ASTM E84 UL 910 Steniner Tunnel Chamber For Building And Cable Materal

Product introduce

The Steiner Tunnel, associated with the ASTM E84 test, is a standardized method for evaluating the surface burning characteristics of building materials. This test, interchangeable with standards like UL 723, NFPA 255, and UBC 8-1, applies to a wide range of materials including floor coverings, ceiling and wall finishes, insulation, and upholstered furniture components. Similar methods include ASTM E2768, CAN/ULC S102, and CAN/ULC S102.2, used for products installed in Canada.

UL 910 is a stringent fire safety standard specifically for plenum-rated cables, also known as the Steiner Tunnel Test for cables. This test involves exposing multiple cable samples in a horizontal duct to an 87.9KW gas burner flame for 20 minutes. To pass, the flame must not spread beyond 5 feet from the burner, with peak optical density not exceeding 0.5 and average density not exceeding 0.15.

Cables meeting UL 910, often made from FEP/PLENUM materials, exhibit superior flame retardancy and lower smoke production compared to low-smoke halogen-free materials complying with IEC 60332-1 and IEC 60332-3. These CMP cables are typically installed in air plenum spaces or air return systems in ventilation ducts and are recognized in both Canada and the United States.Together, ASTM E84 and UL 910 play critical roles in ensuring the fire safety of building materials and cables, contributing to safer construction practices.

Standard

ASTM E84‌: The full name is "Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials", developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

‌CAN/ULC S102‌: Canadian standard for evaluating the surface burning characteristics of building materials.

‌UL 723‌: Standard developed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), similar to ASTM E84, for testing the flame propagation and smoke generation characteristics of building materials.

‌UBC Standard 8-1‌: A related standard in the Uniform Building Code (UBC) that involves the fire resistance of building materials.

‌NFPA 255‌: A standard developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for evaluating the surface burning characteristics of building materials.

‌NFPA 262‌: Also a standard developed by NFPA, it may be related to the fire resistance of building materials.

UL 910: It is the most demanding cable standard in the UL fire protection standard, applicable to plenum cables, also known as the air supply combustion test or Steiner duct test.

Application

ASTM E84 Steiner furnace test is widely used to evaluate the fire performance of various building materials. The specific application range of materials includes:

‌Floor decoration materials‌: such as wood flooring, carpet, etc.

‌Ceiling decoration materials‌: such as ceiling panels, suspended ceiling materials, etc.

‌Wall decoration materials‌: such as wall panels, wallpaper, etc.

‌Insulation materials‌: such as pipe insulation materials, wall insulation materials, etc.

‌Interior and exterior materials‌: such as interior decorative panels, exterior wall decoration materials, etc.

‌Plywood and soft furniture products‌: such as various plywood products, sofas, mattresses and other soft furniture.

Cable: This CMP cable is typically installed in ventilation ducts or air return plenums used in air handling equipment and is approved for use in Canada and the United States.

‌Other building materials‌: such as paints and coatings, wall coatings, adhesives, caulking agents and sealants, acoustic panels, on-site tensile fabric systems, wood products (including wood, panel products, decorative finishes, shingles and shake boards), reflective insulation and radiation barriers, plastics and wood/plastic composites, etc.
 

Structural features:

1. The combustion box is made of stainless steel and refractory bricks are laid inside; it has good thermal insulation performance. The internal dimensions of the combustion box are 305mm x 451mm, and the length is 7.6m;
2. The internal tooling fixtures are all made of stainless steel and are rust-proof and corrosion-proof;
3. The double-layer quartz glass observation window can observe the flame spread distance, and the position of the flame advance can be displayed through the indicator light.
4. The height of the combustion box is suitable for personnel to observe the combustion status, install it, and adjust the sample;
5. The overall design of the combustion box cover adopts a water tank sealing design according to standards.
6. The box cover is made of refractory materials and stainless steel. Equipped with lifting hook device;
7. The sample holder is equipped with a cooling water circulation support bracket, which is resistant to high temperatures in combustion tests;
8. The distance between the double-head burner and the air inlet is 1320mm;
9. Stainless steel exhaust pipe, beautiful and corrosion-resistant;
Combustion System
1. 10kV spark igniter, equipped with safety stop-fire device. The ignition is automatically positioned by a lever connected to the closing mechanism;
2. The combustion heat of the burner is automatically controlled through the automatic gas flow control system. Reading accuracy is 1%;
3. Bipolar gas flow valve control system; avoid system leakage caused by solenoid valve failure, resulting in explosion risks;
4. The variable frequency fan automatically controls the wind speed in the flue; the fan power is 3KW and the voltage is 380V;
5. Taiwan brand gas pressure gauge and pressure regulating valve to accurately control gas pressure;
6. Imported gas flow control valve to accurately control gas flow;

test system

1. Smoke density analysis: Use incandescent light system to measure smoke density: color temperature 2900±100K; current fluctuation range ±0.5%; smoke density value linear output; and with time compensation function;
4. The lens condenses the light into a 20mm parallel beam; d/f <0.04;
5. Detector; spectral distribution correspondence is consistent with CIE; chromaticity standard function accuracy is ±5%; output linearity is within 3% of the light transmittance or within 1% of the absolute light transmittance; 90% of the system's response time No more than 3s;
6. The thermocouple is a K-type armored thermocouple with a diameter of 0.5mm; the temperature accuracy is 0.5ºC;
7. The pressure sensor range is 0~100pa; connected to a pressure sensor with an accuracy of ±2pad; the response time of 90% of the pressure sensor output is at most 1s;
8. Environmental pressure accuracy ±200Pa;
9. The system recording time is at least 3 seconds;
10. System time recording accuracy is 0.1s;
11. Automatically check the flame spread distance;
12. Computer animation shows the flame spreading state, and you can know the flame spreading state without going near the combustion box;
13. The computer displays the smoke density generation curve in real time;
14. Automatic calibration function for smoke density and light transmittance; preventing smoke dust from adsorbing on the lens and affecting the light transmittance results;

computer control system

1. Standard control cabinet, embedded integrated 10.2" LCD screen:
• Labview dedicated laboratory software control system; the system is stable and reliable;
• Control parameter setting and display; test status and fault display and query.
•Data USB export. Historical curve and data query and printing;
•Can independently control the machine to complete the test.
2. It has sound alarm and alarm accident display functions.
3. There is a USB/RS232 serial port on the control box, which can be externally connected to a desktop/laptop computer for operation and control.
4. •Programmable controller (PLC) control system:
•Automatic ignition, ignition failure detection and protection.
•PLC+frequency converter implements automatic control and display of exhaust gas flow.
•Automatically measure and calculate material combustion: heat release rate (H.R.R), smoke growth index (SPR), oxygen consumption (O2), and CO2 production.
Optional heat release test system (this test data is an optional test, not a required test item):

gas sampling system

1. High-precision patented design sampling system; ensures that the sampling gas entering the gas analyzer is stable and free of impurity interference; making the analyzer analysis results more accurate;
2. Including particulate filter: three-stage filtration system, filtration accuracy 0.5um;
3. Cold trap: compressor principle refrigeration system; gas sampling temperature control is 0~5ºC;
4. Suction pump: provides gas sampling power source;
5. Drying cylinder; separate oxygen and nitrogen dioxide analysis gas paths for drying and impurity removal;
6. High-precision ball valve; opens and closes the air path;
7. Flow controller.

gas analysis system

1. Oxygen concentration analysis: Paramagnetic oxygen analyzer, o2 measurement range 0-25%, linear deviation <1%. The response time of the oxygen analyzer does not exceed 12s; the maximum output resolution of the analyzer is 100X10-6;
2. CO and CO2 analysis: Infrared CO2 analyzer: CO2 measurement range: 0-2/10%, linear deviation: <±1%. The response time of the analyzer does not exceed 12s; the maximum resolution of the analyzer output is 100X10-6;
3. Collection and storage of various data; screen monitoring, real-time temperature curve, real-time CO2/O2 data curve display; historical curve and data query.