Commercial testing will soon be available at the Building Research Establishment‘s (BRE) new state-of-the-art fire test facility.
The site at Garston, Watford, houses new £500,000 fire resistance furnace equipment designed to meet the increasing demands for testing.
Features include a 3m² wall furnace to test walls, doors, glazing, shutters, dampers and smoke barriers. A 4m² floor furnace tests loaded floors and beams.
A 3m-high column furnace will test loaded or unloaded structures, while a 1.5m cube will be used for smaller items.
Linked to a high-capacity scrubbing plant, the facility removes all exhaust gases and smoke in an environmentally friendly way.
Commercial testing will be available within weeks, offering a range of UKAS accredited tests to British, European, marine and international standards.
The facilities can accommodate the new European harmonised test standards and be used for CE marking.
Data from tests can help underpin regulatory and insurers’ approval, Loss Prevention Council certification schemes plus requirements of other bodies.
Jeremy Hodge, managing director of the BRE’s fire and risk sciences division, said: ‘This substantial new facility reinforces BRE’s position as the leading testing and research body for fire and construction related testing of a wide spectrum of product types.’
Fire resistance testing was formerly carried out at the BRE’s old Borehamwood site.
