EN ISO 15541 Ships and Marine Technology - Fire Resistance of Non-Metallic Hose Assemblies and Non-Metallic Expansion Joints - Requirements for the Test Bench

The European standard "EN ISO 15541 Ships and marine technology - Fire resistance of non-metallic hose assemblies and non-metallic expansion joints - Requirements for the test bench" describes the requirements for a test bench for determining the fire resistance of non-metallic hose assemblies and non-metallic expansion joints with a nominal diameter of up to 150 mm. This bench can be used for larger sizes if suitable test bench conditions are provided. During exposure to flames, operating pressures of up to 16 bar are possible.

The flame spread capability of non-metallic hose assemblies or non-metallic expansion joints cannot be tested with the test bench specified in this standard.

Only water is allowed as a test medium. In order to ensure maximum safety for both the operating personnel and the test bench in case of damage to the non-metallic hose assembly or the expansion joint on metal during the test, the use of flammable test media is excluded.

For the purposes of this standard, fire resistance refers to the ability of a building element, component or structure to perform the required stability, integrity, thermal insulation and/or other expected duty as specified in a standard fire resistance test for a specified period of time.

The test bench should consist of the following components:

• Burner chamber with connection device for test samples, burner and exhaust gas housing
• Aggregate box with equipment for conditioning and controlling the test environment
• Equipment for monitoring and recording test procedures
• Pressure generating equipment capable of loading the test specimen at the end of flame application with the test pressure specified in the technical specification

In the burner chamber, the connections of the test specimen shall be set at a working height (e.g. 1 000 mm). They shall enable the testing of hose assemblies with a minimum free hose length of 500 mm and non-metallic expansion joints of different lengths and shapes. A constant upward air flow shall be ensured. The floor area of ​​the air supply shall be approximately 0,6 m2. An example of the arrangement of a burner chamber is included in the annex to the standard (Annex A).

The total cross-sectional area of ​​the burner shall be a minimum of 150 mm × 500 mm. The cross-sectional area may consist of several single-field burner units. The burner shall be dimensioned to cover both end connections of non-metallic expansion joints as required by ISO 15540. Burners with at least 20 nozzles per square decimetre shall be used. The burners shall be of the fan type or atmospheric type. Each single-field burner unit shall be equipped with a mixing valve to mix the gas and combustion air, producing a flame of 800 degrees plus/minus 50 degrees at the measuring points shown in the figure. The flame appearance shall conform to the figures shown in the appendix (Annex A).

The burner should be movable to prevent the test specimen from being exposed to the flames during flame adjustment. The burner height should be variable so that the flame can surround the test specimens of all possible nominal diameters. It should be just below the test specimen (15 mm plus/minus 5 mm) and the measured temperatures should be 800 degrees plus/minus 50 degrees.

The exhaust gas shall be drawn upwards by means of an exhaust fan. The fan shall be infinitely variable. The upward airflow shall produce a directed flame. Environmental restrictions according to local laws shall be taken into account.

Shut-off valves and measuring instruments are provided in the cooling supply and discharge lines for control of the cooling circuit.

Heating and cooling arrangements must be made for feeding the test sample with water at a temperature of 80 degrees plus/minus 2 degrees at the inlet of the test sample. The installation shall provide an adjustable water velocity of at least 0,1 m/s in the test sample and a constant pressure of at least 5 plus/minus 0,2 bar up to the maximum permissible working pressure of the test sample.

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