ASTM E136 Combustibility of Materials

Standard: ASTM E136 Standard Test Method for Assessing Combustibility of Materials Using a Vertical Tube Furnace at 750°C

Scope: Per ASTM E136, “this test method uses a furnace to expose building materials to a temperature of 750°C (1382°F) until failure occurs or for at least 30 minutes… While actual building fire exposure conditions are not duplicated, this test method will assist in indicating those materials which do not act to aid combustion or add appreciable heat to an ambient fire.”

Products: Any material to show noncombustibility.

Procedure: Test specimens are conditioned in an oven set at 60°C for 24 hours prior to testing. The specimen are then instrumented with two thermocouples: one is placed on the outside surface and the other is placed inside the center of the specimen. After instrumentation, the specimen is placed into a vertical tube furnace set at 750°C and specimens are exposed for at least 30 minutes. Two options are offered when performing this test:

• Option A where the furnace consists of two concentric vertical refractory tubes.
• Option B (ASTM E2652 / ISO 1182) where the furnace consists of an enclosed refractory tube surrounded by a heating coil with a cone-shaped airflow stabilizer.

Result: The material is considered to pass the test if at least three of the four test specimens meet the individual test specimen criteria of weight loss, temperature rise, and flaming.