1.1 Under the provisions of the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, and subsequent amendments
thereto, and the Torremolinos Protocol of 1993 relating to the Torremolinos
International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels, 1977,
constructions for use in passenger ships, cargo ships, and fishing
vessels should have a 'fire insulation' to the satisfaction of, and
be approved by, the Administration. In this context 'fire insulation'
is the ability of the construction to insulate/protect an area from
the influences of a fire in an adjoining area by having separating
performance during fire. Such constructions are "A" class bulkheads
and decks, "A" class doors, "B" class bulkheads, decks, ceilings and
linings, "B" class doors, "F" class bulkheads, decks, ceilings and
linings, and "F" class doors.
The approval will be given by the Administration based on
results of tests carried out on the construction and material in question.
Tests should be conducted at a testing laboratory recognized by the
Administration. The applicant for the test, i.e., the manufacturer
or agent, should if required submit test specimens and information
to the testing laboratory as prescribed in this document.
1.2 Approval of constructions will be restricted
to the orientation in which they have been tested; therefore bulkheads,
linings and doors should be tested vertically mounted and decks and
ceilings should be tested horizontally mounted. It is only necessary
to test decks with the underside exposed to the heating conditions,
and "B" and "F" class ceilings and linings are required only to be
tested from the side incorporating the ceiling or the lining.
For "A" class bulkheads and doors for "general application",
i.e. for use of the insulation material on either side of the structural
core, and also for "B" class bulkheads and doors, approval usually
requires that the construction has been tested from each side separately,
using two separate specimens, unless the Administration considers
that only a single test to one side, that being the side expected
to provide a performance inferior to the other side, is appropriate.
In tests for "A" class bulkheads for "general application"
it may be possible for approval to be granted on the basis of a single
test only, provided that the bulkhead has been tested in the most
onerous manner, which is considered to be with the insulation on the
unexposed face and the stiffeners also on that side.
In tests for "A" class bulkheads for "restricted application",
i.e. where the fire hazard has been identified as being from the insulated
side only, the bulkhead can be tested with the insulation on the exposed
face and with the stiffeners also on that side.
If approval of an "A" class bulkhead is being sought involving
the use of "double-sided application" of the insulation, the thickness
of the insulation being equal on both sides of the structural core,
it should be tested with the stiffeners on the unexposed side of the
bulkhead, otherwise it should be tested with the side with the thinnest
thickness of insulation on the exposed face.
If insulation of an "A" class division is to be provided
by membrane protection, i.e. by a "B" class ceiling to a structural
steel core or a "B" class lining to a structural steel core, the distance
between the membrane, i.e. the ceiling or the lining, and the structural
core should be the minimum for which approval is being sought. For
"A" class bulkheads, the division is required to be tested both from
the structural core side, and from the "B" class lining side. For
both ceilings and linings which may form part of such deck or bulkhead
constructions, they should satisfy at least B-0 classification.
When the insulation of an "A" class division is provided
by membrane protection, the stiffeners of the structural core should
be positioned in the cavity between the steel plate of the structural
core and the membrane protection. For an "A" class bulkhead the Administration
may accept or require the stiffeners to be on the opposite side of
the steel plate of the structural core to enable the distance between
the membrane protection and the structural core to be reduced to a
minimum.
1.3 The dimensions of the structural cores of
the test specimens given in section 2 are
intended for structural cores of stiffened flat plates of steel or
aluminium alloy. The Administration may require tests to be carried
out on specimens having structural cores of materials other than steel
or aluminium alloy if such materials are more representative of the
construction to be used on board ships.
1.4 "A" class divisions which consist of an uninsulated
steel bulkhead or deck of suitable scantlings and without openings
can be deemed to satisfy the requirements for class A-0 divisions,
i.e. to satisfy the requirements for the passage of smoke and flame,
without the need for testing. All other divisions, including class
A-0 divisions with a structural core of aluminium, are required to
be tested.
1.5 Results obtained on an insulating material
used in conjunction with an "A" class division may be applied to constructions
incorporating heavier scantlings than those tested and providing the
orientation of the construction is the same, i.e. results from bulkhead
tests should not be applied to decks and vice versa.
1.6 The construction to be tested should be, as
far as possible, representative of that to be used on board ships,
including the materials and method of assembly.
The designs of the specimens proposed in this resolution
are considered to reflect the worst case situations in order to provide
maximum usefulness of the classifications to end use applications.
However, the Administration may accept or request special test arrangements
which provide additional information required for approval, especially
of those types of constructions which do not utilize the conventional
components of horizontal and vertical divisions, e.g. where cabins
may be of a modular type construction involving continuous connections
between bulkheads, decks and ceilings.
1.7 Constructions should be tested without paint
or other superimposed finish, provided that where they are only produced
with a superimposed finish, and subject to the agreement of the Administration,
they may be tested as produced. Such constructions may be required
to be tested with a superimposed finish if such a finish is considered
by the Administration to have a detrimental effect on the performance
of the construction in the test.