Technical overview
Firefree 88's performance has been fully tested and validated. Firefree Systems has tested numerous wall and ceiling assemblies to ASTM E-119, 1 & 2hr standards; room corner testing to the UBC 26-3 / UBC 8-2 standard and thermal barrier testing, along with monitored house burns. In addition to construction assemblies, Firefree 88 has performed various testing for aviation, maritime and transportation assemblies. FF88 has been approved by Factory Mutual (FM Global).

The tests were performed on a variety of substrates including sheet rock, wood, lath & plaster, concrete, sheet metal, tin, foam, composite panels and advanced materials such as fiberglass and carbon fiber. In extensive third party testing at ICC-ES certified laboratories, including Western Fire Center, Omega, Southwest, U.L., Warnock Hersey and the University of California Forest Products Lab, FF88 has been shown to withstand temperatures of over 2000F for a period of over 2 hours. By comparison, an average fire will burn at about 1000F to 1500F (it is estimated that the WTC burned at around 2000F for about 45 minutes). See also Fire Safety below.

FF88 is unique because of its unmatched level of performance both as a fire retardant (prevents flame spread/flashover) and as a fire resistant (resists fire penetration).

FF88's performance is truly unique because of its high level of performance both as a fire retardant and as a fire resistant. FF88 is the first and only coating to pass the Fire Industry's tests for both fire retardants and fire resistants. As a result, FF88 has the proven ability to help fire containment by slowing both (i) the occurrence of flashovers and (ii) the fire from penetrating walls and ceilings, thus resulting in saving lives and preserving the structural integrity of the property.

FF88 has passed the Fire Industry's most stringent tests for fire retardants. The first generation of fire coatings ("fire retardants") were based on the now obsolete concept that fires spread mainly horizontally. Thus, these coatings were designed to slow the horizontal progress of a fire (providing little fireproofing) and were only required to pass the simple ASTM E 84 test which measures horizontal flame spread mostly on low or non-combustible materials such as cement board.

As the industry's understanding of fire grew, it became apparent that the greatest spread from a fire comes from vertical flame spread. As the initial materials burn, the flames will travel vertically and gases will collect at the ceiling. These gases will soon ignite causing flashover, a fireball explosion that will burst into other parts of the structure. FF88 is the first coating to have passed the most stringent fire retardant tests: (i) the vertical flame spread/flashover (UBC 26-3 / UBC 8-2 room corner tests) and (ii) the Factory Mutual 4975 ceiling test, all of which have passed for a wide variety of materials.

FF88 has passed the Fire Industry's most stringent tests for fire resistants. Another key factor in flame spread is fire penetration of the walls or ceilings. As the initial materials burn, the fire will begin to penetrate the walls and ceilings leading to their rapid deterioration and a resulting spread of the flames in adjoining rooms. Additionally, the penetration of the fire in the walls and ceilings will lead to their contributing to the fire itself by becoming fuel to the initial flames. FF88 is the first coating to have passed the most stringent fire resistant test, the ASTM E 119 fire penetration test for a wide variety of materials.

FF88 is a next generation step in fire fighting, creating a new level of compartmentalization.

From the numerous room and house burns performed by Firefree Systems over the last several years, the company has shown that, depending on the dry mil thickness applied to entire walls and ceilings of rooms, it can resist a fire in excess of 2000F for over 2 hours and help fire containment to the room of origin. The reason is that FF88’s fire resistance abilities will prevent both fire penetration at walls and ceilings and the occurrence of flashovers.

As shown by passing the ASTM E-119 tests, FF88 is fire resistant and when applied to a substrate will prevent the fire from penetrating the walls and ceilings made of such substrate. Without FF88, as the initial materials burn, the fire will start penetrating the walls and ceilings, leading to their rapid deterioration and a resulting spread of the flames in adjoining rooms. Additionally, the penetration of the fire in the walls and ceilings will lead to their contributing to the fire itself, by becoming fuel to the initial flames. With FF88, the walls and ceilings will resist fire penetration and, as a result, they will not allow the spread to other rooms and they will not become fuel to the flames.

As shown by passing the UBC 26-3 /UBC 8-2 corner tests and the FM 4975 ceiling test, FF88 has the ability to prevent vertical flame spread and flashover. Without FF88, the initial flames will be fueled by the walls and ceilings and such flames will travel vertically with gases collecting at the ceiling. These gases will soon ignite causing flashover, a fireball explosion that will burst into other parts of the structure. With FF88, the walls and ceilings will not contribute to the fire which will dramatically reduce the fuel load in a room, creating less heat and, in most cases, preventing flashover. The only items that can become fuel are the objects within the room itself. This concept of preventing flashover is documented in the numerous room corner tests that we have performed on numerous substrates.

By creating this type of compartmentalization, we can dramatically alter the time/temperature curve in a room. In most situations, the walls and ceiling will become fuel and contribute to the fire. As a result, the time/temperature curve will continue to rise, gases will buildup at the ceiling and at around 750F (room flashover temperature) these gases will ignite. Once ignited, the room will erupt in a ball of flame (flashover) with the fire quickly spreading throughout the structure. The whole process takes a mere 7 to 10 minutes from the start of the fire. In a situation where the walls and ceilings are coated with Firefree 88, just the opposite will occur, the walls and ceilings will not contribute to the fire, significantly altering the time/temperature curve. The curve instead of going up and climbing steadily will instead reach a peak in a matter of minutes, below flashover conditions, and will quickly start dropping off. No large amounts of gases will collect at the ceiling and flashover will be prevented.

Firefree 88 has passed the Fire Industry's most stringent tests, including the ability to prevent both vertical spread/flashover (UBC 26-3 / UBC 8-2 room corner tests and FM 4975 ceiling tests, fire retardants) and fire penetration (ASTM - 119, fire resistance).

UBC 26-3 and UBC-8-2 room corner tests
This category of test was developed to test various types of substrates and materials to evaluate a product's ability to reduce or eliminate fuel contribution, flame spread and prevention of flashover within a room.

The test is conducted as follows: Essentially the test involves a room 8' & 12' in size with 8' ceilings. The material to be tested is placed along one 12' wall and one 8' wall and extends from floor to ceiling. The ignition source is then placed in the corner of the perpendicular wall panels. In the case of the UBC26-3 (foam, foam composite, wood, fiberglass, etc.) test, a 30-pound wood crib is used generating a 330kw ignition source which is run on a 15 minutes time period. In the case of the UBC-8-2 (fabrics), a sand burner is used. The ignition source is run for 5 minutes at 40kw and for 10 minutes at 150kw.

In any case, if there is no protection, the flames will quickly start moving in an upward or vertical direction. As the flames travel vertically and the room materials (walls, ceilings) become fuel to the fire, gases collect at the ceiling. These gases will soon ignite causing flashover, a fireball explosion that will burst into other parts of the structure. What makes Firefree 88 so important is that, from the beginning, the coating will prevent the vertical spread of the fire and any build up of gases causing flashover thus preventing the spread of the fire to other rooms.

FM 4975, ceiling test
This test shows a product's ability to prevent smoke, flame spread and heat release across an expansive ceiling area such as would be found in a large industrial building. In the tests we used highly combustible substrates to show the product's ability to perform on other substrates, which are less combustible. The substrates tested, and passed, were 1x4 T&G Fir, 1/2" cellulose ceiling ties and 1/2" gypsum.

ASTM E-119, fire resistance
This test is the standard time/temperature curve based on post flashover conditions. The test measures the ability of wall and partition systems, floor ceiling and roof ceiling systems to stop flame or hot gases penetrating thru the assembly. Assemblies are tested under time (1 hour or more) and temperature (1800F or more) conditions. Assemblies are tested under loaded and non-loaded conditions.

The test is conducted as follows: The wall or ceiling assembly is placed either vertically or horizontally on one side of an oven. Thermocouples (temperature recorders) are placed on the exterior side of the assembly to record temperatures passing thru the wall and ceiling assemblies. On the opposite side, 24 gas flames that can reach over 2,000 degrees blast away at the assembly for up to two hours or more. These flames are thrown at the wall trying to incinerate the entire wall. In almost all cases, an unprotected wall will collapse. What makes FF88 so impressive is that our coating reflects the heat away from the wall keeping the temperature of the wall in a safe range. The wall or ceiling is kept structurally intact.