|
California Technical Bulletin 133 is a very severe open flame test, mandatory for furniture sold in what is called “public occupancies” in the state of California. It should be noted that several other states have adopted California Technical Bulletin 133 for the same occupancies in their states. In the California Technical Bulletin 133 (TB-133) test protocol, a full scale piece of furniture or a mock up is placed in a specially designed room where the furniture or mock up is exposed to an approximate 16 kw open flame for eighty seconds. The temperature at the 4 foot level and at the ceiling are monitored constantly. The mass loss of the test furniture is monitored continuously, and the carbon monoxide concentration in the test room is monitored continuously. Smoke capacity in the room is also monitored continuously. TB-133 lists criteria for each function measured. Another way to test for passing TB-133 is the use of oxygen consumption (depletion) calorimetry. In oxygen consumption calorimetry, the oxygen consumed by the burning furniture is monitored continuously, and the peak heat release and total heat release are calculated from the amount of oxygen and consumed by the burning furniture. There are specific criteria for peak heat release and total heat release. It should be said here that the TB-133 test for upholstered furniture was designed specifically for upholstered furniture used in public occupancies, and this test is definitely not applicable to upholstered furniture used in residential occupancies. It should also be noted that TB-133 is the most severe fire test in the world for upholstered furniture.
|
