Full Scale Flammability Measures for Electronic Equipment

An experimental study of the bench-scale fire performance of eighteen different commercial polymeric materials was previously conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The results of that study described the ignition resistance, self-extinguishing behavior, heat release rate (HRR), and combustion product yields of these materials using three standard bench-scale fire tests. The current report details the second of a two part study in which the relationship between bench-scale and full-scale fire performance was examined. Five of the eighteen materials characterized in the bench-scale study were examined here in the form of 19” computer monitor housings. The ignition resistance, fire growth rate and threat to surrounding objects were characterized using several ignition methods. While the objects studied here were computer monitor enclosures and keyboards, the qualitative conclusions should apply to other electronic equipment that could be similarly ignited, such as printers or other peripherals, as well as TV sets, that are enclosed in similar housings.