ASTM International

Standard Guide for Selection of Fire Test Methods for the Assessment of Upholstered Furnishings in Detention and Correctional Facilities
 N F1870

Annotation

This is a fire-test-response guide.

This guide is intended to provide guidance for the selection of test methods that are applicable to determining fire-test-response characteristics of upholstered furniture items contained within a detention cell.

This guide is intended for use by those interested in assessing the fire properties of the upholstery products and their component materials or composites, within cells and other areas (such as isolation lounges) of detention and correctional occupancies.

This guide includes standard test methods promulgated by ASTM, NFPA, Underwriters Laboratories, trade associations and government agencies and other proposed test methods. It does not include industrial materials specification tests. The guide indicates some means by which modifications of standard test methods lead to potential achievement of certain testing goals.

The values stated in SI units are to regarded as standard; see IEEE/ASTM SI 10 for further details. The units given in parentheses are for information only. Some individual standards referenced use inch-pound units for referee decisions.

This guide contains four types of test methods, namely: (1) generic small-scale methods, (2) specific applications of small-scale test methods to particular products or composites of products, associated with upholstery items, (3) real-scale test methods where actual upholstery products are exposed to heat or flame, and (4) guides explaining the concepts involved with room-scale testing.

The main fire-test-response characteristics investigated in this guide are: ignitability, ease of extinction, flame spread, heat release, smoke obscuration and toxic potency of smoke.