Available data include significant fire performance parameters that have a direct influence on a material’s behavior during a fire; therefore a cone calorimeter can be useful to determine fire risk. One of the main metrics is heat release rate (HRR) which measures how much heat a material generates when it burns. It can measure HRR with an accuracy of ±5%, making it a reliable source of data for a material’s ability to spread a fire. Higher HRR values indicate materials with a higher heat release rate, contributing to more severe fires, which increases risk to structures and people. Studies have indeed found that materials with HRR greater than 100 kW/m² are often considered high-risk materials due to their ability to promote fast fire propagation and flashover.
It also measures other important variables such as the rate of smoke production, which participates in visibility loss during a fire. It also measures the amount of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), which can be fatal even before the flame of the fire directly endangers lives. Smoke inhalation is responsible for over 50% of deaths associated with fire, according to a study conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). These variables are important because understanding how material responds to flame can help assess its overall fire risk.
It has varying heat flux so that the materials are tested in the same conditions as in a real fire. The results give investigators a clear, simple picture of the material’s flammability and how it’ll play in fire dynamics. For example, at 35 kW/m² wood products typically ignite and burn consistently, while some polymers are delayed. These measurements can help fire a fire engineer build a realistic fire model for a building and predict the performance of the building in a fire, e.g., how fire will spread, how effective suppression systems will be, etc.
“To fully assess fire risk, we need to understand how much heat and smoke a material generates, and that’s what these new studies do,” said Dr. George W. Santoni, an expert in fire safety and fire protection who is a senior research scientist at E.T.C. “The cone calorimeter gives you the data you need to see if a material can be safely used in certain spaces.” Evaluation of these properties by the cone calorimeter provides another aid to material selection for safer building designs and more effective fire suppression methods.
Evaluating fire risk is highly important to fields like construction, automotive, and aerospace. Cone calorimeter test data can help manufacturers and safety regulators determine whether a material passes fire safety standards and falls into the acceptable risk profile. Learn more about how the Cone Calorimeter evaluate fire risk See Detailed specifications.