Do all insulations perform the same tc 2017 atlanta

1
Do All Insulations Perform the Same in a Fire Incident?
Tony Crimi
Insulation materials and their reaction to fire
Differentiation of fire properties for specifications
The need for greater emphasis on “smoke” in
building codes

Best Practice
ROXUL is a Registered Provider with The American Institute of
Architects Continuing Education Systems. Credit earned on
completion of this program will be reported to CES Records for AIA
members. Certificates of Completion for non-AIA members are
available on request.
This program is registered with AIA/CES and USGBC for continuing
professional education. As such, it does not include content that
may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by
the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of
handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will
be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

Copyright Materials
This presentation is protected by US and International copyright
laws.
Reproduction, distribution, display and use of the presentation
without written permission of the speaker is prohibited.
© ROXUL 2017

Course Description
The course is targeted but not limited to Architects/Specifiers, Building Owners,
Fire Community Personnel, Insurance Companies and Building Code
influencers.
The course covers such topics as the development and code application of the
NFPA 285 test standard to combustible exterior wall construction.
Understanding the test standard development, application, and compliance
requirements will result in more fire safe construction. Common applications
and misconceptions of the test results will be discussed through real
examples.

Today’s Learning Objectives
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 Fire Testing Requirements for Building
Insulation Materials.
 The role that Building Insulation can play in
terms of providing passive fire protection.
 The differences in the fire properties of
various Building Insulations.
 Fire versus Smoke consideration,
understanding that codes today don’t
effectively address smoke concerns,
something to consider in building designs.

Overview
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How do different Insulation Materials react to Fire
Combustibility
Fire Resistance Ratings
Interior Finish Flame Spread and
Smoke Deveopment Ratings
Roxul Comparative Roofing FireTests

2015 - US Fire Statistics
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1,345,500 Fires reported in the US

Summary of 2015 U.S. Fire Problem
9
•501,500 structure fires in the U.S. (37% of total) resulting in:
2,685 civilian fire deaths (82% of all)
13,000 civilian fire injuries (83% of all)
10.3 billion in property damage (72%)
One structural fire every 63 sec
Source: NFPA Records

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NONCOMBUSTIBILE
CONSTRUCTION

Combustibility of Building Materials
13
The ASTM Definition of “Noncombustible” is:
not capable of undergoing combustion under specified
conditions.

14
IBC Noncombustible:
703.5 Noncombustibility tests.
serve as criteria for acceptance of building materials for
use in Type I, II, III and IV construction.
A material cannot be classified as a noncombustible
building construction material if it is subject to an increase
in combustibility or flame spread beyond the limitations
established in the IBC through the effects of age, moisture
or other atmospheric conditions.

ICC Building Codes
15
Two major groupings of construction Types based on the construction
materials:
noncombustible construction (Types I and II) and
noncombustible and/or combustible construction (Types III, IV and V)
These groupings are further divided into two more categories:
protected, where the major structural elements are provided with
some degree of fire resistance, and
unprotected, where no fire protection of the building elements is
typically mandated.

…for BUILDINGS it is NOT determined using
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Match Candle Torch
Flame Thrower Other Adhoc Methods

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703.5.1 Elementary materials. Materials required to be
noncombustible shall be tested in accordance with ASTM E
136.
703.5.2 Composite materials. Materials having a
structural base of noncombustible material … with a
surfacing not more than 0.125 inch (3.18 mm) thick that has
a flame spread index not greater than 50 when tested in
accordance with ASTM E 84 or UL 723 shall be acceptable
as noncombustible materials..

Code Required Non-Combustibility Testing
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Non-Combustibility Tests:
Traditionally, non-combustibility
measured using
ASTM E136, (ASTM E2652)
ISO 1182
30 min, 750oC exposure
50% max wt. loss, no flaming after
after 30s, max temp rise 30oC
Flame Retardants do NOT make a material Non-Combustible

Purpose of “Fire Separations”
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(a)Impede movement of fire in order to Limit the
potential fire size and inhibit movement of smoke
(b)Contain the fire long enough to evacuate occupants
and allow fire department to gain access
(c)Act as components of a “fire compartment”
e.g. Fire separations include fire walls, fire barriers,
fire partitions, horizontal assemblies, smoke barriers
and smoke partitions

Fire Resistance Rating -
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ASTM E119 & UL 263
Simulates interior post flashover fire
Test for fire containment, maintain structural integrity
Standard furnace time/temperature curve
About 100 ft2 specimen size
Vertical & Horizontal construction assemblies, and
structural elemnets
Duration – maximum period obtainable
Ratings typically expressed as hourly rated assemblies

Fire Resistance Rating Criteria
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No passage of flames or hot gases (visual and “Cotton Pad”)
Temperature rise on the unexposed side limited to - 250º F
average or 325ºF individual
Assembly must remain in place & not collapse under design
loads
No through openings created during the fire or hose stream
test (up to 45 psi water pressure).
Maximum temperature of steel structural supporting elements
(floors, ceilings, beams, columns) of 1000ºF average, 1100ºF
individual
Hose Stream – Assesses the residual integrity of building
elements after fire exposure test.

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INTERIOR FLAME SPREAD &
SMOKE DEVELOPED
RATINGS

Fire Performance of Interior Finishes
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Flame Spread Ratings
Foamed Plastics
Thermal & Ignition Barriers
INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE (IBC)
INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE(IRC)

Flame Spread & Smoke Developed
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Index because calibrated with red oak and
cement board, 0 & 100 reference – time
distance curve
Smoke developed rating calculated by
comparing integrated area under the curve for
red oak reference material versus test
specimen.
Flame spread rating calculated as the total
area under the distance-time plot determined by
ignoring any flame front recession, and
normalized to red oak area.

Interior Finishes
32
Room Corner Tests are often used
as an alternative test for Foamed
Plastics
Principle Tests & Concepts are:
ASTM E84 or UL723
Red Oak reference material
Room Corner Tests
NFPA 286
FM 4880
UL 1715
UL 1040

IBC Interior Finishes
34
Chapter 8 of the IBC contains the provisions that
govern the use of materials used as interior finishes, trim
and decorative materials. Interior finishes have limits on
the allowable flame spread and smoke development
based on location and occupancy classification.
Refers you to Section 720 for Insulations
Chapter 26 of the International Building Code (IBC) generally
covers “Plastics”, including foamed plastics. It governs the
materials, design, application, construction and installation of
foam plastic, foam plastic insulation, plastic veneer, interior
plastic finish and trim and light-transmitting plastics.

US Codes - Interior Finishes
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The basic US requirements for flame spread & smoke developed
ratings of interior finish materials are:
Class A (or I) requires a FSI of max 25, and Smoke Developed of 450.
Class B (or II) the FSI must be 26 to 75, and Smoke Developed of 450.
Class C (or III) has a FSI from 76 to 200, and Smoke Developed of 450.
NOTE: The requirement for the
SDI is 450 or less for all three
classes.

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THERMAL AND SOUND-INSULATING MATERIALS
720.1 General. Insulating materials, including facings such as
vapor retarders and vapor-permeable membranes, similar
coverings and all layers of single and multilayer reflective foil
insulations, shall comply with the requirements of this section.
Where a flame spread index or a smoke-developed index is
specified in this section, such index shall be determined in
accordance with ASTM E 84 or UL 723. Any material that is
subject to an increase in flame spread index or smoke-developed
index beyond the limits herein established through the effects of
age, moisture or other atmospheric conditions shall not be
permitted.

39
Foam plastics are not permitted as interior finish except as provided in Section 2603.10
“Special Approval”
applies both to exposed foam plastics and to foam plastics used in conjunction with a textile or vinyl facing or cover.
Unless otherwise indicated, foam plastic insulation must comply with a flame spread index
of 75 and a smoke-developed index of 450 when tested in the maximum thickness intended
for use in accordance with ASTM E 84.
Generally, all foam plastic (not just foam plastic insulation) must be separated from the
interior of a building by an approved thermal barrier such as 1/2-inch thick gypsum wallboard,
an ignition barrier, or tested using:
NFPA 286
FM 4880
UL 1715
UL 1040

What do Flame Spread ratings Mean? How do they
relate to the “real world” & time to escape?
45
In a standard 8 ft by 8 ft room fire test using a (~
100 kW - equivalent in intensity to a severe
waste paper basket fire):
FSC 15 (e.g. Mineral Wool) =
Infinite time to flashover, e.g. does
not occur
FSC 135 (e.g. 6 mm douglas
fir plywood) = 3 minutes or
less to room flashover
FSC 500 (e.g. foamed plastics) =
13 seconds to room flashover

47
Generally, any foam plastic must be protected by a thermal barrier (typically
15 minutes) or ignition barrier (IRC) in interior applications unless fire testing
results specific to the application can demonstrate that it can be used safely
without (e.g. attics and crawl spaces without occupancy).
I-Codes do permit larger scale room testing to be used in lieu of thermal
barriers or ignition barriers, if the performance during these tests
demonstrates an equivalent level of protection.

As a result ……
48
Codes use “Thermal Barriers” or “Ignition Barriers” to
protect foamed plastics from flashing over & delay ignition,
but …..

Interior Finishes
49
Smoke Production & Toxicity:
Building Codes limit smoke production of materials based on
“quantity” rather than composition/toxicity
Currently use Smoke Developed Ratings from “Tunnel” tests in
Codes
Code users and public often consider that “fire hazard” includes
“fire & smoke”
Smoke toxicity is, in reality, a Major issue for occupants and Fire
Services
Both from interior and potentially exterior fires

PATHS OF FIRE
PROPAGATION
4
3
5
12

Intermediate Scale Multi-story Test Apparatus
ASTM E 2307- Standard Test Method for Determining Fire Resistance of Perimeter
Fire Barrier Systems Using the Intermediate-Scale Multi-story Test Apparatus
Room
Burner
TEST ROOM
OBSERVATION
ROOM
Window
Burner

ASTM E 2307
ASTM E119
Fire Exposure
begins in
ground floor
room of the test
apparatus.
Perimeter Fire Barrier Education

ASTM E 2307
After 5 minutes,
the external
window burner is
ignited.

ASTM E 2307
Window burner
provides flame
extension, and
additional assault

ASTM E 119 TIME - TEMPERATURE CURVE
(5 hours)
• 1220 ° F (9min) aluminum melts

Failure of Plate Glass

ASTM E 119 TIME - TEMPERATURE CURVE
(5 hours)
• 1510 ° F (25 min)
• plate glass breaks
• 1220 ° F (9min) aluminum melts

Mechanical
Attachments
Protect
Aluminum
Mullions
Backer Bar
Reinforcement
Compression
Fitting Safing
Smoke
Barrier
Curtain Wall Fire Containment Systems-
6 Basic Design Principles
Noncombustible
Insulation

ROOFING
Comparative Roof System
Research
63

Comparative Roof Covering Tests
64
In 2013, Roxul conducted a Research Program on three
comparative roof system tests at Intertek Laboratories.
Purpose:
 To demonstrate relative fire performance of common roof insulation
materials based on their reaction to a standard fire exposure.
Testing Conducted:
 Applicable exposure conditions of ASTM E119, Standard Test Methods
for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, and
 Gas analysis was performed on the combustion products and analyzed
using on-site FTIR following EPA Method 320, Measurement of Vapor
Phase Organic Emissions by FTIR

65
Test Sample Construction:
 Three (3) asymmetrical, 7 ft x 7 ft roof assemblies,
 Non-load bearing assemblies
 Structure comprised of steel channel, galvanized steel
decking, various insulation, and TPO membrane.

66
Insulations Tested:
 Test #1-Polyisocyanurate foam insulation – Two layers of
1.5” thick insulation with the long edges perpendicular to
the deck and joints offset 12” between layers, attached to
the deck
 Test #2-Extruded Polystyrene foam insulation – (same
dimensions and fastener schedule as above)
 Test #3-TopRockDD Mineral Wool insulation
Two layers of 2” x 48” x 48” mineral wool cut to fit with all
joints offset 12” between layers, attached to the deck

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Assemblies tested on intermediate scale
horizontal furnace
 Fire followed standard time-temperature
curve described in the ASTM
E119/UL263 Standards.
 Unexposed surface instrumented with 5
thermocouples at center and quarter
points
 On-site gas analysis was performed on
the combustion products with FTIR
following EPA Method 320.

68

69

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Observations made during Test #1 - Polyisocyanurate:
Time (min:Sec) Laboratory Observation
0:00 Test initiated
1:15 There was white smoke from the right side
2:00 There was white smoke from all four corners
6:00 The smoke began to turn yellow
6:40 Smoke through the back center portion of roof specimen
10:00 TPO membrane beginning to rise
14:00 Burn pattern visible down the centerline
14:19 Flame through top of specimen
14.33 Test terminated

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Observations made during Test #2 – Extruded Polystyrene (XPS):
0:00 Test initiated
2:44 There was white smoke from the left side
3:40 Top of specimen beginning to sag
4:02 TPO membrane beginning to blister
4:47 A hole developed in the center of the TPO membrane
6:00 Smoke emitting from back side of specimen
6:06 Flame through top of specimen
6:45 The test was terminated; the hood was full with smoke

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Observations made during Test #3 ROXUL Mineral Wool:
0:00 Test initiated
15:00 There was no change
30:00 There was still no change
45:00 Slight sag on the top of membrane
60:00
No further changes. Test Terminated
The assembly withstood the effects of the fire test without passage of flame or gases
hot sufficient to ignite cotton waste.
The heat conducted through the assembly did not cause the temperatures measured
by the thermocouples to exceed the 250° F rise in average temperature during the 60
minutes or exceed the 325° F rise limit at 60 minutes for an individual thermocouple.

73
Poly ISO Extruded PS
Post-test condition of specimens

74
Post-test condition of specimens
Mineral Wool

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FTIR EPA Smoke Analysis:
 EPA has set National Ambient Air
Quality Standards for six principal
pollutants, which are called "criteria"
pollutants.
 Units of measure for the standards
are parts per million (ppm) by
volume, parts per billion (ppb) by
volume, and micrograms per cubic
meter of air (µg/m3).

76
FTIR EPA “Criteria Pollutants” are:

77
Ontario MOE “Point of Impingement” values for selected criteria:
Compound
Half Hour
Averaging Time
(μg/m³)
24 Hour
Standard
(μg/m³)
½ Hour
Upper Risk
Threshold
(μg/m³)
Carbon monoxide
(single source)9
6000 (Health) 6000 (Health)
½ h
330
(Irritant)
Hydrogen Cyanide 24 (Health) 8 (Health)
½ h
240 (Health)
Acetalaldehyde 500 (Health) 500 (Health) 5000 (Health)
Formaldehyde 65 (odour/irritation) 65
(Health) ---
9 Half-hour standard for
carbon monoxide is based
on high background levels
from automobiles (i.e.
individual facilities are only
allowed a small fraction of
the total air shed).

78
FTIR Test Results on Smoke Analysis:
System
Time to Test
End Point
(min:sec)
Ammonia
(ppm)
Cyanide
(ppm)
Acetal-aldehyde
(ppm)
Formaldehyde
(ppm)
Nitrogen
Dioxide
(ppm)
Nitric
Oxide
(ppm)
Sulfur
Dioxide
(ppm)
Carbon
Monoxide
(ppm)
MW
Terminated at
60 min 1.22 0.09 0.01 0.02 <0.01 0.71 4.49 0.33
Polyiso 14:19 12.10 2.91 29.44 0.69 26.01 5.69 6.79 205.78
XPS 6:06 9.07 5.25 3.18 0.22 0.47 16.43 3.5 162.73

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Mr. Crimi is a Registered Professional
Engineer, and founder of A.C. Consulting
Solutions Inc., which specialize in Building
and Fire related Codes, Standards, and
product development activities in the US,
Canada and Europe.
Prior to founding ACCS in 2001, he spent
over 15 years in the area of Codes,
Standards, Testing, and Conformity
Assessment with Underwriters’
Laboratories of Canada, where he held the
positions of Vice President & Chief
Engineer.
Mr. Crimi participates in a wide range of
Codes and Standards development
activities in Canada, the US, and Europe.
He is a member and immediate past-Chair
of the National Building Code of Canada
Standing Committee on Fire Protection,
and an active participant and member of
the International Code Council, NFPA,
ASTM, numerous UL Standards Technical
Panels and UL Canada Standards
development Committees, & ISO Codes
and Standards development organizations.
CONFIDENTIAL  Author  21 April 2017  Part of the ROCKWOOL Group

Do all insulations perform the same tc 2017 atlanta

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