10 steps blast_certification

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10 Steps to Blast Certification: Protecting People and Property

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10 Steps to Blast Certification: Protecting People and Property

Door and window assemblies can be designed and cost effectively constructed to protect people and property from the effects of explosion-induced forces, either of accidental or intentional origin. Intertek has become the first independent certification agency to offer a Certification Program for these products for blast resistance. By relying on this Certification Program, users of these products can be confident that they will perform to the required minimum damage performance criteria under specified blast conditions defined by peak pressure and impulse.

Several diverse industries and government based markets are driving the need for this type of testing and certification. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Defense (DoD), and Department of State (DoS) have issued blast load and damage requirements for window assemblies installed in government buildings. Petrochemical plant owners and insurers are interested in the blast resistance of door assemblies, as are marine facilities (ships, off-shore oil platforms, etc).

BakerRisk will supply the blast testing necessary for the development of a performance rating for window and door assemblies. Intertek will perform the certification services and follow-up inspections required by its normal certification programs. Baker Risk can also supply product development services to meet adequate blast resistances, if requested.

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10 Steps to Blast Certification

From factory audit preparation to testing and certification the following simple steps will help you to understand and speed the testing and certification process. 1. Applicant submits request for evaluation and certification to Intertek including:

a. Product type and model designation(s)

b. Product sizes to be evaluated

c. Desired performance level in terms of peak pressure, impulse, damage level and fire resistance as applicable.

d. Note: All blast resistant products are evaluated and tested as complete assemblies including frame, infill, fasteners, hardware and anchorage. Substitutions of un-tested components may be allowed on the basis of engineering evaluations performed by BakerRisk engineers and approved by Intertek.

2. Applicant information will be forwarded to BakerRisk for review. Applicant may contract directly with BakerRisk for preliminary engineering analysis and consultation (recommended).

3. BakerRisk will develop an engineering analysis and test plan for that if successfully completed will provide basis for product certification and listing. Fees for these services are subject to contract between applicant and BakerRisk.

4. Once completed, the engineering analysis, product design documentation and test plan are submitted to Intertek for review and approval.

5. Intertek will issue a proposal to the applicant including:

a. Witnessing of test specimens, witnessing of tests performed by BakerRisk, conducting of post-blast test fire resistance test(s) if applicable, preparation of a listing report and directory listing.

6. Intertek will visit the manufacturing facility and witness production of test specimens and verify conformance with the design and construction details. Samples will be marked with the Intertek representative’s signature and date.

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7. Applicant ships test specimens to the BakerRisk test facility.

8. Tests will be scheduled and an Intertek representative will witness the tests.

9. If the evaluation is to include a post-blast fire resistance test, the assembly will be removed from the BakerRisk test site and submitted to Intertek for fire testing.

10. If the testing portion of the project is successful, the following will occur:

a. Applicant will be required to sign a certification agreement

b. Intertek will issue an Authorization to Mark

c. Intertek will place the product in our WHI Listed Product Directory

d. Intertek will begin a program of routine in-plant audits of the certified product which will continue for the life of the listing

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Program Criteria and Standards

• Doors: ASTM F 2247-03 “Standard Test Method for Metal Doors Used in Blast Resistant Applications” classifies the damage as: Category I, fully operable with no permanent deformation; Category II, operable, but measurable, permanent deformation; Category III, non-catastrophic failure and door remains a barrier to blast wave propagation; and, Category IV, the door panel is severely deformed but has not been forced through the door frame opening.

• Windows: ASTM F 1642-04 Standard Test Method for Glazing and Glazing Systems Subject to Airblast Loadings classifies the damage to window assemblies as: No Break, No Hazard, Minimal Hazard, Very Low Hazard, Low Hazard and High Hazard.

Note: Other standards or specifications may be added to this program as they become available.

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Listing Information

The important parameters related to the blast resistance of a door or window include a measure of the blast force for which it is certified and a description of the maximum damage that can be expected. The blast force is reported as two values:

• The peak pressure experienced during the test (expressed in pounds per square inch, psi);

• and impulse, or the area under the pressure-time curve (expressed in psi-milliseconds). The level of damage, as discussed earlier, might be Level I (no damage). Consequently, a door assembly might be certified as: Blast Resistant to 4.0 psi, 30 psi-ms / Damage Level I.

A refinement on the blast resistant certification program, consists of developing a graph of Pressure versus Impulse combinations that result in a specific level of damage. This normally can be done using a combination of a computer modeling and several tests at different blast intensities to verify or validate the product’s blast capacity. The end result is a graph which allows the user to select a pressure and impulse level and determine if this door assembly will survive without exceeding the maximum allowable level of damage. This entire graph will then become part of the certification for this product, and will be published in the WHI Listed Product Directory.

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Listing Options

Products subject to this program can be certified to a single blast load criteria (Peak Load and Impulse, Damage Level), multiple blast load/damage level combinations or by development of a blast level - damage response family of curves. In all cases physical tests sufficient to validate engineering analysis and computer modeling is required.

In addition doors and windows subject to the program may be certified for fire resistance either without of after blast exposure. Products listed for fire resistance without blast exposure are qualified through Intertek’s normal fire resistance certification and test procedures. In this case the Blast resistance listing will include the statement:

• “Door (or window) also fire rated per <standards>, see Intertek-Warnock Hersey fire resistance directory.”

For windows or doors that are successfully tested for fire resistance after the blast exposure test, the listing will include the statement:

• “Door (or window) Post-Blast Fire tested per <standards> for <3/4, 1, 1.5, 2 or 3 hours>”.

For more information on Intertek’s door testing and certification capabilities

email [email protected] , or visit www.intertek-etlsemko.com .

For more information on BakerRisk’s door testing capabilities visit www.bakerrisk.com .

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10 steps blast_certification