ISO/TR 15658:2009

TECHNICAL ISO/TR
REPORT 15658
First edition
2009-08-01
Fire resistance tests — Guidelines for the
design and conduct of non-furnace-based
large-scale tests and simulation
Essais de résistance au feu — Lignes directrices pour la conception et
la conduite d'essais et de simulations à large échelle non basés sur les
fours
Reference number
©
ISO 2009
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ii © ISO 2009 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions. 1
4 Test design requirements . 2
4.1 General. 2
4.2 Ambient environmental conditions. 2
4.3 Size of the test assembly . 3
4.4 Construction of the test assembly. 4
4.5 Test specimen . 5
4.6 Selection of heating conditions . 6
4.7 Selection of ventilation conditions . 7
4.8 Selection of exhaust conditions. 7
4.9 Selection of decay conditions (if controlled). 8
5 Test conditions . 8
5.1 Ambient conditions . 8
5.2 Test conditions — Thermal. 9
5.3 Test conditions — Pressure . 9
5.4 Test conditions — Mechanical . 10
5.5 Timing of the test. 10
5.6 Output measurements. 10
5.7 Data recording and storage . 11
6 Test procedure . 11
6.1 Ignition . 11
6.2 Safety procedures. 11
6.3 Monitoring . 11
6.4 Observations . 12
6.5 Termination and extinguishing . 12
6.6 Post-test analysis . 12
7 Test report . 12
7.1 Stating the objective. 12
7.2 Characterization of the experimental conditions . 12
7.3 Expression of the results. 12
7.4 Description of the test specimen . 13
7.5 Reporting — Electronic media . 13
7.6 Expression of the validity or field of application of the result. 13
Bibliography . 14

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
In exceptional circumstances, when a technical committee has collected data of a different kind from that
which is normally published as an International Standard (“state of the art”, for example), it may decide by a
simple majority vote of its participating members to publish a Technical Report. A Technical Report is entirely
informative in nature and does not have to be reviewed until the data it provides are considered to be no
longer valid or useful.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/TR 15658 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 92, Fire Safety, Subcommittee SC 2, Fire
Containment.
iv © ISO 2009 – All rights reserved

Introduction
The fire engineering community have often had to resort to non-furnace-based tests in order to establish
certain characteristics of the fire behaviour of products, or constructions that cannot be obtained using
standard methods. The reasons for these are many, including:
a) size of the test element;
b) interaction between components or elements;
c) fire loads and heating rates;
d) achievement of realistic levels of restraint;
e) realistic oxygen availability.
Fire modelling is also being increasingly used to resolve the complex problems that many modern buildings
produce. Currently, modelling is often limited by a lack of data and large-scale “natural” tests are increasingly
being used to establish the missing information, and, by using the protocol described in this Technical Report,
the quality, comparability and validity of the information/data should be significantly improved.
Unfortunately, the design of such tests is often controlled by the availability of space, equipment, cost,
environment, etc. and these sometimes compromise the scientific value of the experiment and make the
results hard to compare with other experiments performed in other laboratories or countries. This lack of
comparability has in the past prevented the value of the findings from being maximized.
When an experiment has been set-up without adequate consideration of the objectives and the test
parameters, it is difficult to apply a scientifically valid field of application to the result. As a consequence, the
data of findings are frequently wrongly applied to constructions subsequent to the test.
The objective of this Technical Report is to harmonize the approach to the design, performance and reporting
of such experiments, in order to increase the possibility of comparing information and also to develop
meaningful fields of application of the results. It is not the objective of this Technical Report to inhibit the
development of ad-hoc or natural tests, but more to encourage their development, while at the same time
increasing their scientific value.

TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/TR 15658:2009(E)

Fire resistance tests — Guidelines for the design and conduct
of non-furnace-based large-scale tests and simulation
CAUTION — The attention of all persons concerned with managing and carrying out this fire
resistance test is drawn to the fact that fire testing may be hazardous and that there is a possibility
that toxic and/or harmful smoke and gases can be evolved during the test. Mechanical and operational
hazards may also arise during the construction of the test elements of structures, their testing and
disposal of test residues.
An assessment of all potential hazards and risks to health shall be made and safety precautions shall
be identified and provided. Written safety instructions shall be issued. Appropriate training shall be
given to relevant personnel. Laboratory personnel shall ensure that they follow written safety
instructions at all times.
1 Scope
This Technical Report specifies procedures for the design, performance and reporting of fire tests which are
not performed using standardized test equipment, such as furnaces or test chambers, and which are primarily
duration- or time-based.
It is applicable to all “natural” fire tests, which set out to evaluate the behaviour of structural frames, rooms (or
a suite of rooms forming part of a building), with respect to fully developed fire conditions, regardless of
whether or not the heat input is by means of natural sources, e.g. cribs or burners. It is not applicable to
“reaction-to-fire” large-scale tests, which are primarily designed to evaluate materials and for which the
heating rate is slower and the maximum rate of heat release is lower than that which would occur at full
development.
In the context of this Technical Report “large” means tests in which the flame has a width of 1 m or more.
This Technical Report is intended for use by the designers of fire tests (laboratories, regulatory authorities and
researchers) and for those responsible for disseminating the information and applying the results in practice.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 13943, Fire safety — Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 13943 apply.
4 Test design requirements
4.1 General
The difficulties experienced when testing “large” structures, e.g. space, cost, instrumentation and material
handling equipment, often cause a desire to scale down the construction being tested. In fire testing, this is
difficult because the response of the members forming par
...