Fire Hazard Classification Tests of Interior Finish Materials, Coatings and Floor Coverings

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Technical Note (National Research Council of Canada. Division of Building Research), 1973-01-01

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Fire Hazard Classification Tests of Interior Finish Materials, Coatings

and Floor Coverings

Rose, A.

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A.G.W. 569

No .

NOTJE

. DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH

£f:IfJLN II

C

AIL

.

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA

A. Rose

PREPARED BY

ｾ January 1973

PREPARED FOR

The Fire Test Board

SUBJECT _{FIRE HAZARD CLASSIFICATION TESTS OF INTERIOR FINISH} MATERIALS, COATINGS AND FLOOR COVERINGS

This note summarizes the results of fire hazard classification tests on a range of ·paint coatings, decorative laminates and vinyl flooring materials. Tests were conducted in accordance with ASTM E 84-70 and CSA B 54.9-1972, as appropriate. They were carried out in the first instance to provide in-formation to the Fire Test Board of the Associate Committee on the National Building Code in connection with Supplement No.2. The results of fire hazard classi,fication tests on hardboards, fibreboards, particleboards and thin ply-woods have been reported earlier (1,2).

Selection of Materials

With paints. decorative laminates and floor coverings it is impractical to sample. more than a small fraction of the market. Assistance in making this selection was readily forthcoming from the Materials Section of DBR. the Testing Laboratories of the Department of Public Works and several technical experts from industry and is gratefully acknowledged.

I SEMI-GLOSS LATEX PAINTS (CGSB l-GP .. 195)

Three commercial semi-gloss latex paints of different 60 deg gloss ratings (41. 0, 27. 1, 15.8) were applied by roll-coater over a compatible latex primer-sealer A (CGSB l-GP -1l9b) to standard 1/2-in. gypsum board (GB) and 1/4-in. high-density asbestos-cement board (ACB). The primer-sealer was applied at the rate of 750 to 1000 sq ft/gal on the GB and 500 sq ft/gal on the ACB. The semi-gloBs latexes were applied in two coats at a rate of 350 to 400 sq ft/gal.

2

-Because. on the basis of the first tests. the FSC for these latexes on GB appeared to be over 25, ｦｵｾｴｨ･ｲ duplicate runs were made on each system after the usual minimum 30-day curing time.

Finally, a two-coat application of the paint with the highest gloss (B) on unsealed GB was tested, as well as unpainted GB as a control (in duplicate). II SATIN LATEX PAINTS (CGSB I-GP-IOOd)

Two interior satin latex paints, a high-quality acrylic type (E) and a lower quality butadiene-styrene type (F), were applied in two coats over unsealed gypsum and asbestos cement boards at 300 sq ft/gal.

III STUCCO AND MASONRY PAINTS (CGSB I-GP-144c AND I-GP-162c) For both the alkyd-based (l ...GP -144c) and emulsion-based (l-GP -162c) types. two grades of pigmentation are available: Type I (coarse) and Type II (medium).

The four paints were applied to unsealed ACB in two coats by whitewash brush. The coverages were 90 to 110 sq ft/gal.

IV INTERIOR ALKYD FINISHES - FLAT. SEMI-GLOSS AND GLOSS (CGSB I-GP-118b. l-GP-57e. l-GP-60d)

Paints of these types were not fully investigated in the present study. One semi-gloss alkyd was applied over latex primer-sealer A on GB at a coverage of 350 sq ft/gal to give IT = 18. FSC = 25, FC = 10, SD == 5.

Earlier unpublished work on 3/8-in. GB with gloss and semi-gloss alkyds gave very similar ratings (FSC

<

<

V HIGH PRESSURE DECORATIVE LAMINATES (CSA A-172-l962) General-purpose decorative laminates (CSA A-172-1962. Type I) were supplied by two major producers in 1/32- and 1/16-in. gauges. These were bonded by the suppliers to the 1/2 -in. gypsum board and 1/4-in. asbestos-cement board. The use of contact cement to bond the laminates to ACB was considered more realistic (as well as more

convenient) than the use of the usual resorcinol-formaldehyde adhesives mentioned in UL listings.

VI VINYL TILE AND SHEET FLOORING PRODUCTS

In the examination of vinyl-asbestos tile (CSA A 126. 1-1967), high vinyl tile (CSA A 126.2-1971) and sheet vinyl flooring (CSA A 126.3-1972), it was considered reasonable to test all types on the ceiling of the furnace

..

-(ASTM E84-70) as well as on the floor in accordance with CSA B54. 9-1972 {3}.

The 12- by 12-in. vinyl-asbestos tiles were glued with _an asphalt ... emulsion adhesive to 1/4-in. ACB for ceiling mounting and to No. 14

asbestos paper for floor mounting. The tiles were mounted with staggered joints, the full-sized tiles alternating from side to side. The high-vinyl tiles were mounted in the same pattern, but the adhesive was a rubber la,tex type. For both types the 6-ft sections of ACB for ceiling mounting were snugly wrapped with 2-in. hexagonal-mesh chicken wire.

The sheet vinyl products were supplied in 6- by 25-ft rolls. In the ASTM E 84 tests the continuous strips were supported on eleven uniformly spaced 1/4;"in. round steel rods, as recommended in the Appendix to the Standard. In the floor tests the strips were underlaid with No; 14 asbestos paper regardless of the nature of the backing (chemically-blown polyvinyl chloride foarp plus impregnated asbestos or glass -fibre backings for Type I, and impregnated asbestos for Type II products).

Duplicate floor tests were run on No. 10 and 15 after a lapse of three and five weeks, respectively, the agreement for both FSC and SD being within 2 per cent of the initial values.

Because of heavy soot deposition on the vent-end thermocouple, the fuel-contributed (FC) values may be considered only as approximations. Where the FC value is indicated as lin. d. ", it was usually zero 01' negative. REFERENCES

1. Rose, A. Flammability of Fibreboard Interior Finish Materials. National Resea1'ch Council of Canada, Division of Building Research, Building Research Note No. 68, October 1969.

2. Rose, A. Fire Hazard Classification Tests of Interior Finish Materials. National Research Council of Canada, Division of Building Research, Technical Note No. 558, February 1971.

3. Standard Method of Test for Surface Burning Characteristics of Flooring and Floor Covering Materials. CSA B54. 9-1972.

..

TABLE I

SEMI-GLOSS LATEX PAINTS

SUhstrate Sealer Coating Gloss ASTM E84-70 Results

IT* FSC FC SD GB A B high (3) 37 30 11 5 GB A C medium (3) 40 30 10 7 GB A D low (3 ) 38 30 10 9 GB B high (I) 40 28 11 8 GB (2) n. d. 25 10 0 ACB A B high (1) n. d. 23

0

IT ignition time, sec

FSC - flame spread classification FC - fuel contributed TABLE II SD n. d. smoke developed not determinable

SATIN LATEX PAINTS

Subitrate Sealer Coating ASTM E84-70

IT FSC FC

.-

GB E (acrylic) 43 23 10 5

GB F (butadiene: -styrene) 49 20 10 5

ACB E (acrylic) n. d. 13 0 0

.

.

TABLE III

STUCCO AND MASONRY PAINTS

Substrate Coating ASTM E84;-70

IT FSC FC SD

ACB Alkyd - Type I n. d. 15 0 5

ACB Alkyd - Type II n. d. 15 0 0

ACB Emulsion - Type I n. d. 15 0 10

ACB Emulsion - Type II n. d. 15 0 20

TABLE IV

DECORATIVE LAMINATES

•

IT FSC FC SD GB V 1/32 38 70 10 104 GB W 1/32 33 25 9 137 GB V 1/16 50 72 32 133 GB W 1/16 40 40 22 ＲｾＴ ACB V 1/32 35 36 7 8 ACB W 1/32 27 20 0 57 ACB V 1/16 55 56 19 74 ACB W 1/16 49 23 0 90

..

.

•

TABLE V

VINYL FLOORING PRODUCTS

Thickness Weight ASTM E84 - 70 B54.9 - 1972

No. Mfr

_!1e

-

-Vinyl Asbestos Tile

1 X A 0.065 37 25 n. d. 198 40 35 8 164

2 X A 0.080 43 28 n. d. 2ZZ 60 15 7 125

3 X A 0.125 54 25 n. d. 320 80 28 11 270

High Vinyl Tile

4 Y A 0.080 39 30 n.d. 325 42 60 16 282

5 Y A 0.125 45 38 n. d. 537 58 95 75 706

6* Y A 0.125 30 35 n. d. 725 36 92 52 n. d.

Sheet Vinyl Products

. I 7 Z I 0.065 2. 51 9 610 n. d. 286 13 413 30 272 8 X I 0.085 2.75 10 785 n. d. 180 17 367 45 305 9 Z I 1 O. 100 3.04 9 870 21 237 12 367 37 355 10 Z I O. 100 3.52 12 327 50 322 17 282 42 433 11 X I 2 0.065 2.49 7 860 31 161 12 369 27 352 12 Z I 2 0.050 2.27 7 605 20 217 10 423 19 166 13 X II 0.090 4.12 15 413 24 290 30 231 36 411 14 Z II 0.090 5.57 24 40 n. d. Z76 48 45 14 242 15 X U 2 0.065 2.89 IS 60 n. d. 206 12 28Z Z3 277 16 Z II 2 0.065 3.86 19 30 n. d. 226 34 10 10 110