Overview

This part of DIN EN ISO 4589 contains instructions for determining the burning behavior using the oxygen index. It provides information to guide the reader in the application of the test methods described in Parts 2 and 3. The oxygen index (OI) test at ambient temperature was first described by Fenimore and Martin in 1966. The first use of the method in standards was ASTM D2863: 1970 and it has since been published in a wide range of national and international standards. It was published as ISO 4589 in 1984 and has now been revised as ISO 4589-2. The OI test at elevated temperatures is described in ISO 4589-3. In the period since ASTM D2863 became a standard, a considerable number of papers have been published about this test. An example is the review in Reference relating to the relevance of the test to real fire situations. Other papers have suggested empirical formulae relating OI to the amounts of added fire retardant, or describe practical investigations on the equipment performance. A clear consensus on the value of the two variants of the test has emerged, however, and it is the purpose of this document to discuss the use of the equipment and the applicability of both test methods. Working Committee NA 054-01-05 AA "Brandverhalten" ("Burning behaviour") at DIN Standards Committee Plastics (FNK) is responsible for this document.

Document: references other documents

Responsible national committee

NA 054-01-05 AA - Burning behaviour  

Responsible european committee

CEN/TC 249 - Plastics