Appendix – Fire Test Procedures for Fire Door Control Systems
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - International Codes - 2010 FTP Code – International Code for Application of Fire Test Procedures, 20101 – Resolution MSC.307(88) - Annex 1 – Fire Test Procedures - Part 4 – Test For Fire Door Control Systems - Appendix – Fire Test Procedures for Fire Door Control Systems

Appendix – Fire Test Procedures for Fire Door Control Systems

Parent topic: Part 4 – Test For Fire Door Control Systems

1 General

  1.1 Fire door control systems which are intended to be used for fire doors capable of operating in case of fire shall be tested in accordance with the fire test procedure described in this appendix independent of its power supply (pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical).

  1.2 The fire tests shall be a prototype test and be carried out with the complete control system in a furnace specified in appendix 1 of part 3 of this Code.

  1.3 The construction to be tested shall be, as far as practicable, representative of that to be used on board ships, including the materials and method of assembly.

  1.4 The functions of the control system including its closing mechanism shall be tested, i.e. normal functions of and, if required, emergency function, including switchover functions, if this is a basis of the manufacturer's design. The required kind of installation and functions shall be evident from a detailed function description.

2 Nature of Prototype Control Systems

  2.1 The installation of the prototype control system shall fully comply with the manufacturer's installation manual.

  2.2 The prototype control system shall include a typical door arrangement connected to the closing mechanism. For the purpose of the test a door model shall be used. In case of sliding doors, the model door shall run in original door tracks with original supporting and guide rollers. The model door shall have the weight of the largest door to be actuated by this control system.

  2.3 In case of pneumatic or hydraulic systems, the actuator (cylinder) shall have the maximum length allowed by the furnace.

3 Materials for Prototype Control Systems

3.1 Specifications

 Prior to the test, drawings and the list of materials of the test arrangement shall be submitted to the laboratory by the applicant.

3.2 Control measurements

  3.2.1 The testing laboratory shall take reference specimens of all those materials whose characteristics are important to the performance of the prototype control system (excluding steel and equivalent material).

  3.2.2 If necessary, non-combustibility tests of insulation material in accordance with part 1 shall be conducted. Adhesives used in the construction of the specimen are not required to be non-combustible, however, they shall have low flame-spread characteristics.

  3.2.3 The density of each insulation material shall be determined. The density of mineral wool or any similar compressible material shall be related to the nominal thickness.

  3.2.4 The thickness of each insulation material and combination of materials shall be measured by using a suitable gauge or calipers.

4 Conditioning

  4.1 Conditioning of the prototype control system (except insulation) is not necessary.

  4.2 If insulation material is used in the construction, the prototype control system shall not be tested until the insulation has reached an air-dry condition. This condition is designed as an equilibrium (constant weight per paragraph 4 of appendix 1 to part 3) with an ambient atmosphere of 50% relative humidity at 23°C.

  4.3 Accelerated conditioning is permissible provided the method does not alter the properties of component materials. High-temperature conditioning shall be below temperatures critical for the materials.

5 Mounting

  5.1 The prototype fire door control system and the insulation, if used for protection of the system or parts of it, shall be mounted at the bulkhead plate as shown in figure 1.

  5.2 The structural core shall be mounted at the furnace in accordance with the principles for "A" class divisions in paragraph 5 of appendix 1 of part 3 of this Code.

  5.3 The door model shall be arranged within the furnace. The structural core to which the system and the door model are fitted shall have no door opening. However, small openings for the release mechanism of the control systems are allowed.

6 Examination

6.1 Conformity

 The laboratory shall verify the conformity of the prototype control system with the drawings and method of assembly provided by the applicant (see paragraph 2), and any area of discrepancy shall be resolved prior to commencement of the test.

6.2 Operation of the prototype control system

 Immediately prior to the test, the laboratory shall check the operability of the system by opening the door model by a distance of at least 300 mm. The door model shall then be closed.

7 Instrumentation

 The furnace and the instrumentation of the furnace shall be in accordance with paragraph 7 of appendix 1 to part 3 of this Code.

8 Test Procedure

8.1 Commencement of test

  8.1.1 Not more than 5 min before the commencement of the test, the initial temperatures recorded by all thermocouples shall be checked to ensure consistency and the datum values shall be noted. Similar datum values shall be obtained for deformation, and initial condition of the prototype control system shall be noted.

  8.1.2 At the time of the test, the initial average internal temperature shall be 20 ± 10°C and shall be within 5°C of the initial ambient temperature.

  8.1.3 Prior to the test, the door shall be at open position. At the start of the test, the door control system shall show its capability to close the door.

  8.1.4 The door control system shall be installed in a representative way with all its units and be powered for the entire test period.

8.2 Furnace control

 The furnace control shall be in accordance with paragraph 8.3 of appendix 1 to part 3 of this Code.

8.3 Temperatures, duration of testing and actions during test

  8.3.1 The average furnace temperature shall be increased and stabilized at 200 ± 50°C within 5 min and kept at the level of 200 ± 50°C up to the end of the first 60 min. Then the average furnace temperature shall be increased according to the standard time-temperature curve beginning with the level of 200°C up to 945°C.

  8.3.2 The opening and closing function of the door control mechanism shall be activated every 5 min from the beginning of the test for the duration of 60 min.

  8.3.3 The automatic switchover shall isolate the door control system from the power supply at the average furnace temperature of up to 300°C and shall be able to keep the door closed at least up to 945°C.

8.4 Measurements and observations on the prototype control system

 In case of pneumatic or hydraulic systems, the input pressure which shall be identical with the approved system pressure shall be recorded. Due to a high input pressure, necessary safety precautions shall be taken when the test is carried out.

9 Classification Criteria

  9.1 During the first 60 min of the test, a prototype fire door control system shall not fail.

  9.2 During the period from the end of the first 60 min until the end of the test, the door shall remain closed.

10 Test Report

 The test report shall include the following information as a minimum. A clear distinction shall be made between the data provided by the sponsor and the data determined by the test.

  • .1 reference that the test was carried out in accordance with part 4 of the 2010 FTP Code (see also subparagraph .2 below);

  • .2 any deviations from the test method;

  • .3 name and address of the testing laboratory;

  • .4 date and identification number of the report;

  • .5 name and address of the sponsor;

  • .6 name and/or identification of the prototype control system tested;

  • .7 the name of the manufacturer of the prototype control system and of the products and components used in the construction;

  • .8 the constructional details of the prototype control system, including description and drawings and principal details of components. All the details requested in paragraph 2 shall be given. The description and the drawings which are included in the test report shall, as far as practicable, be based on information derived from a survey of the prototype control system. When full and detailed drawings are not included in the report, then the applicant's drawing(s) of the prototype control system shall be authenticated by the laboratory and at least one copy of the authenticated drawing(s) shall be retained by the laboratory; in this case reference to the applicant's drawing(s) shall be given in the report together with a statement indicating the method of endorsing the drawings;

  • .9 all the properties of materials used that have a bearing on the fire performance of the prototype control system together with measurements thickness, density and, where applicable, the moisture and/or organic content of the insulation material(s) as determined by the test laboratory;

  • .10 date of the test specimen arrival;

  • .11 details of specimen conditioning;

  • .12 date of test;

  • .13 test results:

    • .1 information concerning the location of the pressure gauges or other devices together with tabulated data obtained during the test;

    • .2 observations of significant behaviour of the prototype control system during test and photographs, if any; and

    • .3 a statement that the prototype fire door control system has passed the test and complies with the classification criteria;

  • .14 the classification attained by the test specimen should be expressed in the form of "Door control system", i.e. including the qualification on orientation of the division.

  • The result shall be presented in the test report in the following manner, which includes a proviso regarding non-combustibility, under the heading "Classification":

    • "A fire door control system constructed as described in this report may be regarded as a Fire door control system according to part 4 in annex 1 to the 2010 FTP Code."; and

  • .15 the name of the representative of the Administration present at the test. If the Administration requires prior notification of the test and a representative does not witness the test, a note to this effect shall be made in the report in the following form:

    • "The ... (name of the Administration) ... was notified of the intention to conduct the test detailed in this report and did not consider it necessary to send a representative to witness it.".

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