Round Robin Study of Total Heat Flux Gauge Calibration at Fire Laboratories.
Round Robin Study of Total Heat Flux Gauge Calibration
at Fire Laboratories.
(967 K)
Pitts, W. M.; Murthy, A. V.; deRis, J. L.; Filtz, J. R.;
Nygard, K.; Smith, D.; Wetterlund, I.
NIST SP 1031; NIST Special Publication 1031; 37 p.
October 2004.
Keywords:
heat flux; Gardon gauges; measuring instruments;
calibrating; convective heat transfer; round robin;
Schmidt-Boelter gauges; thermal radiation
Abstract:
Total heat flux gauges are widely employed in fire
research and fire testing laboratories. Several fire
laboratories have developed systems for calibrating
these gauges. There are major differences between these
calibration facilities, and prior to this work there had
been no systematic check of the degree of agreement
between calibrations from the different laboratories.
This report describes the results of two round robins in
which five fire laboratories performed independent
calibrations of two sets of Gardon and Schmidt-Boelter
total heat flux gauges (i.e., a total of four gauges).
One set of the gauges was also calibrated by two
additional laboratories whose primary focus is
measurement and calibration. Even though systematic
variations between calibrations from the different
laboratories were identified, the degree of agreement is
viewed as being satisfactory for most fire testing and
research purposes. Additional experimental findings
concerning gauge angular response and linearity are
presented. The need to develop a better understanding of
the relative response of this type of gauge to radiative
and convective heat transfer is emphasized.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899