Glossary of Terms and Definitions

damaged area
total of those surface areas which have been affected permanently by fire under specified conditions cf. burned area

damaged length
maximum extent in a specified direction of the damaged area cf. burnt length

draught-free environment
environment in which the results of experiments are not significantly affected by the local air speed

duration of flaming
length of time for which flaming combustion persists under specified conditions, including flaming combustion due to the presence of an ignition source

ease of ignition
Deprecated term cf. ignitability and minimum ignition time.

elevated temperature
temperatures in excess of normal ambient air, below those necessary for fire resistance testing, to which smoke and heat exhaust ducts for single compartments are tested

end-use conditions
intended conditions to which an item will be subjected during its normal working life, when used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions

environment
conditions and surroundings that may influence the behaviour of an item or persons when exposed to fire

explosion
abrupt expansion of gas which may result from a rapid oxidation or decomposition reaction, with or without an increase in temperature

exposure time
length of time for which people, animals or items are exposed under specified conditions

fire (controlled)
self-supporting combustion which has been deliberately arranged to provide useful effects and which is controlled in its extent in time and space

fire (uncontrolled)
self-supporting combustion which spreads uncontrolled in time and space

fire barrier
separating element which resists the passage of flame and/or heat and/or effluents for a period of time under specified conditions

fire behaviour
change in the physical and/or chemical properties of an item and/or structure exposed to fire

fire compartment
an enclosed space, comprising one or more separate spaces, bounded by elements of construction having a specified fire resistance and intended to prevent the spread of fire (in either direction) for a given period of time NOTE Fire compartment often has regulatory connotations. The term should not be confused with "room of origin" or "fire cell".

fire effluent
totality of gases and/or aerosols (including suspended particles) created by combustion or pyrolysis

fire exposure
extent to which persons, animals or items are subjected to the conditions created by fire

fire gases
gaseous part of the products of combustion cf. fire effluent

fire hazard
potential for injury and/or damage from fire

fire Ioad
quantity of heat which could be released by the complete combustion of all the combustible materials in a volume, including the facings of all bounding surfaces

fire load density
fire load per unit floor area NOTE It is expressed in joules per square metre

fire model
procedure or process intended to represent, predict or reproduce one or more phases of a fire or the transition between phases

fire performance
response of an item when exposed to a specific fire cf. fire behaviour

fire point
minimum temperature at which a material ignites and continues to burn for a specified time after a standardized small flame has been applied to its surface under specified conditions cf. flash point

fire resistance
ability of an item to fulfil for a stated period of time the required stability and/or integrity and/or thermal insulation, and/or other expected duty specified in a standard fire-resistance test

fire retardance
Deprecated term.

fire retardant, noun
substance added, or a treatment applied, to a material in order to delay ignition or to reduce the rate of combustion

fire risk
product of — probability of occurrence of a fire to be expected in a given technical operation or state, and — consequence or extent of damage to be expected on the occurrence of a fire

fire scenario
detailed description of conditions, including environmental, of one or more stages from before ignition to after completion of combustion in an actual fire at a specific location or in a real-scale simulation

fire simulation
cf. fire model

flame, noun
zone of combustion in the gaseous phase, usually with emission of light

flame, verb
to undergo combustion in the gaseous phase with emission of light

flame front
boundary of flaming combustion at the surface of a material or propagating through a gaseous mixture

flame resistance
Deprecated term

flame retardance
property of a material whereby flaming combustion is slowed, terminated or prevented

flame retardant, noun
substance added, or a treatment applied, to a material in order to suppress or delay the appearance of a flame and/or reduce its propagation (spread) rate cf. fire retardant

flame-retardant treatment
process whereby improved flame retardance is imparted to a material or product

flame retarded
treated with a flame retardant

flame spread
propagation of a fire front

flame spread rate
distance travelled by a fire front during its propagation, divided by the time of travel, under specified conditions

flame spread time
time taken by a fire front on a burning material to travel a specified distance on the surface, or to cover a specified surface area under specified conditions

flameproof
Deprecated term, except in the context of electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres

flaming combustion
combustion in gaseous phase, usually with emission of light

flaming debris
flaming droplets material separating from a burning item during the fire test procedure and continuing to flame

flammability
ability of a material or product to burn with a flame under specified conditions

flammable
capable of flaming under specified conditions

flash point
minimum temperature to which a material or a product must be heated for the vapours emitted to ignite momentarily in the presence of flame under specified conditions

flash-over
transition to a state of total surface involvement in a fire of combustible materials within an enclosure

flashing
existence of flame repeated for very short periods of time (e.g. between 0 s and 1 s) on or over the surface of the specimen

full fire development
evolution of a fire to a state of full flaming of combustible materials

fully developed fire
state of total involvement of combustible materials in a fire

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Glossary of Terms and Definitions