| Summary: | The fire growth rate index (<i>FIGRA</i>), which is the ratio of the maximum value of the heat release rate (<i>Q<sub>max</sub></i>) and the time (<i>t<sub>max</sub></i>) to reach the maximum heat release rate, is a general method to evaluate a material in the fire-retardant performance in fire technology. The object of this study aims to predict <i>FIGRA</i> of the polyethylene foam pipe insulation in accordance with the scale factor (<i>S<sub>f</sub></i>), the volume fraction of the pipe insulation (<i>VF</i>) and the ignition heat source (<i>Q<sub>ig</sub></i>). The compartments made of fireboard have been mock-up with 1/3, 1/4, and 1/5 reduced scales of the compartment as specified in ISO 20632. The heat release rate data of the pipe insulation with the variation of <i>S<sub>f</sub></i>, <i>VF,</i> and <i>Q<sub>ig</sub></i> are measured from 33 experiments to correlate with <i>FIGRA</i>. Based on a critical analysis of the heat transfer phenomenon from previous research literature, the predictions of <i>Q<sub>max</sub></i> and <i>t<sub>max</sub></i> are presented. It is noticeable that the fire-retardant grade of the polyethylene foam pipe insulation could have Grade B, C, and D in accordance with the test conditions within ±15% deviation of the predicted <i>FIGRA</i>. In case of establishing the database of various types of insulation, the prediction models could apply to evaluate the fire-retardant performance.
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