Questions a non-standard test can answer
- The real scenario: fire and fire-resistance behaviour of a whole container, cabinet, doorset or actual installation, beyond standard specimen sizes;
- Comparing options: different materials, constructions or protection measures tested side by side under the same exposure;
- Indicative tests and failure analysis: finding the margin before a certification test, or the cause after a failure elsewhere;
- Engineering verification: questions from owners, designers or insurers, such as whether a separation distance, a fire barrier or a suppression system is enough;
- Research tests: thermal runaway, fire spread and deflagration studies with Tongji University that also calibrate our simulation models.
How we work
- Define the question: what needs to be answered, and who will rely on the answer;
- Design the test: start from the closest standard method for heating, instrumentation and criteria, and list every deviation;
- Choose the site: Shanghai main laboratory, the Hebei large-scale fire test site, the 20 MW Jiading indoor fire hall or the Nantong explosion test site;
- Test and report: data and limits reported as they are, with fire and explosion simulation to scale the result up where needed.
For an example, see open-door versus closed-door burns.
Deliverables
- Test plan: purpose, specimen, exposure, instrumentation and assessment, agreed with you before the test
- Test report: method, procedure, data and the limits of what the result shows, without borrowing a pass/fail from a standard it was not run to
- Simulation, where useful, to extend the result to conditions a test cannot reach
Frequently asked questions
Does a non-standard test report carry the CNAS mark?
No. Accreditation covers the standard methods in our scope. A non-standard test is there to answer a specific engineering question, so the report states the method and its limits clearly for the owner, designer, insurer or authority to judge.
When is a non-standard test the right choice?
When no standard method reflects the real scenario — a whole container burn, open-door versus closed-door burns, an unusual installation — or when product development needs to compare options and find weak points.