furnace serves as the combustion end, while the right side is the smoke exhaust end. A row of observation windows is installed between the two ends to observe the flame spread distance during testing.

Before the test, the sample (the red plate in the picture above) was positioned above the burner, resting on the furnace frame to form the upper wall of the furnace. The test lasted for 10 minutes, during which the burner was continuously ignited, generating an upward flame that burned the surface of the sample. Under the suction force of the furnace's smoke exhaust fan, the flame spread towards the smoke exhaust end.

2. How is the FDI (Flame Spread Index) determined?

As the testing time progresses, the flame spread on the sample increases from 0, and by the end of the test, a curve representing the change in flame spread distance with time is obtained. ASTM E84 defines the flame spread curve obtained from testing the highest grade red oak in a tunnel furnace as FDI=100, and defines the flame spread curve obtained from testing cement fiberboard in a tunnel furnace as FDI=0. By comparing the flame spread curve of the actual test sample with these two curves, the FDI of this sample is calculated.

3. How is the SDI (Smoke Development Index) measured?

As the test progresses, the smoke production of the sample will also change over time, resulting in a curve showing the variation of smoke production with time.

Similar to FDI, ASTM E84 defines the smoke development index (SDI) of the highest grade red oak tested in a tunnel oven as SDI=100, and defines the SDI of cement fiberboard tested in a tunnel oven as SDI=0. By comparing the smoke development index of the actual test sample with these two benchmark curves, the SDI of the sample can be calculated.

4. What is the grading system for ASTM E84 test results according to regulations?

? The classification of indoor surface materials by IBC is as follows:

?Class A: FDI 0-25; SDI 0-450;

?Class B: FDI 25-75; SDI 0-450;

?Class C: FDI 76-200; SDI 0-450;

? For Metal Composite Materials (MCM) used on exterior walls, the IBC stipulates that unless there are additional requirements, FDI should be no more than 75 and SDI should be no more than 450. For MCM used on Type I, II, III, and IV buildings, its performance must meet the requirements of FDI ≤ 25 and SDI ≤ 450.

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