EN 1604: Dimensional stability under specified temperature and humidity conditions

The burning rate of horizontally mounted materials designed to be used in vehicles and buses must be tested with the UN/ECE R118 annex 6 test before they can be approved for use. Measurlabs offers this and the other R118 tests with accreditation. In the test method, the exposed side of the test specimen is burned from underneath and the burning rate is measured and expressed in mm/min.

The melting behavior of fusible materials used in certain motor vehicles must be determined according to Annex 7 of UN/ECE Regulation 118. In the test, it is monitored whether the specimen ignites, creates flaming droplets, and if these droplets ignite cotton wool placed under the specimen. For the material to pass the test, there must be no formation of flaming drops that ignite the cotton wool. Measurlabs can offer accredited test reports for the UN/ECE R118 Annex 7 test, as well as the Annex 6 and Annex 8 tests. Non-isotropic materials must be tested from both sides, which means that double the number of samples is required.

Cement material heat of hydration test using Isothermal Conduction Calorimetry (ICC) according to standard EN 196-11.

Determination of the surface-drying characteristics of paints, varnishes, and related coating materials that dry by air action or chemical reaction, according to ISO 9117-3. The method does not apply to stoving products. The test uses ballotini glass beads applied to the coating surface to assess the surface-drying state. It can be performed in two ways: as a pass/fail test determining whether the surface-dry state has been reached after a specified time, or by repeated assessment at defined intervals to establish the surface-drying time. Results are reported as the surface-drying state at the specified time (go/no go) or as the time required to reach the surface-dry state.

ICP-OES measurement package for waste and construction material samples. The assay includes pre-treatment with aqua regia decomposition and the measurement of the following elements using the ICP-OES technique: Element Detection limit (mg/kg) Ag 0.5 As 0.5 Ba 0.2 Be 0.01 Cd 0.4 Co 0.2 Cr 0.5 Cu 1 Fe 10 Hg 0.2 Li 1 Mn 0.5 Mo 0.4 Ni 1 P 5 Pb 1 Sb 0.5 Se 2 Sn 1 Sr 0.1 Tl 0.5 V 0.1 Zn 3 The concentrations of the measured elements are reported in mg/kg d.m. The analysis is also available with a fast delivery turnaround time. Ask for an offer from our experts using the form below.

ISO 5659-2 outlines the procedure for measuring the optical density of smoke produced by a material placed in a closed test cabinet and exposed to thermal radiation. The standard was originally developed for plastics, but it can be applied to a range of other products and materials. In the test, representative specimens of the material are mounted horizontally in a test chamber, and their upper surface is exposed to a specified level of thermal irradiance (usually 25 kW/m2 or 50 kW/m2), with or without a pilot flame. The resulting smoke is collected, and its optical density is measured using a photometric method. Some of the key parameters measured include the maximum specific optical density (Ds,max), the specific optical densities at specified times (Ds(1,5), Ds(4), Ds(10)), and the cumulative specific optical densities during the first 4 minutes of the test (VOF4). A toxicity measurement can also be included to measure toxic gas emissions. Its results are reported as the conventional index of toxicity (CITG). The ISO 5659-2 smoke production test is often required as part of the EN 45545-2 fire safety evaluation of railway materials.

Qualitative identification of asbestos in bulk materials by scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). The analysis is performed in accordance with the ISO 22262-1 standard. The method is commonly used to determine whether toy materials, such as play sand, kinetic sand, or polymer- and mineral-based fillers contain asbestos. Construction products such as cement, asphalt, and thermal insulation materials are another common sample matrix. During the analysis, the sample is ashed, ground, and analyzed with SEM-EDX to identify fibrous asbestos structures. The analysis covers the following asbestos types: Actinolite, Amosite (brown asbestos) , Anthophyllite, Chrysotile (white asbestos) , Crocidolite (blue asbestos) , Tremolite. Express turnaround (4 business days) can be arranged upon request for an additional fee. Please ask us for more information.

ICP-MS elemental analysis for geological samples (rocks, ore, mining samples) with aqua regia digestion. The analysis includes the following elements: Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, Hf, Hg, In, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Re, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta, Te, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Y, Zn, and Zr. Gold determinations by this method are semi-quantitative due to the small sample weight used. The price does not include pretreatment, such as crushing or sieving. Shipping is included up to 5 kg total weight; extra cost for larger shipments. Please note that we may be unable to offer these tests for small one-off projects involving just a few samples.

This method is used to determine the gross heat of combustion of solid building products at constant volume in a bomb calorimeter. Results are reported in J/kg. If the product is non-homogeneous, meaning that it consists of multiple materials, each material must be tested separately. The result can be used to classify construction products into classes A1, A1fl, A1L, A2, A2fl, and A2L according to the fire classification standard EN 13501-1.

Fire testing according to EN ISO 9239-1 is used to evaluate the ability of flooring to withstand flames and radiant heat. Flame spread, smoke generation, and the lowest radiant heat to sustain burning are measured. The method is primarily used to classify floor coverings according to the European EN 13501-1 fire classification system. Depending on the results, floorings can be categorized as A2fl, Bfl, Cfl, or Dfl. A smoke production classification of s1 or s2 is also provided. Another use case is assessing the burning behavior of floor composites and interior horizontal surfaces used in rail vehicles according to the EN 45545-2 standard. The testing procedure is the following: 1) The test specimen is placed in a horizontal position below a gas-fired radiant panel inclined at 30°, where it is exposed to a defined heat flux. 2) A pilot flame is applied to the hotter end of the specimen. 3) Following ignition, any flame front that develops is noted, and a record is made of the progression of the flame front horizontally along the length of the specimen, measuring the time it takes for the fire to spread to defined distances. 4) Smoke production is recorded as light transmission in the exhaust stack. One specimen is tested in one direction (e.g. production direction) and another in the direction perpendicular to the first specimen. The test that yields the worst results is repeated twice in that direction.