American Fire Sprinkler Association [http://www.firesprinkler.org/] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AFSA Technical Update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A newsletter dealing with codes and other technical issues April 23, 2014 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Classification of Commodity - Wood Bins "I have cardboard lined slatted wood bins stored without product to 20 ft. Section 5.6.3 classifies empty wood bins with solid walls as a Class II product and classifies empty slatted wood bins as idle pallets. My bins are cardboard lined and I do not have a classification for them. Will the cardboard act as enough of a barrier to prevent the air circulation through the bins to reduce the classification? Is there a thickness the cardboard needs to be?" We have reviewed NFPA 13, 2013 edition as the applicable standard. Our informal interpretation is that we cannot provide engineering or design services, such as saying this a specific classification, but we can elaborate on the criteria to help you make a decision. As you've already stated, there is no explicit criteria on slatted boxes with a cardboard lining but there are several sections that provide related guidance. There are two primary variables that need to be considered from these related sections. One is the exposed surface in an area to mass relationship (which is also looked at as an airflow issue) and the other is in a relative manner, how long does that relationship exist (how robust is the outer layer). When something has a lot of surface area in relation to it's mass, such as a pallet, it burns with much greater vigor. This is shown by an 8 ft stack of wood pallets requiring a density of 0.6 gpm/sf over 3,500 sf. This compares to a unstable, exposed, expanded Group A plastic which is also a 0.6 gpm/sf but over only 2,500 sf (so less demanding). The water demand is more like 0.84 gpm/sf over 2,500 sf. Conversely, a product that is a typical combustible but has a lot of mass but limited surface area, it will not burn as fast. Combine this with another variable presented by wood that will char and burn even slower. This is why a solid pallet of wood is reduced form a Class III to a Class II as stated in A.5.6.3.2. Wood boxes with solid walls are also a Class II. Although not stated, this would be fairly thick walls and not simply a thin veneer of wood since the fire would breach the wall quickly and greatly increase the surface area available to burn. As you've indicated a slatted wall box is treated like a pallet. This finally leads us to your question of what is the impact of the cardboard lining on the classification. Since cardboard burns easier than wood and it does not char, a solid pile of corrugated cardboard is shown as a Class III commodity in A.5.6.3.3. For an assembled corrugated cardboard box, there's more surface area to mass and A.5.6.3.4 identifies it as a Class IV commodity. The exterior is not very robust and is readily breached by the fire but it also absorbs water that reduces the ease with which it burns. Cartons are basically assumed to be a single layer of corrugation. When you have a double layer of corrugation, it takes longer to breach the outer boundary. For this reason, when a cartooned Group A plastic has a double layer of corrugation, it is reclassified as a Cass IV commodity (shown in the Decision Trees 15.2.2 and 17.1.2.1). So should the cardboard lined box be treated as an open wood pallet or a assembled cardboard box. Although a single layer is breached fairly quickly, once the fire is in the box, it still has to burn the remaining lining away in order to spread to the adjacent boxes. Combing this with the adjacent cardboard being wetted once the sprinklers activate (early in the fire), makes it reasonable that it will act more like a box than a pallet. If it's double corrugated cardboard, the related criteria on Group A plastics shows the burn through is certainly slow enough to treat it as a cardboard box. Care must be taken though, regarding the type of cardboard. If it is wax coated, it is considered a Group A plastic. Hopefully this will help you narrow down your decision and if required in the discussion with the AHJ. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ firesprinkler.org [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001fwKMzMjN6LeaYeFoO28YT1WNE7TMjH3EVfzhy8Nx7ohZwBnyyesT-eEAUQiEHBjbkYZveMVb889M1pHu9IFoL-UJVLJ80Lq0SpGZeDBoF-Y=] Hosted by the American Fire Sprinkler Association ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Technical Update is prepared by the Technical Services Dept. of the AFSA: Vice President of Engineering and Technical Services Roland Huggins, a PE registered in fire protection engineering; Phill Brown, a NICET IV certified automatic sprinkler technician and NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) and Tom Wellen, a PE registered in fire protection engineering. This is provided with the understanding that the AFSA assumes no liability for this opinion or actions taken on it and they are not to be considered the official position of the NFPA or its technical committees. Copyright 2014, American Fire Sprinkler Association. All Rights Reserved ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PDF Version PDF Link [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001fwKMzMjN6LeaYeFoO28YT1WNE7TMjH3EVfzhy8Nx7ohZwBnyyesT-eEAUQiEHBjbrvAdm938oBYdTfs-6nEBuIJY93sJe6YgNIjVXGnOjx_9y-unLGk_CEtW8KFwr2FBvtxHyf06BfaFhOYivrq52hzcBmY3OHEZjUte8mTHAqOaV8iKSDCD9XG1m6FcxfXWXPMRgBdX-Pc=] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Training Calendar AFSA Beginning Fire Sprinkler System Planning School Register for Sept. 8 - 19, 2014 July 14 - 25, 2014 SOLD OUT! Check our calendar to view upcoming training. 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