ASTM E535-00
(Practice)Standard Practice for Preparation of Fire-Test-Response Standards
Standard Practice for Preparation of Fire-Test-Response Standards
SCOPE
1.1 This practice is a supplement to the Form and Style for ASTM Standards , which shall be consulted in writing all ASTM standards.
1.2 This practice contains directly or by reference all of the information required to comply with the Policy on Fire Standards and the additional guidelines recommended by Committee E-5.
1.3 This practice, intended for the assistance of ASTM Committees, establishes guidelines and criteria for the preparation of fire-test-response standards (that is, standards for response to fire tests).
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An American National Standard
Designation: E 535 – 00
Standard Practice for
Preparation of Fire-Test-Response Standards
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 535; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
This standard has been developed to assist ASTM Committees in the writing of fire-test-response
standards that comply with the ASTM policy on fire standards (see Annex A1).
The policy on fire standards describes the types of ASTM fire standards and their required caveats.
Committee E-5 has the responsibility of helping other committees developing fire standards by
providing the information and assistance required by all committees for writing standards which
contain testing procedures for the response of materials, products, or assemblies to fire. Committee
E-5 has developed a checklist for review of ASTM fire-test-response standards for conformity to the
ASTM policy on fire standards in order to help in evaluating ASTM fire-test response standards for
compliance with the policy. A commentary accompanies the checklist. See Annex A2.
Fire-test-response standards are standards for, or based on, one or more fire-test-response
characteristics. A fire-test-response characteristic provides a means of measuring the response of
materials, products, or assemblies to a prescribed source of heat alone or to one of heat and flame
under controlled test conditions.
1. Scope E 691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to
Determine the Precision of a Test Method
1.1 This practice is a supplement to Form and Style for
ASTM Standards , which shall be consulted in writing all
3. Terminology
ASTM standards.
3.1 Definitions—For definitions of terms used in this prac-
1.2 This practice contains, directly or by reference, all of the
tice, refer to Terminology E 176.
information required to comply with the policy on fire stan-
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
dards and the additional guidelines recommended by Commit-
3.2.1 fire-test-response characteristic, n—a response char-
tee E-5.
acteristic of a material, product, or assembly, to a prescribed
1.3 This practice, intended to assist ASTM Committees,
source of heat or flame, under controlled fire conditions; such
establishes guidelines and criteria for the preparation of fire-
response characteristics may include but are not limited to ease
test-response standards (that is, standards for response to heat
of ignition, flame spread, mass loss, smoke generation, fire
or flame under prescribed conditions).
endurance, and toxic potency of smoke.
2. Referenced Documents 3.2.1.1 Discussion—A fire-test-response characteristic can
be influenced by variable of exposure such as ignition source
2.1 ASTM Standards:
3 intensity, ventilation, geometry of item or enclosure, humidity
E 176 Terminology Relating to Fire Standards
or oxygen concentration. It is not an intrinsic property such as
E 456 Terminology Relating to Statistics
specific heat, thermal conductivity, or heat of combustion,
where the value is independent of test variables. A fire-test-
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E-5 on Fire response characteristic may be described in one of several
Standards and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E05.31 on Terminology
terms. Smoke generation, for example, may be described as
and Editorial.
smoke opacity, change of opacity with time, or smoke weight.
Current edition approved Feb. 10, 2000. Published May 2000. Originally
No quantitative correlation need exist between values of a
published as E 535 – 75. Last previous edition E 535 – 99.
Available on request from ASTM Headquarters, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West
fire-test-response characteristic for different materials, prod-
Conshohocken, PA, 19428-2959.
ucts, or assemblies, as measured by different methods or tested
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.07
4 under different sets of conditions for a given method.
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 014.02.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
E 535
4. Significance and Use 5.5.1.9 Identify the system of units of measurement applied
within the standard and to be used in referee decisions;
4.1 This standard is to be used by those concerned with the
parenthetical measures in a different system of units are
development of fire-test-response standards.
permitted when identified to be for information only.
4.2 The resultant fire-test-response standards are intended to
5.5.2 The scope shall include the caveat for fire-test-
be useful in one or more of the following areas, among others:
response standards required by the ASTM policy on fire
product development, quality control, product comparisons,
standards, and contained in F2.2 of Form and Style for ASTM
screening, information to be used as part of a fire hazard or a
Standards. This is referred to as the fire-test-response standards
fire risk assessment, and regulatory purposes.
caveat. No alterations are to be made to the caveat as follows:
4.3 This practice is intended to be useful to users of
This standard is used to measure and describe the response of materials,
fire-test-response standards because it provides much of the
products, or assemblies to heat and flame under controlled conditions, but
general rationale for the development and use of such stan- does not by itself incorporate all factors required for fire hazard or fire risk
assessment of the materials, products, or assemblies under actual fire con-
dards.
ditions.
4.4 This practice is not intended to provide guidance for the
5.5.3 The scope shall contain the standard safety hazards
preparation of fire hazard assessment standards or fire risk
caveat specified in F2.1.1 of Form and Style for ASTM
assessment standards.
Standards. No alterations are to be made to the caveat as
4.5 This practice is not intended to provide guidance for the
follows:
preparation of standards not related to fire-test responses of
This standard does not purport to address all of the safety problems, if any,
materials, products or assemblies.
associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to
establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
5. Preparation of Fire-Test-Response Standards
5.1 The writer of fire-test-response standards shall be able to 5.5.4 The scope shall contain information with respect to
any known limitations of the test method with respect to its
refer to Form and Style of ASTM Standards , to obtain
assistance in ensuring that the standards being written will application, and inappropriate uses of the standard.
conform with the requirements of Section A and other appro- 5.5.5 It is appropriate to include reference to alternative,
priate sections, as specified in this practice.
companion or related standards in the scope. The title and
designation of such standards shall be included in the refer-
5.1.1 Fire-test-response standards shall not use conditional
enced documents section.
language.
5.6 Referenced Documents:
5.2 Fire-test-response standards shall conform to the man-
5.6.1 The list of referenced documents shall include:
datory criteria contained in the checklist for review of ASTM
fire-test-response standards for conformity to the ASTM policy
5.6.1.1 All ASTM standards, proposals, and adjuncts that
on fire standards (see Annex A2).
are cited in the text,
5.3 Fire-test-response standards shall, as applicable, contain 5.6.1.2 E 176, Terminology Relating to Fire Standards,
the sections described in 5.4-5.21 of this practice.
5.6.1.3 Alternate, companion, or related ASTM standards,
5.4 Title:
mentioned in the scope.
5.4.1 The title of the test method shall specify the intended 5.6.2 The list of referenced documents shall also include all
specific application, clearly and as concisely as is practicable. standards and codes of other organizations which are useful to
the user of the standard and are cited in the text of the standard.
5.4.2 The title of the test method shall not contain the
5.7 Terminology:
phrases “fire hazard” or “fire risk”.
5.7.1 The standard shall use precise and accurate terminol-
5.5 Scope:
ogy. Inappropriate, misleading or deprecated terms such as
5.5.1 The scope shall clearly:
“slow burning” or “self extinguishing” shall not be used.
5.5.1.1 Identify the standard as a “fire-test-response stan-
5.7.2 Terminology E 176 shall be used for selecting termi-
dard,”
nology as well as definitions for terms used in the standard.
5.5.1.2 State the purpose of the standard,
5.7.3 Where applicable, reference shall be made to other
5.5.1.3 Specify the known limitations of the standard,
existing ASTM terminology standards having specific applica-
5.5.1.4 Specify the significance of the data that are gener-
tion to the subject of the test method.
ated (including relevance to human life and property, where
5.7.4 When applicable, reference shall be made to the
appropriate),
appropriate international terminology standards, such as those
5.5.1.5 Specify what the standard is and is not intended to
by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) or
accomplish,
the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The title
5.5.1.6 Identify the class of materials, products or assem-
and numerical designation of the ISO or IEC standard shall be
blies to which it is to be applied,
included in a separate subsection of the section on referenced
5.5.1.7 Identify the heat flux or other test input characteris- documents.
tics involved,
5.7.4.1 In case of conflict between the international termi-
5.5.1.8 Identify the fire-test-response characteristic(s) to be nology standards and Terminology E 176, the ASTM standard
measured, and shall prevail.
E 535
5.7.5 Part E of Form and Style for ASTM Standards shall be
In this procedure, the specimens are subjected to one or more specific
sets of laboratory test conditions. If different test conditions are substituted
used as a source for additional guidance on terminology in
or the end-use conditions are changed, it is not always possible by or
ASTM standards.
from this test method to predict changes in the fire-test-response charac-
teristics measured. Therefore, the results are valid only for the fire test
5.7.6 The standard shall not describe or define terms that are
exposure conditions described in this procedure.
inconsistent with those given in Terminology E 176 or other
ASTM terminology standards, unless the difference is de-
5.9.5 The significance of the data generated through the use
scribed in the terminology section, and is justified as being
of the test method shall be described, including relevance to
unique to the specific test method. Terms that are specific (or
human life or property, where appropriate.
applicable) only to the standard shall be described in the
5.9.6 Any warning needed in the interpretation of the results
terminology section. Such terms shall be included in a sub-
shall be included in this section.
section entitled “Definitions of Terms Specific to this Stan-
5.10 Hazards:
dard.” Any terms so described which appear in ASTM termi-
5.10.1 A statement shall be included to warn the operator of
nology standards shall include a notation explaining the
specific safety hazards involved when using the test method.
difference in use or meaning.
Hazards to be considered include, but are not restricted to,
5.7.7 It is acceptable for definitions of terms critical to the
explosion, generation of vision obscuring smoke or of toxic
use of the standard to be reproduced, in precisely the form in
products of combustion, and rapid fire growth. (See Form and
which they appear in the corresponding terminology standard.
Style for ASTM Standards.)
In such cases, reference to the terminology standard shall be
5.10.2 A precautionary statement shall be included to in-
made in the section on terminology and the standard shall be
form the operator of precautions to be taken to avoid or
listed in the section on referenced documents.
minimize particular hazards. (See Form and Style for ASTM
5.7.8 In the terminology section, reference sources shall be
Standards.)
provided for each keyword in the title of the standard, unless
5.10.3 A statement addressing remediation of the hazards is
the terms are well known and widely used.
not required to be included in detail in the standard. However,
5.8 Summary of Test Method—This section shall contain a
it is appropriate to cite a reference, for example by way of a
brief summary of the test method, which describes the heat
footnote, which describes a means for treating a situation
source, the type of specimen, the exposure conditions, the
resulting from an uncontrolled hazard. (See Form and Style for
types of measurements made, and the type of results reported.
ASTM Standards.)
5.9 Significance and Use:
5.11 Test Equipment:
5.9.1 This section shall provide information with respect to
5.11.1 The test equipment shall be specified and described.
the usefulness of the test method.
5.11.2 It is desirable to provide the source for commercially
5.9.1.1 It shall include information that indicates the appro-
available equipment when only a single source of the equip-
priate uses of the test method, such as product development,
ment is known.
quality control, screening, product comparisons, input for a fire
5.11.3 Equipment that is not commercially available shall
model or a fire hazard assessment, basis for regulation.
be described in sufficient detail to enable the user to construct
5.9.1.2 This section shall include information with respect
the equipment. If complete descriptions and specifications are
to the need for the standard. Possible explanations of need are:
readily available, they shall be cited instead of providing the
(1) that no other test method exists, (2) that this test method
complete description and drawings in the standard.
supersedes older test methods, or (3) that this test method
5.12 Calibration and Standardization:
offers useful or improved alternatives.
5.12.1 Calibration information shall be included in the test
5.9.2 Known potential inappropriate uses shall be stated
method.
along with reasons why use of the test method is inappropriate
5.12.2 Complete details for the calibration and standardiza-
in such cases. Examples of inappropriateness include: (1) a test
tion of the equipment shall be included in the fire-test-response
method provides results tha
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