REAL LIFE FIRE TESTING vs. ACCREDITED FIRE
TESTING
Magnesiacore Inc. prides itself on understanding the
customers' needs when it comes to building materials that provides good
quality and proper functions. The building industry in general relies mostly
on certified testing agencies that perform theoretical analysis by separate
testing to try to mimic real life situations to indicate a materials
potential performance. Magnesiacore does that too, but in addition we also
provide you with the clear and plain language results available only from
real world, real life, examples like no one else truly can.
REAL LIFE FIRE TESTING
A real life material performance comparison was performed in
a North America Municipality in the fall of the year 2010. The following is
a documentation in pictures with captions highlighting the event:
Some 250 Public Officials from various
authorities attended from all ranks of Fire Fighting, Emergency Responders,
Policing, Forensics and other professionals in the relevant field with
interest. The location was an actual motel room which was constructed in the
typical manner most are and was fully furnished with normal materials,
furniture and fixtures. The purpose was to create a real life situation
rather than relying only on engineered theoretical testing.
On
the ceiling several different conventional building materials are applied
such as cement board, drywall, paneling and also magnesiacore clearly shown
as representatives samples of conventional materials and magnesiacore as the
alternative.
An
officer threw a typical real incendiary device (a Molotov Cocktail) in from
the window initiating a real fire inside the room. The fire was allowed to
burn freely and naturally for the normal amount of time that allows for
firefighters and alarms to respond.
After
allowing the average burn time before crews normally arrive on a scene, with
temperatures inside the room reaching over 1800 degrees C; the firefighters
apply the conventional means and methods for extinguishing the blaze. The
picture shows fire hoses spraying the room with water in the typical fashion.
After the fire ... everything inside was
incinerated and no building board materials on the ceiling survived except
the magnesiacore. In fact the magnesiacore.com logo is still clearly visible
after the fire as if it was not even ever in a fire and after the interior
of the room was sprayed with high pressure fire-hoses by firefighters with
heavy equipment.
All of the accredited testing listed
below, which is often passed by many other materials, does not hold a candle
to the real life results documented by a real fire which shows the
difference between magnesiacore and the conventional construction materials.
ACCREDITED FIRE TESTING
Fire Rating Classifications per International
Standards & Tests
(class A1 is the highest rating for building materials)
European Standards UNI EN ISO 1182 (non-combustible) -
Euroclass A1
European Standards UNI EN ISO 1716 (heat resistance) - Euroclass A1
European Standards UNI EN ISO 13501-1 (smoke and flame) - Euroclass A1
European Standards UNI EN ISO (flooring material) -
Euroclass A1FL
United States & Canada US ASTM E136 - non-combustible
British Standard 476: Part 4 : 1970 - non-combustible
United States and Canada Surface Burning Characteristics CAN/ULC-S102
and US ASTM E 84
(Flame Spread Classification "FSC" = 0 / Smoke Developed "SD" = 0) Flame Spread and Smoke Development Rating is Class 1 or Class A
British Standard 476: Part 7 : 1997, Class
1 for Surface Spread of Flame
ONE HOUR FIRE RATED ASSEMBLY
TEST: Passed tests for one hour fire rated wall assembly using 12mm (1/2") Magnesiacore thickness (After
one hour only the joint compound is breaking down)
NOTE: Separate certification of each fire rated assembly is required in most jurisdictions to comply with local building codes. Fire Rated certification is not currently available for most assemblies and countries. Based on past tests conducted fire rated certification is achievable to higher levels than common fire code / rated materials. Please contact us for more information.