This document specifies the overall requirements, equipment and calculation methods to provide results that can be used for evaluating the performance of complete garments or protective clothing ensembles exposed to short duration flame engulfment.

This test method establishes a rating system to characterize the thermal protection provided by single-layer and multi-layer garments made of flame resistant materials. The rating is based on the measurement of heat transfer to a full-size manikin exposed to convective and radiant energy in a laboratory simulation of a fire with controlled heat flux, duration and flame distribution. The heat transfer data is summed over a prescribed time to give the total transferred energy. Transferred energy and thermal manikin protection factor (TMPF) assessment methods provide a means to quantify product performance.

The exposure heat flux is limited to a nominal level of 84 kW/m² and durations of 3 s to 20 s dependant on the risk assessment and expectations from the thermal insulating capability of the garment.

The results obtained apply only to the particular garments or ensembles, as tested, and for the specified conditions of each test, particularly with respect to the heat flux, duration and flame distribution.

This test method covers visual evaluation, observation, inspection and documentation on the overall behaviour of the test specimen(s) before, during and after the exposure. The effects of body position and movement are not addressed in this test method.

The heat flux measurements can also be used to calculate the predicted skin burn injury resulting from the exposure (see ISO 13506-2).

This test method does not simulate high radiant exposures such as those found in arc flash exposures, some types of fire exposures where liquid or solid fuels are involved, nor exposure to nuclear explosions.

NOTE            This test method is complex and requires a high degree of technical expertise in both the test setup and operation. Even minor deviations from the instructions in this test method can lead to significantly different test results.