Burning your best products! What is Bonfire test?

Courier Service has become so popular that not a day goes by that we don't use it.

Wherever your domestic destination is, just write the destination and they will deliver it.

However, if the destination is not in Japan but overseas, it is very difficult.

The procedure becomes difficult when the goods are exported, and depending on the goods, a certificate of exemption may be required, making the procedure immediately more difficult.

If the goods to be exported are dangerous goods, it is necessary to conduct a marine use inspection and ancillary tests, which can be very difficult.

In this issue, we will introduce the external fire test, which is the only test for dangerous goods that can only be conducted outdoors.

What is Bonfire test?

An external fire test is a test in which a product packed according to regular specifications is subjected to a huge fire outdoors and explodes to evaluate the safety of the product.

It would be nice if we could conduct the test in-house, but I had outsourced it to an outside company.

Carlit Japan Co.

Kayaku Japan Co.

In Japan, only these two companies can conduct external fire tests (as of September 2022).

Carlit Japan is a smoke bomb manufacturer and Kayaku Japan is a group company of Nippon Kayaku, both of which are well versed in handling hazardous materials.

Both companies are well versed in the handling of hazardous materials, as they use as much as 500 liters of ethanol as fuel for a single test.

Testing is also limited to quarries and other locations where large-scale blasting is possible.

Large trucks and heavy equipment are required, and the cost of one test can be as high as 500,000 to 1,000,000 yen.

Why do we need an external fire test?

Japan is also a member of the United Nations.

The UN has issued recommendations for the transport of dangerous goods (UN Recommendations for the Transport of Dangerous Goods, TDG, commonly known as the Orange Book), and domestic laws have been enacted based on these recommendations.

In terms of the relationship between the UN Recommendations and domestic laws, the UN Recommendations ≒ laws, so failure to follow the UN Recommendations may be a violation of laws such as the Ship Safety Law and the Civil Aeronautics Law.

Since the UN Recommendation states that airbags and seatbelts must undergo an external fire test, these two products must pass an external fire test before they can be imported or exported.

Flow of test implementation

Sample Preparation

First, prepare a sample with regular packaging specifications.

The sample must have a total volume greater than 0.15 cubic meters.

Example If one piece of cardboard is 0.4 cubic meters

0.4 x 4 (boxes) = 0.16 cubic meters

and 4 boxes are required.

Request to contractor

If you wish to request an outside party to perform the test, please contact either Carlit Japan or Kayaku Japan to set up a schedule.

In the case of Carlit Japan, the test will be conducted in Tochigi Prefecture, and in the case of Kayaku Japan, the test will be conducted in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Naturally, product samples must be delivered to the supplier by the day before the test.

Please check the delivery schedule carefully.

Note that up to four tests can be conducted per day, and the price per test will decrease if multiple tests are conducted per day.

1 time/day: 1,000,000 yen (1,000,000 yen per test)

4 times/day: 2,000,000 yen (500,000 yen per time)

Application to Nippon Kaiji Kentei Kyokai

The judges of the NKKK will decide whether you pass or fail the examination.

If the judge is not present, the test will be invalid, so please coordinate with the date and time of the test.

This is in the form of an application form including an outline of the test and product, and related documents, etc., to be applied for in advance.

In addition, as expenses, you will also need to pay a judgment request fee to Maritime Certification and transportation costs.

These are separate from the cost of requesting the test from the vendor, so please do not forget to apply for a budget.

Bonfire test day

On the day of the test, the test client, the KMT judges, and the test operator will all be present.

The testing site will be a quarry, where special testing equipment will be prepared and products will be burned.

Both Carlit Japan and Kayaku Japan will videotape the test, which will be useful for NG analysis.

Burning time is about 30 minutes, and after the test, the following items will be checked.

Are there any damages on the parts enclosed with hazardous materials?

No metal parts have been shattered.

No damage to the monolith around the combustion site.

If the test is passed, you will receive a certificate of approval in about one month.

If a certificate in English is required, an additional fee of about 20,000 yen is required.

Conclusion

I studied a great deal about external fire testing during my working years because of the legal knowledge required.

It was quite a challenge, but before I knew it, I was in charge of testing for other departments and had become a leading expert in the company.

I would like to have a field in which I am not defeated by anyone else. I would like to have my own field.

Thanks for reading!