Mysore centre to test fire-resistant products

The Building Fire Research Centre (BFRC) of the National Institute of Engineering will test fire resistance of doors manufactured by MPP Technologies of Bangalore made with German technology.

Four steel doors of 12' x 12' "� two with single doors and two with double doors "� will be tested for fire resistance on August 18 at BFRC in the presence of managing director Reinhards Schroder of System Schroders of Germany, which provided the technology to the Bangalore firm under a licence.

"These doors of Schroders have been tested as per the British Standards at Warrington Fire Research Centre, UK, for a fire rating of 120 minutes. Now, they will be tested for Indian conditions. Fire will be 1,500-2,000 degrees for testing the doors," BFRC director N Suresh said on Monday in Mysore.

The BFRC is establishing a test facility, multi-purpose fire test rig, to test fire resistance of materials like doors, textiles, safes, cabinets among others claimed or sold as being 'fire resistant'.

Schroder will be inaugurating the test rig.

"This will be our inaugural test at the BFRC where fire can be stimulated as per the IS provisions. It will be for the first time that such a test is being conducted in the country," he told Business Standard.

Set up in 2005, the BFRC is involved in R&D in the field of fire resistance of materials and structures.

Besides conducting workshops and shot-term programmes in fire resistance of structures, it is involved in computing fire loads of public buildings.

Such a recent test of the KR Hospital Surgical Block and Varuna Bhavan of the Public Works Department had revealed that the reception hall and the storeroom of the two structures were sensitive areas in case of a fire.