UNE-EN ISO 13506-1:2017

This International Standard specifies the overall requirements, equipment and calculation methods toprovide results that can be used for evaluating the performance of complete garments or protectiveclothing ensembles exposed to short duration fires.This test method establishes a system to characterize the thermal protection provided by garments(e.g. fire fighter or industrial garments in the form of single or multi-layered fabrics (coated, quilted,multi-layered, sandwich constructions, and other similar combinations), based on the measurement ofheat transfer to a full-size manikin exposed to convective and radiant energy in a laboratory simulationof a fire with controlled heat flux, duration and flame distribution. The heat transfer data is summedover a prescribed time to give the total transferred energy.For the purposes of this test method, the incident heat flux is limited to a nominal level of 84 kW/m2and limited to exposure durations of 3 s to 12 s dependant on the thermal insulating capability of thegarment. The results obtained apply only to the particular garments or ensembles, as tested, and forthe specified conditions of each test, particularly with respect to the heat flux, duration and flamedistribution.This test method allows for a visual evaluation, observation and inspection on the overall behaviourof the test specimen during and after the exposure as the garment or complete ensemble on themanikin is recorded before, during and after the flame exposure. This also applies to the evaluation ofprotection for the hands or the feet when they do not contain sensors. For the interfaces of ensemblestested, the test method is limited to visual inspection. The effects of body position and movement arenot addressed in this test method.The heat measurements can also be used to calculate the predicted skin burn injury resulting from theexposure (see ISO 13506-2).This test method does not simulate high radiant exposures such as those found in arc flash exposures,some types of fire exposures where liquid or solid fuels are involved, nor exposure to nuclear explosions.NOTE 1 This test method provides information on material behaviour and a measurement of garmentperformance on a stationary upright manikin. The relative size of the garment and the manikin and the fit of thegarment on the shape of the manikin have an important influence on the performance.NOTE 2 This test method is complex and requires a high degree of technical expertise in both the test setupand operation.NOTE 3 Deviations from the instructions in this test method can lead to significantly different test results.Technical knowledge concerning fabric behaviour and the theory of heat transfer and testing practices is neededin order to evaluate which deviations are significant with respect to the instructions given in this test method.Standardization of the test method reduces, but does not eliminate, the need for such technical knowledge.