4. There are three layers
of standards
1. Standards in building designs: building and fire codes
2. Design, installation and maintenance standards for fire
safety systems
3. Testing standards
13. There are differences between Design Codes
USA
[Life safety]
≠
Europe
[Life safety + property protection]
14. How building codes fight fire?
Building and fire codes combine:
• Active measures (detect, warn of and
suppress the fire)
• Passive measures (mitigate the potential
for fire spread within the building and
prevent structural collapse)
15. Active or passive measures?
It is theoretically possible to design buildings
where fire safety is provided 100% by
either passive or active measures.
Even so, it is generally considered that a
balanced approach is better.
16. Active or passive measures?
American codes focus on
active fire protection.
European codes concentrate
more on passive measures.
17. Active or passive measures?
There are differences in the
test standards for ‘passive’
fire protection products.
For example:
# Heating regime
# Allowed pressure conditions in
the test furnace
18. Each design code
works as a whole
There is a fundamental difference in the
balance active-passive measures in the
different Design Codes.
Only one code should be used
throughout the entire building.
19. Passive measures: Fire Doors
Like fire codes, fire doorsets must
be designed as a whole.
By this reason a fire doorset should not be ‘build’ using elements that
have not been tested together, even if each one of these elements has
been tested separately before.
21. Demonstrating conformity using
European Standard tests
The fire resistance system expresses the performance
of the tested element in terms of time to failure
against three main criteria:
R ~ Loadbearing capacity
E ~ Integrity
I ~ Insulation
Regulators choose time periods they wish for elements to satisfy some
or all of these criteria and producers of passive fire protection
products have them tested and classified accordingly.
22. Demonstrating conformity using
European Standard tests
R ~ Loadbearing capacity does not apply to
indoor timber doors.
This means that fire doors performance is
expressed as:
EI2 t (when t=time)
23. Demonstrating conformity using
European Standard tests
No total agreement regarding Thermal Insulation
EI1 vs EI2
EI1: Austria, Belgium, Finland, The Netherlands…
EI2: Italy, France, United Kingdom, Spain…
24. Demonstrating conformity using
European Standard tests
The performance of wooden doors is judged by subjecting them
to the standard test procedure specified in the following European
Norm:
Fire resistance tests for door
and shutter assemblies
EN 1634-1:2000
25. Demonstrating conformity using
European Standard tests
EN 1634-1:2000
has been incorporated
into national norms.
# Germany: DIN EN 1634-1:2009
# Spain: UNE EN 1634-1:2010
# UK: BS EN 1634-1:2008
# etc
27. 1. Classification reports: Regulation
Produced in accordance with requirements and procedures
given in the appropriate part of the European Standard
EN 13501-2:2007+A1:2009
28. 1. Classification reports: Parts
1. DESCRIPTION of the product or reference(s) to test reports
where the product is described in detail.
2. CLASSIFICATION obtained in accordance with the
European classification system as prescribed by EC Decision e.g.
REI 30 (for fire resistance), or Euroclass D-s3, d2 (for reaction to
fire).
3. Statement that the classification was derived using the
CLASSIFICATION STANDARD EN 13501.
4. Statement of the extent to which the classification is applicable to
VARIATION(S) of the product from that which was actually
tested on the basis of the test report(s) or extended application
report(s).
29. 1. Classification reports: Requirements
Classification reports shall have been produced by a
‘NOTIFIED BODY’, being a body that has been
‘notified’ by its own Member State (to the EC and to all
other Member States) as being competent to fulfill
prescribed functions in connection with attestation of
conformity of products under the Construction Products
Directive (CPD).
In Julfer’s case the ‘notified body’ could be a laboratory or a
certification body. In Spain, the qualification for
notification is accredited by The National
Accreditation Entity (ENAC).
30. 2. Extended application reports: Concept
Extended application reports contain the results of
the application of defined rules (which may
involve calculation methods) to the results of one
or more test results, thereby predicting the
results that would be achieved as a
consequence of a change to one or more of
the product properties.
32. CE Marking: Regulation
Regulation (EU) No 305/2011
laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction
products
(and repealing Construction Products Directive (CPD) - 89/106/EC)
EU legislation to facilitate the free movement of construction
products throughout the EU.
33. CE Marking: Concept
Demonstration that the product
complies with the relevant
essential requirements
according to the European Technical
Specifications in addition to a range of
other requirements.
34. CE Marking: Requirements
A manufacturer’s declaration of conformity
for a product may be based on one of four
different systems of attestation (systems
of proof of conformity).
Any claim of fire performance for a product
must be supported by a classification
report from a notified test laboratory.
35. CE Marking: Fields of application
CE marking is not applied to indoor
wooden doors at present, but it is
mandatory for ironmongery.
36. To sum up…
1. There are different fire standards all
over the world.
2. European regulation for fire doors: EN
13501 & EN 1634
3. CE Marking for indoor wooden doors is
not mandatory at present.
39. About this presentation
This slide presentation has educational purpose.
Used images are intellectual property of their
original authors. Any request regarding copyright
issues should be addressed to José Francisco
Alfaya (jfa@julfer.es).
* By José Francisco Alfaya for Julfer SA.
** Please, keep in mind that this presentation is incomplete without the corresponding comments.
Last update: April 2011
