EN 13381-7 Test Methods to Determine the Contribution of Structural Elements to Fire Resistance - Part 7: Protection Applied to Timber Elements

A European standard, EN 13381-7 Test methods for determining the contribution of structural elements to the fire resistance - Part 7: Protection applied to timber elements" describes test methods for determining the contribution of fire protection kits to the fire resistance of structural timber elements. Such fire protection kits include coatings, sprayed fire protection and reactive coatings.

The methods described apply to all fire protection kits used for the protection of timber elements. They may be fixed directly, in whole or in part, to the timber element and may include an air gap between the fire protection kit and the timber element as an integral part of their design.

The assessment of timber structures protected by horizontal or vertical protective membranes is within the scope of the EN 13381-1 or EN 13381-2 standards respectively.

The test method is applicable to the determination of the contribution of fire protection kits to the fire resistance of load bearing timber structural members including floors, roofs, walls, beams and columns. This standard includes the fire test specifying the test to be carried out to determine the ability of the fire protection kit to retard the temperature rise through a specified thickness of timber member, to determine the ability of the fire protection kit to remain consistent and fixed to a specified thickness of timber member and to provide data to determine the rate of charring of the protected test member when exposed to a standard temperature/time curve in accordance with the procedures defined herein. This standard is not suitable for classifying the tested assembly in accordance with EN 13501-2.

The test for subjecting reactive protection material to a smoldering temperature time fire curve and the specific conditions for this are detailed in the annex to the standard (Annex G).

The fire test methodology includes provisions for the collection and presentation of data that can be used as direct input into the calculation of the fire resistance of timber elements in accordance with the procedures given in standard EN 1995-1-2.

A description of the relationship of this test method and the evaluation of the results obtained with the EN 1995-1-2 standard and guidelines for the use of this test method in accordance with this standard are included in the annex of the standard (Annex B).

This standard also includes an evaluation that shows how the analysis of test data should be done and provides guidance on how interpolation should be performed.

The limits of applicability of the evaluation results resulting from the fire test are defined together with the direct application of the results to different timber structures with the specified thickness and fixing of the applied fire protection kit tested.

For the purposes of this standard, the following definitions apply, in addition to the terms and definitions given in EN 1363-1, EN ISO 13943 and ISO 8421-2:

• Board is a part of a building assembly, usually made of non-reactive material, and is used as a fire protection material.
• Cavity insulation is a stone wool insulation with a fire resistance class of A1 and a density of 30 KG/m3, to be placed between timber joists or studs in timber frame assemblies tested to this standard. It is used throughout the full depth of the fire protection kit exposed to fire to obtain a loading and heat accumulation.
• The carbonization line is the boundary line between the carbonized layer and the remaining section, which is assumed to be equal to the position of the 300 degree Celsius isotherm.
• The charring depth is the distance from the original surface of the timber element to the charring line.
• Failure time is the period during which failure of the fire protection kit occurs due to separation of a significant area of ​​the initially protected wood surface or a sudden and significant temperature increase.
• Fireproofing material is a material or combination of materials applied to the surface of a wooden structural element to increase its fire resistance.
• A fire protection kit is a fire protection material together with a method intended for attachment to a wood structural member, wherein the fire protection kit may include more than one layer of material and more than one combination of materials.
• Model scale test is the test to determine the carbonization rate during the protected carbonization stage in a full-scale or smaller than full-scale furnace depending on the size of the model scale test specimen.
• Passive fire protection materials are materials that do not change their physical form when heated, provide fire protection by virtue of their physical or thermal properties, and may include materials containing water that is removed to create a cooling effect when heated.

Our organization, which has been trying to support businesses from every sector with its testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies carried out in a wide range for years, has a strong staff that closely follows the developments in the world in the field of science and technology and constantly improves itself. In this context, testing services are also provided to businesses in accordance with the standard “EN 13381-7 Test methods for determining the contribution of structural elements to fire resistance - Part 7: Protection applied to wooden elements”.