Flame Retardant Low Smoke Laboratory

Electric cables are designed to carry power and communications for long distances and can act as pathway along which fire can travel and spread. In addition there are cable installations where large number of cables is installed vertically. These can act as an area of significant fire hazard because of the medium of high fuel loading represented by the insulating and sheathing materials. Fires involving these cables may cause the loss of life as well as damage to the facilities and equipment. In order to avoid such disasters the demand has arisen for improved flame-retardant cables to reduce not only flame propagation but also smoke and toxic emission.

The Flame retardant low smoke cables laboratory carryout fire reaction tests on electric cables and all polymeric materials according to various national and International standards.

TESTING/EQUIPMENT FACILITY :-

Some of the important test facilities are

Cone Calorimeter
Toxicity chamber
NBS Smoke Box Chamber
3 metre cube test chamber
Limiting Oxygen Index apparatus
HCl Emission apparatus
Fire Resistance test set-up

ACCREDITATIONS : -

The facility has been accredited for Flame Retardant Low Smoke testing as per ISO/IEC 17025 by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) Govt of India.

TEST FACILITIES :-

S. No.	Products/Apparatus	Tests Conducted
01	Electric cables	Heat release measurements using Cone Calorimeter
02	Cable sheath materials	Toxicity Index test
03	FRP composite materials	Limiting Oxygen Index(Ignition property of Plastics )
04	Cable trays	Temperature Index (Temp withstand before ignition)
05	Channels	HCL (Acid gas content in plastics)
06	Feeder pillar boxes	Zero Halogen evaluation
07	Energy meter covers	Smoke Density ( smoke evolved, and light transmission, visibility under fire)
08	Terminal blocks	Fire resistance test (Circuit integrity under fire conditions)
9	Bushings	Flammability Test (The property of propagating fire)
10	Supporting insulators
11	PVC conduit pipes
12	Flooring materials
13	Fabrics/curtain
14	Materials used in aerospace/navy
15	Any other plastic material
The lab will be augmented shortly for tests on Bunched cables.

FRLS TEST FACILITIES :-

S. No.	Test	Standard
01	(HRR) Heat Release Rate, Cumulative heat released, Effective heat combustion, Time to ignition, Mass loss rate, total mass loss, Smoke obscuration CO/CO2 production rate	ISO 5660 ASTM 1354
02	Oxygen Index Test on Polymeric materials and cable sheaths	ASTM D 2863-1997 NCD 1410 IS 10810(P-58)-1988 IS 13501-1992
03	Temperature Index Test on Polymeric materials and cable sheaths	ASTM D 2863-1997
04	Halogen Acid Test on Polymeric materials and cable sheaths	IEC 754(P-1)-1994
05	Flammability Test on Polymeric materials and cable sheaths	UL 94-HB/VB-1980 ASTM D 635-1998 IS 11731(P-1,2)-1986 IS 6746-1972
06	Flammability Test on cables	IS 10810(P-61)-1988 UL 1581-1991 IEC 332(P-1)-1979 IS 10810(P-53)-1984 IEC 332(P-3)-1991 IS 10810(P-62)-1993 IEEE 383-1974
07	Smoke density test on Polymeric materials and cable sheaths	ASTM D 2843-1999
08	Smoke density test (3 Metre cube) on cables	IEC 1034-2 1991 IS 10810 (P-63)-1993
09	Specific Optical density(NBS smoke box) on Polymeric materials and cable sheaths	ASTM E-662-1983 NCD 1411
10	Fire survival Test on cables	IEC 331 1970

CLIENTELE :-

Facilities are extensively used by Industrial Clients like RDSO, ICF, Tyco Electronics, Lapp India, Reliance Engineers, Nicco Corporation, Whirlpool of India Ltd, BIS and other utilities and manufacturers. Clients from countries like Dubai, UAE, etc. are also widely using the test facilities.

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Flame Retardant Low Smoke Laboratory

Flame Retardant Low Smoke Laboratory

TESTING/EQUIPMENT FACILITY :-

ACCREDITATIONS : -

TEST FACILITIES :-

FRLS TEST FACILITIES :-

CLIENTELE :-