Fire Testing as a Tool in Fire Safety Engineering: A Norwegian Perspective

Abstract

Fire testing has long been used to assess the performance of building products and construction materials under fire exposure. In addition to the widespread use of standard tests for fire safety certification, the application of non-standard and customized fire tests has received attention. Such tests can provide important knowledge for developing novel materials, products, and constructions, offering extended information needed to develop fire safety designs for buildings. In this paper, the importance of fire testing is highlighted, and guidance is provided on how to plan non-standard tests for use in fire safety designs along with examples. It is found that while many results are available from fire tests in the literature, recommendations are rarely provided on how to perform non-standard fire tests, especially on the crucial planning step. The paper discusses experiences from an accredited fire lab on the planning of fire testing, and three specific examples of fire tests are presented to illustrate the concept applied in a Norwegian framework. These examples demonstrate that many construction projects can benefit from fire testing by way of fire performance evaluations that can lead to an improved design of construction details. Stakeholders such as manufacturers, consultants, and investigators who may tackle fire safety problems via fire testing are the target audience for this paper.