Containment

26
Fire test data & AS4072/1
compliance
Standard fire test
The fire test method used here locally in both
Australia and New Zealand is
AS1530 Part 4. This test method follows the
basic principles of International Standard
ISO834 Part 1.
All fire stopping systems are required to
have been fire tested to the requirements of
AS1530 Part 4
Essentially the fire testing consists of building
and mounting a representative specimen (or
prototype assembly) onto a fire test furnace
and burning the assembly against
standardised time versus temperature criteria
and with given pressure differential conditions
across the assembly.
Measurement are taken to determine the time
taken to exceed specified criteria for integrity,
insulation and radiation as applicable from
which fire ratings can be determined for
compliance against Building Codes in Australia
and New Zealand.
Fire stopping ’product’ Standard
It is not practical to fire test all the different
configurations of service penetrations, and
based on experience and sound logic,
Australian Standard AS4072 Part 1
(Components for the protection of openings in
fire-resistant separating elements - Service
penetrations and control joints), provides some
standard fire test configurations for electrical &
communication cable penetrations, and
metallic pipe penetrations. After successfully
fire testing these standard configurations a
range of allowable cable and metal pipe types
are automatically approved. The Standard also
provides design guidance, advice relating to
installation, labelling and certification, as well
as some rules relating to variations from fire
tested specimens by way of laboratory
technical assessments and/or formal letters of
opinion.
Field of application for fire stopping products
The culmination of a manufacturer’s fire test
reports and technical assessments / formal
letters of opinions make up a proprietary field
of application for a given fire stopping product.
This field of application or scope of use for a
given fire stopping product is then translated
into manufacturer’s installation instructions for
use in the field by competently trained
installation personnel.
An inside-furnace view of an intumescent fire
damper during testing (above) and a fire
collar test following completion (below)
A fire stopping system consisting of many
different service penetrations undertaking a fire
resistance test
Version 1a—March 2006