Ser

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N21d *INational Research
Council Canada
Conseil national
de recherchar Canada
no. 1 5 5 5 Institute for lnstitut de
c. 2 Research in recherche en
BLDG Construction construction

Correlation Between the Severities of the

ASTM E l 19 and IS0 834 Fire Exposures
by T.Z. Harmathy and M.A. Sultan

Reprinted from ANALYZED

Fire Safety Journal
Vol. 13, No. 2 & 3, 1988
p. 163-168
(IRC Paper No. 1555)

NRCC 29318

i LIBRARY

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IRC
CNRC - ICIST 1
On a utilis6 l'augmentation de tempdramre dans une brique rkfractaire coul6e dont les
propri6ds thermiques dtaient bien connues pour etablir une co&lation entre les degrds
d'exposition au feu selon ASTM El 19 et selon IS0 834. On a constat6 que I'exposition
selon 1'ISO est lkg&ment moins forte que celle selon I'ASTEA, mais le gain de rksistance
au feu procur6 par la dabsation de l'essai d'aprks la norme de 1'ISO est habituellement de
cinq minutes ou moins.
Fire S a f e t y Journal, 13 (1988) 163 - 168
Correlation between the Severities of the ASTM E l 1 9 and IS0 834 Fire
Exposures
T. Z. HARMATHY and M. A . SULTAN
Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council, O t t a w a , O n t . K I A O R 6 (Canada)
(Received August 5 , 1987; in final form December 2 , 1987)
SUMMARY
The temperature rise in a castable refrac-
tory brick specimen o f well-defined thermal
properties was used to develop a correlation
between the severities o f the ASTM E l 19 and
the I S 0 834 fire tests. It was found that the
I S 0 fire test is slightly less severe than the
ASTM test, but the gain in fire endurance on
account o f conducting the test according to
the IS0 standard is usually five minutes or
less.
When the rewriting and updating of the
ASTM E l 1 9 fire endurance test method was
undertaken, it was generally agreed that one
of the aims of the rewrite would be to bring
the ASTM test procedure closer to the
international procedure, by adopting certain
desirable features of the I S 0 834 test
standard. One such feature of the IS0
standard is that the so-called "furnace
temperature" is measured by bare thermo-
couples, and controlled to follow a tempera-
t u r e t i m e curve defined by analytical ex-
pression.
As pointed out earlier [ I ] , the "furnace
temperature" is a nominal value with no
definite meaning. If measured with bare
thermocouples, it will lie somewhere between
the temperature of the furnace gases and the
average surface temperature of the furnace
chamber (part of which is the test specimen
itself). If measured in the ASTM way (with
the thermocouples enclosed in protective
tubes), it may fall below any temperature
prevailing in or along the boundaries of the
furnace chamber, especially during the first
1 5 min of the test when the rise of tempera-
ture in the furnace is very steep.
Although the advantage of switching over
to the IS0 way of measuring and controlling
the temperature conditions in the test furnace
was generally recognized, there has been some
uneasiness about the significance of the
switch. To explore the effect of adopting the
IS0 ways on the test results, the researchers
of the National Research Council Canada
conducted an experimental study in which
the severity of the specimen exposures in the
ASTM and IS0 tests was compared [2].
The study showed that the IS0 test was
slightly less severe than the ASTM test but,
with tests of up to 1.5 h duration, the dif-
ference in the fire endurance values yielded
by the two tests would not amount to more
than 3 - 6 min.
Since this conclusion was drawn from fire
tests of 45 and 90 min duration, it seemed
advisable to follow them up with further
tests suitable for developing a general cor-
relation between the severities of the ASTM
and IS0 test exposures. These latter tests and
the analysis of their results are discussed in
this paper.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
Two tests, each of two hours, were con-
ducted in the National Research Council's
floor furnace. The experimental set-up
was the same as that shown in Fig. 1 of
ref. 2. The furnace dimensions were 4570 mm
X 3660 mm, and 2440 mm deep. The walls
and the floor of the furnace were covered
with 25-mm-thick fibrous ceramic blanket.
The test specimen was made from castable
refractory brick, marketed as KS-4. It was
composed of twenty rectangular slabs,
1220 mm X 788 mm, and 150 mm thick,
suspended on steel beams. The slabs were
Elsevier SequoiaIPrinted in The Netherlands
tightly butted (with ceramic fibre sheets the I S 0 temperature-time relation was
along their perimeters) to form a test traced. Also recorded were the temperature
specimen of 4880 mm X 3940 mm. (The history of the furnace, as measured by
overall dimensions of the test specimen shielded thermocouples specified in ASTM
were slightly larger than the furnace opening, E119, and the temperature history of the
to allow the specimen to sit on top of the specimen at five points (at the centre and the
furnace walls.) four centres of its quarter sections) at 40 mm
The furnace temperature was measured in from the exposed surface.
two ways: The following were plotted:
(1) by nine Chromel-Alumel thermocouples - In Fig. 1: average temperatures obtained
in Inconel protective tubes, arranged to from the ASTM (control) furnace thermo-
comply with the ASTM E l 1 9 specification; couples, the I S 0 furnace thermocouples, and
the time constant of the thermocouple the slab thermocouples.
assembly was 5 min when measured according
to ref. 3 ;
(2) by twelve bare, 18-gauge, Chromel-
Alumel thermocouples, their junctions set
100 mm from the exposed surface of the
test specimen.
Five 36-gauge, Chromel-Alumel thermo-
couples were installed inside the test speci-
men. They were placed in five slabs in such a
way as to have their junctions positioned
approximately at the centre of the specimen
and at the centres of its quarter sections.
As in the tests described in ref. 2, the thermo-
couples were located 40 mm from the surface
exposed to fire. The lead wires were
conducted at the same depth to the edges of
the slabs, and then through the test specimen
to the data acquisition system.
The thermal properties of the castable
refractory brick were determined at various
temperatures up to 600 "C. They are:
- thermal conductivity k = 0.9 W m-' K-'
(approximately independent of temperature); 0 30 60 90 120 150
TIME, min
- density p = 2085 kg m-3 (approximately
Fig. 1. Average temperatures recorded during the
independent of temperature); ASTM E l 1 9 test.
- specific heat c = 787 + 0.897(T - 273) J
kg-' K-', where T is temperature, K.
In the first test, the "furnace temperature" -In Fig. 2: average temperatures obtained
was controlled from nine shielded thermo- from the ASTM furnace thermocouples,
couples, as specified in ASTM E119, and the the IS0 (control) furnace thermocouples,
ASTM temperature-time relation was traced. and the slab thermocouples.
Also recorded were the temperature history
of the furnace, as measured by bare thermo-
couples specified in I S 0 834, and the THEORETICAL DETAILS
temperature history of the specimen at five
points (at the centre and the four centres of Since the "furnace temperatures", mea-
its quarter sections) at 40 mm from the sured by either the ASTM or the I S 0 tech-
exposed surface. nique, are nominal temperatures, they are not
In the second test, the "furnace tempera- suitable for a quantitative evaluation of
ture" was controlled from twelve bare exposure severities. In contrast, the specimen
thermocouples, as specified in I S 0 834, and temperatures have welldefined meanings and,

"FURNACE TEMPERATURE".
ASTM THERMOCOUPLES
--- "FURNACE TEMPERATURE",
I S 0 THERMOCOUPLES
STANDARD !SO 834 CURVE
SLAB TEMPERATURE
40 mm BELOW SURFACE
I I I I [ I
0 30 60 90 120
TIME, min
Fig. 2 . Average temperatures recorded during the IS0
834 test.
having to do with the heat absorbed by the
specimen, can be used for developing informa-
tion on the severity (destructive potential) of
test fires.
It has been shown (see, e.g., refs. 4 and 5)
that the so-called "normalized heat load" is a
measure of the maximum level of temperature
rise at a critical depth inside the boundaries
of an enclosure on fire (irrespective of the
pattern of fire exposure), and therefore it is
a convenient parameter for comparing the
destructive potential of fires (real-world
fires br test fires). The normalized heat load is
defined as
where H (s1I2K) is the normalized heat load,
d k p c (J mP2sP1l2K-') is the thermal absorp-
tivity (or thermal inertia) of the enclosure
boundaries (k is thermal conductivity, p is
density, and c is specific heat), q (W mP2)
is the heat flux that penetrates the enclosure
boundaries, t (s) is time, and T (s) is the dura-
tion of fire exposure (more exactly, the dura-
tion of heat penetration).
An important characteristic of the
normalized heat load is that, for standard test
2
fires (owing to the uniqueness of the fire
- exposure), the H versus T relation (where T
is now the length of the test fire, or, on that
- account, the fire endurance of the test speci-
men) is only slightly dependent on the nature
- of the specimen. Consequently, the severities
of the ASTM E l 1 9 and IS0 834 fire tests can
- be directly compared if the H(T) relation
for the two tests is known from tests
-
conducted on any specimen (e.g., on the
- refractory brick specimen used in the present
studies).
- The problem is now how to determine the
H(T) function for the two kinds of tests
- from the Ta versus T relations shown in Figs.
1 and 2, where Ta (K) is the temperature of
- the test specimen at some distance a (m) (a =
0.04 m in the present tests) below the fire-
150
exposed surface.
A trial-and-error technique was employed.
Starting with an assumed q(t) relation, the
T,(t) relation was calculated, using the finite
difference method described in the Appendix.
After the first trial, the q(t) relation was
repeatedly adjusted until satisfactory agree-
ment between the calculated and experi-
mentally determined T,(t) curve was
achieved. The q(t) relation by which agree-
ment was achieved was then used in eqn. (1)
to calculate the H(T)function.
Figure 3 shows the final forms of the q(t)
relations for the ASTM E l 1 9 and I S 0 834
tests, and Fig. 4 the closeness of the agree-
ment between the calculated and measured
T,(t) curves. Because of the steep rise in the
temperature of the furnace gases, not
properly recorded by the shielded furnace
thermocouples, the test specimen seems to
have absorbed much more heat during the
first fifteen minutes in the ASTM test than in
the IS0 test.
Figure 5 shows the H(T) relations for the
two tests, as calculated with the aid of eqn.
(1) and the q(t) relations shown in Fig. 3.
Clearly, the curves indicate that the ASTM
test is somewhat more severe than the I S 0
test for the entire 2-h period of testing. The
gain in fire endurance by conducting the fire
test according to the IS0 practice can be
determined by reading the difference between
the two curves along the abscissa axis. As
 -ASTM E l 1 9 TEST
---- I S 0 834 TEST

0 30 60 90 120 150
TIME, min D U R A T I O N O F F I R E E X P O S U R E , T rnin

Fig. 3. Rate of heat absorption by the slab. Fig. 5. Normalized heat load as function at time of
testing.

D 60 90 120
TIME, min

Fig. 4. Average temperature of slab 40 mm below DURATION OF FIRE EXPOSURE (ACCORDING TO ASTM E1191, T rnin
surface. Fig. 6. Gain in fire resistance time if test is conducted
according to I S 0 854 instead of ASTM E119.

Fig. 6 shows, that difference may be as high CONCLUSION

as 7 min for very short tests. Yet, for tests
of realistic duration, 45 min and longer, the The severities of the ASTM El19 and IS0
gain is about 5 min or less. 834 tests were compared, based on tempera-
ture measurements taken during 2-h fire
endurance tests, and evaluated using the
normalized heat load concept. It was found
that of the two tests the IS0 test is slightly
less severe, but differences in the fire
endurance values yielded by the two tests are
not expected to amount to more than about
five minutes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors wish to thank J. W. MacLaurin
for the conduct of the experiment work.
LIST OF SYMBOLS
given 'distance from fire exposed
surface (m)
specific heat (J kg-' K-')
normalized heat load (s1I2K)
thermal conductivity (W m-' K-')
thermal absorptivity (or thermal
inertia) (J mP2 s-'I2 Kpl 1
number of elementary slabs of
Ax thickness in the finite difference
scheme (-)
heat flux penetrating the test speci-
men (W mP2)
time (s)
temperature (K)
time increment (s)
thickness of elementary slab (m)
density (kg m--3)
duration of heat penetration, fire
endurance (s)
Subscripts
a at a distance a
i initial
n of the nth elementary slab
Superscripts
j, j+ 1 at a time t = jAt, t = ( j + l)At, respec-
tively ( j = 0, 1, 2, .. .)
REFERENCES
1 M. A. Sultan, T. Z. Harmathy and J. R. Mehaffey,
Heat transmission in fire test furnaces, Fire
Mater., 1 0 (1986) 47 - 55.
2 T. Z. Harmathy, M. A. Sultan and J. W. Mac-
Laurin, Comparison of severity of exposure in
ASTM E l 1 9 and I S 0 834 fire resistance tests,
J. Test. Eval., 15 (1987) 3 7 1 - 375.
3 Supporting Data for E119, Furnace Thermo-
couples, File No. R R E 5 - 1 0 0 1 , March, 1977,
available from American Society for Testing and
Materials, Philadelphia, PA.
4 T. Z. Harmathy, The possibility of characterizing
the severity of fires by a single parameter, Fire
Mater., 4 (1980) 7 1 - 76.
5 T. Z. Harmathy and J . R. Mehaffey, The
normalized heat load concept and its use, Fire
Safety J., 1 2 (1987) 75 - 81.
APPENDIX
The purpose of the calculation is to
develop, by trial and error, information on
the history of heat flux, q (W mP2), at the
exposed surface of a slab-like test specimen,
which causes the temperature at a depth a
(m) (a = 0.04 m in the present study), T,
(K), to follow a prescribed (experimentally
determined) course.
It has been shown [5] that, under
circumstances characteristic of standard fire
endurance tests, the heat flux absorbed by
the specimen does not depend noticeably
on the boundary conditions at the unexposed
side of the test specimen. Thus a slab-like
test specimen can be modeled as a semi-
infinite solid or, in numerical studies, as one
of substantial thickness. With the problem
t o be studied, it is a good approximation to
regard the temperature of the slab at 0.15 m
from the heated surface as constant and equal
t o the initial temperature.
Figure 7 shows the subdivision of the
slab-like specimen into N + 1 elementary
slabs (N inside slabs of Ax thickness, and one
surface slab of Ax12 thickness). After writing
energy balances for the elementary slabs, the
following equations are obtained:
for the surface slab (n = 0):
 for the Nth inside slab (n = N )

initial condition

where Ax (m) is the width of the (inside)

elementary slabs, At (s) is the time increment,
T (K) is the temperature and Ti (K) the initial
..."....""B.' I 36
...
temperature of the elementary slabs, k
(W m-I K-' ) is thermal conductivity, p
.
. (kg mP3) is density, c (J kg-' K-') is specific
heat. The subscript n (or n + 1, etc.) refers
... .......... ..
t o some characteristic (temperature, thermal
conductivity, etc.) of the nth (or (n + l ) t h ,
etc.) elementary slab ( 0 < n < N). The j and
Fig. 7 . The finite-difference scheme.
j + 1 superscripts mean at t = jAt and
(j+ l)At, respectively, where j = 0, 1 , 2, 3, ...
for N - 1 inside slabs ( 1 < n <N - 1) As pointed out in the text, for the refrac-
tory brick specimen used in the experiments,
At [k:, + k ; -' k and p are approximately constant (inde-
p:,c;i, Ax2 2 pendent of temperature), so that k: = k and
pi = p for any value of n and j. The specific
heat is a function of the temperature, so that
c i should be interpreted as c at T;, etc.
Numerical studies indicated that the
x ( T i - Ti.')] (3) criterion of stability was satisfied by selecting
Ax = 0.005 m and At = 20 s.
T h i s paper i s being d i s t r i b u t e d i n r e p r i n t
form by t h e I n s t i t u t e f o r Research i n
Construction. A l i s t of b u i l d i n g p r a c t i c e
and r e s e a r c h p u b l i c a t i o n s a v a i l a b l e from
t h e I n s t i t u t e may be o b t a i n e d by w r i t i n g t o
t h e ~ u b l i c a t i b n s Section, I n s t i t u t e f o r
R e s e a r c h i n C o n s t r u c t i o n , N a t i o n a l Research
C o u n c i l of Canada, O t t a w a , O n t a r i o ,
K1A 0R6.

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