Product testing

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Product testing

In the laboratories of the Efectis Group offer a wide range of tests can be performed with burners, calorimeters and smoke measuring instruments.

Igniting all kinds of products in a specific way over a period of time can help to determine the fire performance of a product and its contribution to the fire development. Ignitability, heat release, smoke development, and loss of weight can be measured through testing.

All this information is needed to determine the product properties during fire and helps us build a safer world.

Reaction to fire

It is advisable to investigate and establish fire behavior in an early stage, especially for newly developed materials. Efectis likes to think ahead, offering an optimized research program and a testing strategy, performing tests on a short-term basis. Added value can be found in a comprehensive set of tailor-made solutions and special testing programs based on current scientific knowledge.

Building materials have to fulfil the requirements stated in rules and regulations. Based on the client’s demands and the possibilities offered in the standards, Efectis can set up a research program that minimizes the amount of testing and maximizes the results (for different product types and ranges of thickness, density, etc.).

EN 13501-1 is the European classification for construction products and building elements: A1, A2 and B to F, s1, s2, s3 (smoke) and d0, d1 and d2 (flaming droplets).

A small selection from the wide range:

Also, periodic verification for CE certification is in good hands at Efectis.

Fire resistance

Accredited laboratory for more than 30 years, Efectis testing facilities are top of the line in technical excellence. Our laboratories are equipped to respond effectively to any testing requests, from the simplest to the most complex tests. Efectis has:

  • More than 70 years of experience
  • 7 fire laboratories:
    • Maizières-lès-Metz, France
    • Les Avenières, France
    • Saint-Yan, France
    • Bleiswijk, The Netherlands
    • Gebze, Türkiye
    • Belfast, UK/Ireland
    • Carrickfergus, UK/Ireland
  • 1 jet-fire installation for Oil & Gas testing
  • 8 façade testing facilities
  • 1 loading frame (400T)
  • More than 10,000 tests performed since its creation
  • More than 850 fire resistance tests performed per year
  • Classification standard tests (Cellulosic curve (ISOR834) – RWS – Hydrocarbon (HC) – Hydrocarbon Modified Curve (HCM) – JetFire (JF)) as well as research and ad-hoc tests
  • 14 fire resistance furnaces, including a furnace of more than 250 m3
  • Tests performed according to European and international standards (EN, DIN, ISO, IMO, BS, NFPA, ASTM, UL, FM)

The products and building elements whose fire behavior is tested in our laboratories include:

  • The partitioning elements: partitions, doors and locks, glass elements, ship partitions and other transport systems,
  • The smoke exhaust elements and system: valves, shutters, ducts, fans, smoke barriers, MCV, outfalls and SHEV,
  • The structural elements: beams, columns, walls, and their products for their protection,
  • The service elements: penetration seals, linear joints, cable trays, cables,
  • The external resistance tests for fire roofs and facades.

OUR SERVICES:

List of testing methods accredited for Efectis France
List of testing methods accredited for Efectis Nederland
List of testing methods accredited for Efectis Era Avrasya
List of testing methods accredited by Efectis UK / Ireland Limited

Non-fire testing

In addition to standard fire tests, Efectis is able to perform non fire tests in order to offer a complete range of services for each type of product.

For doors:

Efectis performs smoke leakage tests according to the EN 1634-3 standard, on elements whose maximal dimensions are 3000 x 3000 mm (W x H). These tests lead to “Sa” and “Sm” performance ratings.

Finally, Efectis is able to realize special tests for the French market such as NF S 61-937-2 and NF S 61-937-3.

For penetration seals:

Special tests can be required for penetrations seals, especially for Nuclear Power Plant applications. These tests are realized prior to fire exposure, or independently from them:

  • Water tightness, to check that no water can pass through the penetration seal,
  • Interoperability, to check that the different penetration seal systems from different suppliers are compatible,
  • Deflection, to verify that the penetration seal system is able to absorb mechanical stress and retain fire resistance performance.

For fire dampers:

For Nuclear Power Plants, special requirements have been adapted to the situation of consecutive problems. A fire damper has to successfully pass 3 tests:

  • 500 cycles (opening/closing of the blade) with an air velocity of 12m/s,
  • Resistance to earthquake test , according to EN 60068-3-3,
  • Fire resistance test with under pressure 1500 Pa.
Firefighting and suppression system

Efectis has developed a special qualification program, in order to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of firefighting equipment. Relying on fire scenarios, each system or operational method can be evaluated.

A scenario can be proposed as a point of reference regardless of the systems used. This scenario helps to determine the efficiency of firefighting equipment, in terms of:

  • Extinction capacity according to class of fire (suppression time, extinguishing process implemented, water flow rate, residual water, hydraulic distribution, etc.),
  • Cooling capacity of gases and smoke (reduced temperature level, maintaining reduced temperature),
  • Heat radiation absorption capacity (in closed or external environments).
  • Efectis performs firefighting training courses for firefighter instructors and international experts (CFBT-Fr).

Individual Protective Clothing

The effectiveness of the equipment can be determined according to the thermal protection capacity in real fire situations.

The assessment is based on a measuring dummy instrumented with 122 thermal sensors enabling the measurement of thermal protection time (TOMM by Efectis).

Jet fire testing

Jet-Fire Standard ISO 22899-1

The jet fire standard ISO 22899-1:2007 consists of simulating the thermal and mechanical loads resulting from high-pressure releases of flammable gas. Jet fires give rise to high convective and radiative heat fluxes as well as high erosive forces.

Hydrocarbon standard – UL 1709

The UL 1709 standard “Rapid Rise Fire Test of Protection Materials for Structural Steel” is one of the oldest and most frequently used furnace test standards for the Oil and Gas industry. The temperature rises from ambient temperature to 1093°C close to the test specimen within 5 minutes and is 154°C above the HC temperature time curve at 5 minutes.

The tests will be realized under ISO 17025 accreditation.

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