les euroclasses

FIRE LABORATORY
 INTRODUCTION

APPLUS+ LGAI - Our company history
As a brief resume of our history LGAI - Laboratori General d'Assaigs i Investigacions (whose commercial
name was LGAI Technological Center) was fully owned (100%) by the Government of the Generalitat de
Catalonia, one of the 17 regions of Spain in 1907. This company had a tender to hand over its management.
This tender were awarded to Agbar Automotive in March 2003 by a company called AGBAR "Aigües de
Barcelona Group" (that is on the stock market) which integrates another company called Applus specialist in
certification business.
On November 2007, the Carlyle Group for the majority of the capital, and a consortium led by Caixa de
Catalunya that includes prestigious financial and industrial institutions, concluded the adquisition of Applus+.
At present Applus+ LGAI is the name of the original LGAI, and is one of the companies of the Applus+ group
You might find more information of our company and Applus+ group at www.appluscorp.com
BUSINESS VISION
In order to certify that the highest standards are being met, in Applus+ we test, inspect, endorse, verify and
analyze services within the sector. We consult and work with our clients in order to attain these high standards
of quality.
Applus+ is present in all sectors (multisector) and in all countries (international) in order to offer a better service
to its clients, the Applus+ purpose is to be the world leader in volume of certifications, the reference point in the
certification sector, developing and creating new standards; opinion leader within the sector thanks to its expert
professionals and the latest technology in the field.
SERVICES
 Third- party assesment
o Certification
o Calibración
o Testing
o Inspection
 Engineering and development
 Training
Flying view of Applus+ CTC
BUSINESS STRATEGY
High
Technology
Knowledge
+
Branding
=
Customer
Confidence
FIRE LABORATORY
FIRE LABORATORY
The Product Conformity B.U. of Applus+ LGAI has a very well know FIRE LABORATORY, that is one the
EGOLF membership from 1992, please look in web site www.egolf.org.uk
The Fire Laboratory is divided in five sections:
1. Reaction to Fire
2. Reaction to Fire-Euroclases
3. Fire Resistance
4. Fire Detection
5. Thermotechnics.
Front view of Fire Laboratory of Applus+ CTC
FIRE LABORATORY
EXPERIENCE
Applus+ LGAI has a large experience testing products for fire resistance and reaction to fire from 1988, during
this period of time about 5.000 products have been tested in our facilities.
As a reference in the year 2007, our team carried out more than 300 test becoming the laboratory of Spain
which tested more product by year.
21 persons compose the Fire Laboratory, with 9 Engineers working in it. Between our team we can remark, as
the most experienced persons:
o
o
o
o
Mr. XAVIER ESCRICHE - Industrial Engineer . Graduated in 1972
Mr. JORDI MIRABENT - Industrial Engineer . Graduated in 1989.
Mr. ALBERT GER - Electrical Engineer. Graduated in 2003.
Mr. SALVADOR SUÑOL - Chemical Engineer. Graduated in 2005
Mr. Escriche and Mr. Mirabent are working in Applus+ LGAI from the 1988, year when the Fire Resistance
Laboratory started its work in the market.
The sections we have mentioned are described in the following paragraphs:
1. REACTION TO FIRE
New Spanish regulations for Reaction to Fire:
In the “Real Decreto 312/2005”, this government ordinance, gives approval to the new classification of the
construction products. Annex IV refers to the adaptation of the new requirements regulations for Reaction to
Fire, point 4.2 of this annex.
Concerning textiles materials, this are the test standards:
Reaction to Fire of hanging textile elements (curtains and lace curtains, etc.)
Classification s/UNE-EN 13773
Reaction to Fire of stalls, armchairs, seats, upholstery.
Classification s/ UNE-EN 1021-1 (ignition source: lighted cigarette) and UNE-EN 1021-2 (with a ignition source
equivalent to a match flame).
FIRE LABORATORY
REACTION TO FIRE - New classification - EUROCLASSE
Introduction:
The appearance of this new classification system, comes by the interest from the European Union in unifying
classification criteria for the Fire Security of building products, in all of the countries. With the new norms, the
product classification will be valid in every countries of the EU. Approximately about 15 years ago the Technical
Committee 127 of to the European Commission of Normalization CEN, with the participation of expert
technicians and laboratories who collaborated voluntarily, defined the procedures and test methods that were
published completely in February of 2002.
This new tests are now mandatory in Spain and represent a radical change in reference to the ancient testing
procedures (M0 to M4 classification).
Standardization:
Standard Classification:
EN 13501-1: Fire classification of construction products and building elements. Part 1: Classification
using test data from reaction to fire tests.
prEN 13501-5: Fire classification of construction products and building elements. Part 5: Classification
using test data from external fire exposure to roof tests.
Standards Test:
EN ISO 1182: Non Combustibility test.
FIRE LABORATORY
EN ISO 1716: Determination of the heat of combustion.
EN 13823: Building products excluding floorings exposed to the thermal attack by a single burning item.
EN ISO 11925-2: Ignitability of building products subjected to direct impingement of flame. Part 2: Single-flame
source test.
FIRE LABORATORY
EN ISO 9239-1: Reaction to fire tests for floorings. Part 1: Determination of the burning behaviour using a
radiant heat source.
ENV-1187: Test methods for external fire exposure to roofs.
These test are acreditated by the National Acreditation Body (ENAC) with the number 897.
Complementary standard:
EN 13238: Conditioning procedures and general rules for selection of substrates.
Classification system:
Products:
According to this new classification system, building products are divided in two groups.
GROUP 1 Building product excluding floorings:
This refers the follow products:
 Wall and roof products, including top covering.
 Building elements.
 Products incorporated into building elements.
 Pipe and conduction components.
 Facades products / external walls.
FIRE LABORATORY
FIRE LABORATORY
GROUP 2 Floorings products:
This refers to all materials used in flooring.
The new classification:
GROUP 1:
Classifications: A1 - A2 - B - C - D - E - F
Additional expressions:
For smoke emission: s1 - s2 - s3
For droplets:
d0 - d1 - d2
GROUP 2:
Classification: A1FL - A2FL - BFL - CFL - DFL - EFL - FFL
Additional expressions:
For smoke emission: s1 - s2
Definitions:
Class A: Without contribution to fire. Non combustibility product.
Class A1: No flaming, no mass loss mass and no increase in temperature during the test.
Class A2: Allowed flaming for  20 s, and no mass loss and no increase in temperature during the
test.
Class B:
Class C:
Class D:
Class E:
Class F:
Very limited contribution to fire. Combustible.
Limited contribution to fire. Combustible.
Mean contribution to fire. Combustible.
High contribution to fire. Combustible.
No specific behaviour. Without class.
FIRE LABORATORY
Classification and Tests and equipments:
GROUP 1:
Determination of class A1: Is mandatory to perform two tests: Determination of the heat of combustion in
Calorimeter Bomb (UNE-EN-ISO 1716) and the Non Combustibility Furnace test (UNE-EN-ISO 1182).
Determination of class A2: Is mandatory to perform three tests: Determination of the heat of combustion in
Calorimeter Bomb (UNE-EN-ISO 1716, the Non Combustibility Furnace test (UNE-EN-ISO 1182) and the
Single Burner Item test (SBI) (UNE-EN 13823).
Determination of class B or C or D: Is mandatory to perform two tests: The Small flame test (UNE-EN-ISO
11925-2),with a time flame application of 30 seconds and the Single Burner Item (SBI) test (UNE-EN 13823).
Determination of class E: Small flame test (UNE-EN-ISO 11925-2) a time flame application of 15 seconds is
required.
Class F: The product is classified as class F when class E criteria not reach or when no specific behaviour is
required.
GROUP 2:
Determination of class A1FL: Is mandatory to perform two tests: Determination of heat of combustion in the
Calorimeter Bomb (UNE-EN-ISO 1716) and the Non Combustibility test (UNE-EN-ISO 1182).
Determination of class A2FL: Is mandatory to perform three tests: Determination of heat of combustion in the
Calorimeter Bomb (UNE-EN-ISO 1716), the Non Combustibility test (UNE-EN-ISO 1182) and the Flooring
Radiant Panel test (UNE-EN-ISO-9239-1).
Determination of class BFL or CFL or DFL: Is mandatory to perform two tests: The Small Flame test (UNE-ENISO 11925-2),with a time flame application of 15 seconds and the Flooring radiant panel test (UNE-EN-ISO
9239-1).
Determination of class EFL: Small Flame test (UNE-EN-ISO 11925-2), a time flame application of 15 seconds
is required.
Class FFL: The product is classified as class F when class E criteria is not reach or when no specific behaviour
is required.
FIRE LABORATORY
2. FIRE RESISTANCE
Between the Fire Resistance Laboratory Equipment we could remark :
TWO 3X3 M WALL FURNACES
ONE 1.5X1.5X1.5 M INDICATIVE FURNACE
TWO 3X4 M FLOOR FURNACES
Test are carried out according to European, ASTM, IMO, etc., standards, for example:
EN 1363 parts 1 and 2 (general standard for FIRE resistance), EN 1364 parts 1, 2, 3 and 4, (for non load
bearing elements) EN 1365 parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, (for load bearing elements), EN 1366 parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9 and 10, (for service installations) EN 1634 parts 1 and 3 (for doors), EN 14470 and EN 15659 (cabinets),
EN 81-58 (lift landing doors), ENV 13381 parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 (fire protection), EN 12101-1 and 3
(smoke extraction), EN 14135 (covers),
Also IMO Res. A754 (18) and the US Standards, ASTM, E 119-09a, ASTM E2226-08, ASTM 814-09, UL 10b
Tests accredited by the National Accreditation Body (ENAC) with the number 897.
FIRE LABORATORY
FIRE RESISTANCE - New classification - EUROCLASSE
Introduction:
As before, the appearance of this new classification system, comes by the interest from the European Union in
unifying classification criteria for the Fire Security of building products, in all of the countries. With the new
norms, the product classification will be valid in every countries of the EU. Approximately about 15 years ago
the Technical Committee 127 of to the European Commission of Normalization CEN, with the participation of
expert technicians and laboratories who collaborated voluntarily, defined the first procedures and test methods,
but new methods and revisions of the old ones are continuously published.
This new tests are now mandatory in Spain and represent a radical change in reference to the ancient testing
procedures (RF, PF classification).
The new classification is referred in standards:
EN 13501-2: Fire classification of construction products and building elements - Classification using data from
fire resistance tests, excluding ventilation services.
EN 13501-3: Fire classification of construction products and building elements - Classification using data from
fire resistance tests on products and elements used in building service installations: fire resisting ducts and fire
dampers.
EN 13501-4: Fire classification of construction products and building elements - Classification using data from
fire resistance tests on components of smoke control systems.
The new classification uses the letters: E for Integrity, I for Insulation, W for Radiation, R for load bearing, etc.,
associated with a number that refers to the corresponding resistance time in minutes.
3. FIRE DETECTION
Referring to Fire detection systems, we carry out tests according to EN 54-5 for head detectors, EN 54-7 for
smoke detectors and EN 14604 for autonomous alarms.
FIRE LABORATORY
The Fire Detection section as been carrying out test from 1992, according to Spanish and European standards.
Our measurement are referred to DELTA Institute (initially Electronik Centralen), in Denmark, because our
equipment is calibrated by them.
Tests accredited by the National Accreditation Body (ENAC) with the number 895.
4. THERMOTECHNICS
Introduction:
In this section we perform tests on tree different areas:
-
radiators/convectors
Thermal conductivity of Insulating materials
Insulating Glass Units
Inset appliances including open fires fired by solid fuels. Requirements and test methods
All the tests are according European standards.
Areas
Radiators/convectors:
UNE-EN 442: Radiators and convectors. Heat emitters for central heating systems to be supplied with hot
water and steam below 120°C from a remote heat source (boiler or similar).
LGAI is one of the 5 reference laboratories, as described on the EN 442-2/A2.
In this test, is determinated the heat output, the pressure tests and the dimensional control. In a short time, we’ll
give the CE Marking on those radiators that satisfy the requirements of the EN 442-1, because we are Notified
Body for the CE marking of this product.
This test is acreditated by the National Acreditation Body (ENAC) with the number 898.
FIRE LABORATORY
Thermal conductivity of Insulating materials
UNE-EN 12667: Thermal performance of building materials and products- Determination of thermal
resistance by means of guarded hot plate and heat flow meter methods - Products of high and medium
thermal resistance
This tests are made on materials such as EPS (expanded polystyrene), XPS (extruded polystyrene), MW
(mineral wool), PUR (polyurethane), and other insulating materials.
As a Notified Body, we perform tests under the systems 1 and 3 of the family of products EN 13162-13171.
Insulating Glass Units
UNE-EN 1279-2: Glass in building. Insulating Glass Units. Part 2: Long term test method and requirements for
moisture penetration.
UNE-EN 1279-6: Glass in building. Insulating Glass Units. Part 6: Factory Production Control and periodic tests.
Those tests are made under the particular System of Certification (SPC-021) of An Applus A+ Quality Mark.
FIRE LABORATORY
5. Fire Laboratory Staff
Jordi Mirabent: Technical Director, Industrial Products & Fire Labs
[email protected]
F. Xavier Escriche: Fire Consultancy Engineer
[email protected]
Albert Ger: Department Manager and responsible for Fire Resistance
[email protected]
Salvador Suñol: Technician responsible for Thermotechnics and Reaction to Fire
[email protected]
6. Some International Recognitions
FIRE LABORATORY