ISO INTERNATIONAL STANDARD 10840 Second edition 2008-06-01 Plastics Guidance for the use of standard fire tests Plastiques - Lignes directrices pour I'utilisation d'essais au feu normalises Reference number ISO 10840:2008(E) @ ISO 2008 by IHS under lic itted without license from IHS Not for Resale ISO10840:2008(E) PDF disclaimer This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In accepts no liability in this area. Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by IsO member bodies. In the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below COPYRIGHTPROTECTEDDOCUMENT @ ISO2008 All righits reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, IsO's member body in the country of the requester. ISO copyright office Case postale 56. CH-1211 Geneva 20 Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11 Fax + 41 22 749 09 47 E-mail [email protected] Web www.iso.org Published in Switzerland @ Iso 2008 - All rights reserved ed without license from IHS Not for Resale ISO 10840:2008(E) Contents Page Foreword. Introduction 1 Scope 2 Normative references . 3 Terms and definitions.. 4 Enclosure fire scenarios 4.1 General.. 4.2 Initiation and early growth 4.3 Development of fire ..... 4.4 Fully developed fire ... 4.5 Decay ........ 5 Categories of fire test... 5.1 Material characterization tests .. 5.2 Quality-control tests ... 5.3 Pre-selection tests . 5.4 End-product tests .. 6 Important considerations in the fire testing of plastics materials and products. 6.1 Infiuence of the chemical or physical nature of the test specimen.... 6.2 Thermal-decompositionproducts... 6.3 Problems posed by specimen decomposition .. 6.4 Health,safetyandlocalenvironmental considerations. 6.5 Specimen size and geometry ..... 6.6 Characteristics of ignition sources 6.7 Sample and test specimen preparation and conditioning.... 6.8 Operating procedures in the event of specimen collapse or deformation . 6.9 Complications caused by melting effects in thermoplastics ... 9 6.10 Advantages and disadvantages of scale in fire tests .. 6.11 Influence of test apparatus design on the applicability of test data .... 6.12 Calibration of the test apparatus and attainable precision ..... 11 6.13 Uncertainty associated with fire test measurements.. 11 7 Potentially problematical specimen behaviour.. .12 7.1 Tests developed for materials other than plastics... 12 7.2 Shrinking ..... 12 7.3 Bubbling .. 12 7.4 Intumescence 12 7.5 Extinguishing of pilot flames by highly flame retarded plastics 12 7.6 Siumping of thermopiastic sheets ... 13 7.7 Detection of flaming drips ... 13 7.8 Edge effects... 13 7.9 Profiled products .. 13 Annex A (normative) End-use-relevant preparation of test specimens 14 Annex B (informative) Environmental-impact assessment... 23 Bibliography .... 25 Copyrght International Organization for standardizalon ghts reserved ili ted without license from IHS Not for Resale