BS EN 1363 2020 – Fire resistance tests general requirements

What is BS EN 1363-1 - Fire resistance principles about?

BS EN 1363-1 establishes the general principles for determining the fire resistance of various elements of construction when subjected to standard fire exposure conditions. Alternative and additional procedures to meet special requirements are given in EN 1363-2.

The principle that has been embodied within all European standards relating to fire resistance testing is that where aspects and procedures of testing are common to all specific test methods e.g. the temperature/time curve, then they are specified in this test method.

The test results obtained might be directly applicable to other similar elements, or variations of the element tested. The extent to which this application is permitted depends upon the field of direct application of the test result.

Who is BS EN 1363-1 - Fire resistance principles for?

BS EN 1363-1 on fire resistance tests is relevant to:

1. Construction industries
2. Civil engineers
3. Fire resistance testing laboratories

Why should you use BS EN 1363-1 - Fire resistance principles?

Fire resistance tests are intended to assess the performance of elements of construction for their load bearing or fire separating properties.

BS EN 1363-1 is helpful to minimize the risk of fire or explosion as it evaluates the extent of ignitibility of the materials and components. This evaluation is vital for the selection of the right materials to ensure that the fire integrity and thermal insulation of any element of a building construction is maintained.

The fire test method under BS EN 1361-1 provides a means of quantifying the ability of an element to withstand exposure to high temperatures. It does so by setting criteria against which the loadbearing capacity, the fire containment (integrity) and the thermal transmittance (insulation) functions amongst other characteristics can be evaluated.

BS EN 1361-1 covers necessary parameters such as pressure, load, deflection, and integrity to effectively conduct the fire tests along with required precision of measuring equipment that will help with consistency and accuracy of results.

As a buyer, BS EN 1363-1 the test methods are beneficial as it reduces risks emerging from product failure, thereby maintaining overall structural integrity.

What’s changed since the last update?

BS EN 1363-1:2020 supersedes EN 1363-1:2012. The main change compared to EN 1363-1:2012 is the redefinition for the load-bearing capacity criterion