°F
0 1 2 3 4
TESTS FOR PENETRATION FIRESTOPS
For evaluation of penetration firestop systems, the base
standard used is ASTM E814, Standard Test Method for
Fire Tests of Penetration Firestop Systems. UL has a similar
standard, UL 1479, Fire Tests
of Through-Penetration
Firestops. In the United States,
current building codes refer
to both UL 1479 and ASTM
E814. In Europe, the standard
is EN 1366. These test
methods expose the test
specimen to a standardized
time-temperature curve,
which ensures that all systems
are tested to the same rigorous
requirements in order
to provide a benchmark
58 I ICT TODAY
Hour
5 6 7 8
°C
2400
2200
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
1315.6
1204.4
1093.3
982.2
871.1
760.9
648.8
537.8
426.7
315.6
FIGURE 2: Testing a specimen to a standardized
time-temperature curve.
as shown in Figure 2.
At five minutes, the furnace temperature is 538°C
(1,000°F); at one hour it reaches 927°C (1,700°F).
At two hours, the temperature reaches 1010°C (1,850°F);
at three hours it reaches 1052°C (1,925°F); and at four
hours it reaches 1093°C (2,000°F). These are critically
high temperatures, remembering that aluminum cable
conductors typically melt at 649°C (1,200°F) and many
plastics ignite at temperatures significantly below 538°C
(1,000°F), which is within two or three minutes of the
start of a fire!
F AND T RATINGS
Successfully passing tests to UL 1479 provides firestop
systems with an F rating and a T rating. The F rating
indicates how long, in hours, a firestop system has
successfully prevented the passage of a fire. A two-hour
F rating means the firestop system prevented fire spread
for two hours. The T rating is a measure of the thermal
conductivity of a firestop system. This is the time
required for various points on the unexposed side
of the test assembly to rise 163°C (325°F) over the
starting ambient temperature. Figure 3 shows an
example of a UL test assembly consisting of plastic
pipes installed in a concrete floor and protected
with firestop collars.
FIGURE 3: An example of a UL test assembly.