Proposed ASTM Flash Fire Cylinder Test Method
Customers specifying NFPA 2112 flash fire fabrics or gloves may want to use our NEW proposed test method to evaluate thermal performance of these materials.
ArcWear, a Division of Kinectrics is the first independent third-party flame and thermal lab to receive this instrument for development.
Developed by Thermetrics, together with ArcWear’s Brian Shiels, the Flash Fire Cylinder provides an innovative new approach to measuring thermal insulation from flash fire. With 15 sensors evenly distributed around a cylindrical form, the Flash Fire Cylinder stands to provide much more precision than the single-sensor HTP device. While the cylindrical, small specimen size allows for much easier access to flash fire protection data as compared to constructing coveralls and proceeding to the full manikin test. The ability to use sample sizes common for sample looms will allow more freedom in R&D and ArcWear will be developing a database of fabric response compared to the ASTM F1930 thermal mannequin looking for correlation to assist in the R&D process.
Unlike HTP, the Flash Fire Cylinder will illustrate real-world impact of flame shrinkage during an exposure with the same torches used in the flash fire mannequin standard ASTM F1930. The software also allows us to precisely control exposure times, while continuing to collect data well after the exposure to measure delayed transfer of thermal energy through the fabrics. The smaller form factor affords a much more precise exposure energy as compared to the larger manikin systems.
Brian Shiels serves as Technical Contact and Subcommittee Chair for the ASTM group developing the standard Test Method (WK70964). The apparatus and procedure have also been included in the First Draft of the 2023 edition of NFPA 2112 Standard on Flame-Resistant Clothing for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Short-Duration Thermal Exposures from Fire and is being considered by the NFPA 1990 Standards for Protective Ensembles for Hazardous Material and Emergency Medical Operations Technical Committee.
The device can also be fitted with a hand-form to investigate flash fire thermal performance of gloves. Please see our page on Flash Fire Hand for more information (link to Hand page).
To gather more data to support the standardization efforts, ArcWear is offering its clients a special introductory rate for R&D projects utilizing the Flash Fire Cylinder.
Contact us to day to set up your R&D project!