Fire Doors – LPCB helps to protect people and property

By: Kamil Hamid FIFSM (UK) ., Overseas Manager – BRE Group (LPCB)

The purpose of a fire door is to prevent the spread of fire and smoke from one compartment to another, in a building, for a specified period. In order for these doors to be able to carry out this function effectively, third-party certification for the manufacture, installation and maintenance of fire doors is essential.

Fire test methods in the determination of performance

To determine how a door (or shutter) assembly performs against the passage of fire and smoke, they are subjected to a large scale furnace test. This test has prescribed heating conditions based on a temperature–time relationship. The current methods of test are defined in BS 476-22 and EN 1634-1:2008. In addition, the fire testing of building hardware is covered in EN 1634-2:2008 and lift landing doors is covered in EN 81-58.

The test conditions in these standards are broadly similar. However, the furnace temperature in EN 1634-1 and is measured using plate thermocouples. These plate thermocouples detect the rising temperature in the furnace more slowly than the bare-wire thermocouples used in BS 476-22 and this tends to result in a more severe fire exposure in the EN tests.

The other significant difference is that the neutral pressure plane in BS 476-22 is located 1000 mm above notional floor level. With EN 1634-1 it is located 500 mm above notional floor level and in the case of EN 81-58 the pressure is controlled so that a positive pressure exists over the whole height of the specimen. This again tends to make the fire exposure more severe with EN 1634-1 and EN 81-58.

Each test method consists of exposing one face of the specimen to heat in a furnace and observing the performance against a number of failure criteria. These criteria are integrity, insulation and, in the case of the EN standards, radiation. Such tests are typically carried out by nationally accredited fire test labs such as BRE Global[1].

Smoke control test methods

Many victims of fires die from smoke or toxic gases. Preventing the spread of smoke is another key function of a fire door. The performance of door and shutter assemblies as barriers against the passage of smoke is judged by subjecting them to a test in accordance with either BS 476-31.1:1983 or EN 1634-3:2004. The former standard requires that the doorset is built onto one side of an airtight chamber which is then pressurised. The leakage through the doorset can be measured at a series of different pressures up to the maximum required. All testing is carried out under ambient conditions. The latter, a European standard, has a similar procedure for measuring the leakage through a doorset at ambient temperature; however, it also includes a procedure for measuring the smoke leakage at 200 °C.

Care must be taken that if a smoke seal is being used in a fire-resisting doorset, the doorset must have been successfully fire tested or assessed with the smoke seal fitted. This is to ensure that the seal does not result in flaming on the non-fire side of the door in the event of a fire.

The benefits of third-party certification

The basic principle of third-party certification schemes is that they are entirely independent from the manufacturer and end user and are operated by bodies that have the necessary expertise to verify that products meet the agreed specification.

Certification schemes provide third-party verification that a tested and assessed product is properly manufactured and/or installed in accordance with an appropriate specification.

A widely recognised scheme for the manufacture of fire doors is LPS 1056 ‘Test and evaluation requirements for the LPCB approval and listing of fire doorsets, lift landing doors and shutters’, operated by the LPCB, part of BRE Global. This scheme is based on the test requirements set out in BS 476-22 or EN 1634-1.

For doors that are required to provide a level of security, LPCB operate a scheme LPS 1175 ‘Requirements and testing procedures for the LPCB approval and listing of intruder resistant building components, strongpoints, security enclosures and freestanding barriers’ (see www.redbooklive.com).

Installation, service and maintenance

Poor installation can mean that an otherwise well-manufactured door fails to provide the required performance in the event of a fire and the importance of good installation of a fire door or shutter cannot be overemphasised. Similarly, regular inspections and maintenance of a life-safety device such as a fire door is imperative. LPCB offers the following schemes to address these issues - LPS 1271 ‘Requirements for the LPCB approval and listing of companies installing fire and security doors, doorsets, shutters, and active smoke/fire barriers and LPS 1197 ‘Requirements for the LPCB approval and listing of companies inspecting, repairing and maintaining fire and security doors, doorsets, shutters and active smoke/fire barriers’.

[1] BRE Global Limited (incorporating LPCB) is an independent third party approvals body offering certification of fire, security and sustainability products and services to an international market.