New ASTM Fire Standard Addresses Protection of Exterior Wall Assemblies During Fires
October 2009
A new ASTM International standard provides a set of procedures for the evaluation and measurement of the resistance to fire penetration of exterior wall structures in a wildland fire.
“The test is a practical attempt to simulate a case in which flammable materials — such as plants, trash, a deck or a shed, that might be adjacent to a building — are ignited,” says Howard Stacy, vice president and director of testing services, Western Fire Center Inc. “The test method provides data suitable for comparing the performance of vertically oriented materials, products or assemblies in exterior construction applications.”
ASTM E2707, Test Method for Determining Fire Penetration of Exterior Wall Assemblies Using a Direct Flame Impingement Exposure, was developed under recommendations from the California Office of the State Fire Marshall and the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code. Users of the new standard will include product manufacturers in response to regulatory requirements and testing agencies.
Potential refinements to the standard include adding methodologies for the measurement of the impact of radiant heating coupled with direct flame impingement, the effect of ember exposure and heat release of the wall structure corresponding to potential spread of flame, Stacy says.
