The cone calorimeter is the most widely used bench-scale fire test instrument in the world because it turns a 100 mm square specimen into a complete picture of fire behaviour: heat release rate, total heat release, smoke production, mass loss and ignition time, all from one test. The Motis CCT is a split-cabinet design: an integrated test frame with a 19-inch analysis cabinet on castors, so the analysis side can be positioned to suit the laboratory and connected to large-scale systems such as a single burning item rig, a room fire rig or a cable classification line.
How the Cone Calorimeter works
The specimen sits on a load cell beneath a truncated cone heater and is exposed to a set irradiance, with an electric spark igniter above the surface. As the specimen burns, exhaust gases are drawn through a hood and duct where oxygen concentration is measured with a paramagnetic analyser; heat release is calculated from the oxygen consumed. A laser system in the duct measures smoke obscuration at the same time, so heat and smoke data come from the same run.
Key specifications
| Standards | ISO 5660, ASTM E1354, BS 476-15, ASTM E1474, ASTM E1740, ASTM F1550, ASTM D6113, CAN ULC 135, GB/T 16172 |
|---|---|
| Cone heater | Rated 5000 W; heat flux 0-100 kW/m²; PID temperature control; cone can be mounted horizontally or vertically |
| Specimen | Up to 100 x 100 x 50 mm; load cell range 0-2000 g, resolution 0.1 g |
| Ignition | High-voltage spark igniter (not less than 10 kV) with rotary-cylinder automatic positioning |
| Oxygen analysis | Paramagnetic analyser, 0-25% range, 4 s response, linearity deviation within 0.5% FS, repeatability within 50 ppm O2 |
| Gas analysis | NDIR CO 0-1% and CO2 0-10%, 2.5 s response; optional Siemens or ABB gas analysers |
| Smoke measurement | Laser system with photodiode and helium-neon laser |
| Exhaust | Fan flow 0-50 g/s adjustable, 0.1 g/s accuracy; ring sampler 685 mm from the hood with 12-hole flow equalisation |
| Control | Built-in 15-inch industrial touch-screen PC in the analysis cabinet |
| Options | Vertical specimen holder, controlled-atmosphere attachment, FTIR toxicity analysis system |
What the test reports
- Heat release rate (kW/m² and MJ/kg)
- Total heat release (MJ)
- Smoke production rate and total smoke production
- Mass loss rate
- Time to sustained flaming and time to extinction
- Heat flux, exhaust flow rate and C factor
Applications
Building products, insulation, cables, railway and marine materials, foams and furniture components are all characterised with the cone calorimeter, and its data feed directly into EN 13501-1 classification work, product development and research. If your laboratory issues one fire test report more than any other, it is usually this one.
Frequently asked questions
Which standard should I order against?
Order against the standard your reports must cite. The instrument platform is shared across the listed standards, but fixtures, software templates and calibration routines differ, so name the standard (and its year) in your inquiry and the configuration will be matched to it.
Can the instrument be installed in an existing laboratory?
Yes, in most cases. Tell us the available floor space, ceiling height, exhaust capacity and gas supplies in your inquiry; large systems such as the SBI and tunnel furnaces need a dedicated exhaust arrangement, which is confirmed in the layout proposal before ordering.
Can it connect to our FTIR or large-scale rigs?
The analysis cabinet is designed to be movable and to connect with large heat-release systems, and an FTIR toxicity system is offered as an advanced function of the cone calorimeter. Describe your existing rigs in the inquiry so the interfaces can be confirmed.
Configuration, installation and support
Every Cone Calorimeter is supplied as a configured system, not a bare instrument: the test chamber or frame, the burner or heater assemblies named in the method, the measurement chain and the control software with the report templates for ISO 5660, ASTM E1354, BS 476-15. Before quotation we confirm the installation conditions with you - floor loading and ceiling height for large rigs, exhaust and extraction routes, gas and fuel services, and power supply - because a fire test instrument only produces defensible data when the room around it is right. Commissioning covers assembly, calibration of the measurement chain against the method's own checks, and training of your operators on running the test and maintaining the apparatus. Spare ignition parts, thermocouples and other consumables for the first period of operation can be included in the supply, and the instrument is supported with calibration and maintenance services after installation.
What to include in your inquiry
To quote the Cone Calorimeter correctly the first time, send: the standard and edition you will test to (ISO 5660, ASTM E1354, BS 476-15); the materials or products you will test and their sizes; the configuration options you already know you need; and the destination laboratory's location and available services. If you are building a new fire laboratory rather than adding one instrument, say so - this apparatus is often planned together with the other instruments in its category, and a combined layout and exhaust plan is cheaper than three separate ones.