Building Materials Radiant Heat Fire Tester
Building Materials Radiant Heat Fire Tester — ToronFT™ BMT-FP
ToronFT™ BMT-FP Building Materials Radiant Heat Fire Tester is a precision thermal radiation ignition testing instrument designed to evaluate the ignitability and fire performance of the exposed surface of building materials and composite materials with a thickness not exceeding 70 mm when placed horizontally under specified thermal radiation conditions. The instrument is applicable to wall and ceiling lining materials, flooring systems, external cladding materials, and air-heated pipe insulation — providing the irradiance-based ignitability data required for building material fire classification and certification.
The building materials fire performance tester uses a 3 kW radiation cone heating system delivering 1–5 W/cm² irradiance, combined with a modern electronic automation design and thyristor-based power temperature regulation, to provide stable, accurately controlled thermal radiation conditions throughout each test event.
Building Materials Radiant Heat Fire Tester — ToronFT™ BMT-FP Applications
- Building material manufacturers: ignition resistance and fire performance qualification for wall linings, ceiling materials, flooring, external cladding, and pipe insulation
- Third-party fire testing and certification laboratories: ignitability and fire performance testing per ISO 5657
- Construction product specifiers: fire performance evaluation of composite materials for building envelope and interior applications
- R&D departments: evaluation of flame retardant treatments, surface coatings, and material composites for improved ignition resistance
- Quality assurance departments: production-lot fire performance sampling for building material compliance programs
Standards
The ToronFT™ BMT-FP supports fire performance testing in compliance with internationally recognized building material fire standards, including:
- ISO 5657: Reaction to fire tests — Ignitability of building products using a radiant heat source
- ISO 5660-1: Reaction to fire tests — Heat release, smoke production, and mass loss rate (irradiance methodology reference)
- ASTM E1321: Standard test method for determining material ignition and flame spread properties
- EN 13501-1: Fire classification of construction products and building elements — Classification using data from reaction to fire tests
Building Materials Radiant Heat Fire Tester — ToronFT™ BMT-FP Key Features
Test apparatus
Radiating cone
- Suitable for horizontal specimen testing of building materials and composites up to 70 mm thick — covering wall linings, ceiling materials, flooring, external cladding, and pipe insulation
- Radiation cone heating power: 3 kW — delivering stable, uniform irradiance across the specimen surface
- Radiation intensity range: 1–5 W/cm² — matching the irradiance levels specified by ISO 5657 and related standards
- Complete instrument composition: radiating cone, ignition device, nozzle, pressure plate mechanism, support frame, temperature recorder, gas system, timer, and oven
- Modern electronic automation design for repeatable, operator-independent test execution
- Thyristor technology for body temperature regulation through power control — precise, stable irradiance maintenance
- Compliant with ISO 5657 — the primary international standard for building material ignitability under radiant heat
Theory and Method
Building material ignitability testing exposes a horizontally mounted specimen to a defined, uniform level of thermal radiation from the radiation cone heater. The irradiance level (1–5 W/cm²) is set to match the test conditions specified by the applicable standard, and the time to ignition of the specimen surface is recorded. The test evaluates whether the material's surface ignites under a given irradiance level and how quickly ignition occurs — both of which are fundamental inputs to fire risk assessment and material classification.
The ToronFT™ BMT-FP radiation cone delivers controlled irradiance through a 3 kW heating element with thyristor power regulation, which continuously adjusts electrical power to the cone to maintain the target irradiance regardless of ambient temperature variations. The instrument composition — radiating cone, ignition device, nozzle, pressure plate mechanism, support frame, temperature recorder, gas system, timer, and oven — provides the complete measurement and control infrastructure required for standard-compliant ignitability testing. The modern electronic automation design ensures repeatable, accurate test conditions with minimal operator intervention.
Building Materials Radiant Heat Fire Tester — ToronFT™ BMT-FP Technical Specifications
| Component / Parameter | Specification Details |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Model | ToronFT™ BMT-FP |
| Standard Compliance | ISO 5657 |
| Applicable Materials | Wall/ceiling linings, flooring, external cladding, pipe insulation |
| Instrument Composition | Radiating cone, ignition device, nozzle, pressure plate mechanism, support frame, temperature recorder, gas system, timer, oven |
| Radiation Cone System | |
| Radiation Cone Power | 3 kW |
| Radiation Intensity | Range 1: 10 kW/m² – 70 kW/m² Range 2: 1 – 5 W/cm² |
| Heating Element | Stainless steel heating tube (Length: 3500 mm; Diameter: 8.5 mm) |
| Ignition & Gas System | |
| Ignition Device | High-voltage electronic automatic ignition |
| Flame Nozzle | Propane flame; Flame length: 15 mm; Heat output: 50 W |
| Gas Supply & Filtration | Equipped with filters to remove impurities from the gas path |
| Air-Propane Supply Control | Mass flow meter regulates precise propane and air flow rates • Propane: 19 mL/min – 20 mL/min • Air: 160 mL/min – 180 mL/min |
| Sample Handling | |
| Support Frame | Stainless steel; Dimensions: 275 mm × 230 mm |
| Pressure Plate Mechanism | Applies a constant pressure of 20N |
| Max Specimen Thickness | 70 mm (in horizontal orientation) |
| Control & Software System | |
| Control System Architecture | PLC programming + Computer control (16-bit high-precision board, accuracy up to 1%) |
| User Interface | LabVIEW-developed software (Windows XP interface) / HMI for simple operation |
| Automation Capabilities | Real-time data acquisition, processing, saving, and result output |
| Temperature Control | • Method: PID control with thyristor power regulation (electronic automation) • Range: 0°C – 1000°C • Accuracy: ±1°C |
| Measurement & Sensors | |
| Radiometer (Heat Flux Meter) | • Type: Military-grade Gardon thermopile • Measurement Range: 0 kW/m² – 100 kW/m² • Accuracy: ±3% |
| Timer | Resolution: 0.01s; Accuracy: 1 s/h |
| Dimensions & Power | |
| Voltage | AC 220V ±10%, 50Hz (110V is also available) |
| Equipment Dimensions | 570 mm × 350 mm × 1100 mm (L × W × H) |
| Equipment Weight | Approx. 35 kg |