Cone calorimeter
During research and development, product engineers depend on accurate data to understand how plastics and other materials will respond under different heating conditions. UL was one of the first organizations to embrace and test for National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards using a cone calorimeter. This dynamic testing apparatus analyzes small samples of plastics, composites, wood and laminates to determine how readily materials ignite and how much smoke they generate. Depending on the specific application, tests can determine additional fire characteristics such as ignition times, weight loss, heat and smoke release rates, heat of combustion and the average specific extinction area. This data helps product engineers identify reliable substitutions that reduce product development costs and boost performance.
Test Standards
UL tests to the current editions of the following Standards:
- ASTM E 1354, Standard Test Method for Heat and Visible Smoke Release Rates for Materials and Products Using an Oxygen Consumption Calorimeter
- ASTM D5485, Standard Test Method for Determining the Corrosive Effect of Combustion Products Using the Cone Corrosimeter
- CAN/ULC-S135, Standard Method of Test for Determination of Degrees of Combustibility of Building Materials Using an Oxygen Consumption Calorimeter (Cone Calorimeter)
- ISO 5660-1, Reaction-to-Fire Tests-Heat Release, Smoke Protection and Mass Loss Rate-Part 1: Heat Release Rate (Cone Calorimeter Method)
- NFPA 271, Standard Method of Test for Heat and Visible Smoke Release Rates for Materials and Products Using an Oxygen Consumption Calorimeter
Comprehensive fire testing services
- Determine fire characteristics of various materials for material comparison and ranking
- Perform fire modeling to predict performance and improve testing success rates
- Perform small-scale and large-scale correlation work
The UL advantage
With more than 20 years of experience with this technology, UL has the expertise to develop useful data linked to specific performance objectives, to create sophisticated fire models based on dependable input properties, and to correlate small-scale test data into hazard analysis of large-scale applications. Once products are Listed, they appear in a UL Product Directory. Each year, more than 2,500 authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), code officials and manufacturers reference this directory to evaluate and select materials.
