FIRE SAFETY
The complex door hardware fire testing process explained
» ROB MOTTRAM , TECHNICAL manager for ARRONE , a HOPPE ( UK ) brand , speaks to The Locksmith Journal and explains more about the fire testing process enabling products to be certified .
What ’ s involved with fire testing ?
The whole process can take up to several months . First , it ’ s about getting products through the initial tests , exploring whether any product changes will need to be made , and collating evidence .
Second , we put products through thirdparty testing . The products are tested at independent accredited laboratories , either as a stand-alone test or in partnership with a door manufacturer .
Testing includes initial product testing , fire testing as well as smoke testing , and compiling reports . You cannot move to certification without testing , as this is needed to produce the right evidence to apply . The certification may include schemes such as Certifire or using the test evidence to support UKCA or CE marking .
How does the testing process work ?
First , we establish what the market needs and the fire rating the product will have to achieve . This informs the testing process .
Many products will need more than one test , such as a letterplate flap . This must be tested on the outside and from the inside to cover both directions , plus at different heights because the fire pressure will differ . We work out the number of tests well before the test programme .
Next , we establish how the test will run . The size of the furnace is key as , for example , it might be able to fit two doors side by side meaning we can find economies of scale .
Test products are sample selected at random as required for certification , and during testing , we run until the product fails to understand its limitations .
Where do standards and regulations come in for fire testing ?
Most products are tested to the same standard , EN1634 part 1 – the European standard for fire testing for doors and windows and EN13501-1 on fire classification of construction products and building elements .
The UK has been following a dual approach to testing with the British Standard BS 476:22 running concurrently with EN 1634-1 . However , in early September it was confirmed that BS 476 is to be removed from Approved Document B of the Building Regulations , following the 2022 government consultation proposing to remove the national classification system .
At HOPPE , we are well prepared for this change due to our test evidence already being to the more onerous European standard .
One of these cases where the European standard required a different approach to the British Standard would be testing a letterplate , such as our new ARRONE AR708HS TS 008:2022 product , which requires a significant hole through the door to fit . BS476 tests the pressure at different points compared to the EN1634 test , so having one standard to reference will make the whole testing system more straightforward to plan out .
What is primary and secondary evidence in fire testing ?
Primary evidence demonstrates that the exact product has been through a full test on that specific door type . Certain certification schemes will allow hardware to be changed on a door without directly having the primary evidence of fire testing in that particular combination .
This can be explained by considering a range of similar hinges with varying fixing hole patterns or bigger leaves . For secondary evidence , as long as the biggest and smallest versions are tested on a particular door type , they ’ ll assess
that all other hinges within the same family are suitable for use . The biggest and smallest hinges that have been fire tested on the door type will count as primary evidence .
In the main , we test for primary evidence as we have good partnerships with door manufacturers . For products that are included on fire assessments but haven ’ t been tested , we ’ ll get them tested with door manufacturers in tandem , sharing the cost while at the same time generating the primary evidence .
Our sales team will work with the customer to define what they want and assess whether our product testing can be used for their evidence . In some cases , the product will still need to be re-tested on a particular door ; more common with door closers , letterplates and certain types of locks which change the way the door will behave in a fire test more significantly .
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SEPTEMBER 2024
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