Large Scale Fire Tests of Building Riser Cables

The National Electrical Code requires that riser cables have sufficient fire resistance so they will not spread fire from floor to floor in a shaft. Fire tests were conducted as the initial task in developing a test method for determining compliance with the Code. The tests provided data on the flame propagation characteristics of riser cables in a simulated riser shaft. The shaft design was based on information from a field survey. The data indicated that with a large ig nition source, simulating burning combustibles in a shaft without fire stops, some cables propagated fire from floor to floor; others utilizing newer fire resistive materials, did not exhibit the same propensity to promulgate fire.