Flooring Radiant Heat Flux Test Apparatus

Flooring Radiant Heat Flux Test Apparatus is an experimental device used to evaluate the thermal radiation characteristics of floor materials under fire conditions. 

Overview：

The floor radiant heat flux testing equipment is designed to assess the transmission characteristics of thermal radiation in floor materials during a fire. This evaluation helps determine the extent of the thermal radiation impact that the floor materials can cause under fire conditions. The primary goal of this testing is to evaluate the safety performance of flooring materials in a fire event.

structure:

Floor radiant heat flux testing equipment usually consists of the following parts:

1.Radiant Heat Source: A radiant heat source in a simulated fire scene, usually a high-temperature radiator, used to apply heat radiation to the surface of the floor material.

2.Test Chamber: A closed testing space used to place floor materials and heat radiation sources, and to control test conditions such as temperature and humidity.

3.Heat Flux Measurement System (HFMS): used to measure and record the heat flux on the floor surface, that is, the heat flow density per unit area.

4.Data Acquisition System (DAS): used for real-time monitoring, recording and analysis of parameters during the test process, such as temperature, heat flux, time, etc.

Testing process:

1.Preparation: Install the floor sample in the test room, making sure its surface is flat and complete.

2.Apply thermal radiation: start the thermal radiation source and apply thermal radiation of a certain intensity and duration to the floor surface.

3.Heat flux measurement: The heat flux measurement system is used to monitor and record the heat flux changes on the floor surface in real time to evaluate the transmission and response of the floor material to thermal radiation.

4.Data analysis: Through the test data obtained by the data acquisition system, the heat flux response curve and characteristics of the floor material under different thermal radiation conditions are analyzed.

Test parameters:

In floor radiant heat flux testing, parameters often considered include:

• Peak Heat Flux (PHF): The maximum heat flux value reached by the floor surface during the test, which reflects the floor material's ability to withstand fire heat radiation.

• Time to Peak Heat Flux (TTP): The time required for the floor surface to reach peak heat flux, which affects the thermal radiation exposure time of floor materials in a fire event.

application:

Floor radiant heat flux testing equipment is widely used in construction, fire engineering, safety assessment and other fields to evaluate the thermal radiation performance of floor materials under fire conditions to guide building design and the formulation of fire safety measures.

Advantage:

Floor radiant heat flux testing equipment has the following advantages:

• Environmental control: The testing equipment can simulate thermal radiation conditions under different fire scenarios and provide an accurate testing environment.

• Reliability: Real-time monitoring of thermal radiation response of floor materials through heat flux measurement system provides reliable data for performance evaluation. 

Please find below the detailed testing method for Flooring Radiant Heat Flux Test Apparatus

This test method is applicable to all kinds of floorings and used to measure the radiant flux of horizontally-mounted floor covering systems exposed to a small flaming ignition source in a radiant heat environment, within a inclined test chamber. Such as: textile carpet, soft wooden board, wood board, rubber board and plastic floor and floor spraying material. The apparatus can reflect the flammability properties of the flooring material including the substrate used. Changes in the backing material, base material or other aspects of the floorings may affect the test results. It is used to test and describe the combustion characteristics of floorings in response to fire paired thermally under controlled laboratory conditions.

2. Compliant standards:

2.1 Comply with the test standard of GB/T11785-2005 "Reaction to fire tests for floorings—Determination of the burning behavior using a radiant heat source";

2.2 Comply with the test standard of EN ISO9239-1:2002 "Reaction to fire tests - Horizontal surface spread of flame on floor-covering systems - Part 1: Flame spread using a radiant heat ignition source";

2.3 Comply with the test standard of ASTM E648-2014 "Standard Test Method for Critical Radiant Flux of Floor-Covering Systems Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source".

3. Main technical parameters

3.1 Composition of the whole machine: The equipment is mainly composed of test equipment, smoke density measurement device, radiation value calibration system, gas control system and data acquisition system. Comply with GB/T11785-2005 standard.

3.2 Test Chamber:

3.2.1 Structure: It is composed of calcium silicate board with a thickness of (13±1) mm and a nominal density of 650kg/m³and a fireproof glass with a size of (110±10)mm x (1100±100)mm. The fireproof glass is quartz high temperature glass, installed in front of the box, so that the progress of the entire test piece and the combustion situation can be observed through the observation window during the test; a metal protective layer is installed on the outside of the test box, and a door that can be tightly closed is installed under the observation window, thereby the test piece platform can be moved in or out; the panel is made of high-quality stainless steel with a thickness of 1.2mm