The purpose of the investigation was to assess the fire propagation properties of the ‘Owens Corning Roofing System’ roofing shingle system in accordance with the ASTM E108 test protocol.
Description of the System:
The roofing shingle system consists of 2mm thick overlapping bituminous panels nailed onto an orientated strand board (OSB) backing structure with a thin white polyester membrane in between. The panels had a rough external appearance and included a fiberglass scrim internal matrix.
Test Methods:
The system was subjected to the ASTM E108 test protocol titled “Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests of Roof Coverings”. The protocol consists of a variety of tests, with these results determining whether the roof covering will be classified as Class A, B or C.
Burning Brands Tests:
These tests involve the placing of a burning brand on the test deck and recording observations related to flame spread along the roof surface, the production of burning debris and burn-through to the underside of the deck.
Intermittent flame exposure and flying brand tests were also done, for the full report please inquire with your sales representative.
Test Results:
The test using Class A burning brands test (burning time of approximately 40 minutes) showed that the material did not ignite, the test deck showed some discoloration was clearly visible, however the OSB never ignited and only showed signs of charring and very limited smouldering combustion upon completion of the test.
Discussion of Results and Conclusion:
The results indicate that the ‘Owens Corning Roofing System’ bituminous roof shingle system as tested does not display a tendency to propagate fire along the exterior surface of a roof, despite being classified as combustible.
The system would be classified as a Class A roof covering in terms of ASTM E108. These results indicate that the system can be used as a Class A roof covering
