NES 711
Naval Engineering Standard 711
The combination of performance and safety is incredibly important in naval warfare equipment. For this reason, NES 711 is a highly beneficial test that supports robust quality control and delivers dependable results in product research and development. NES 711 provides a means for determining the smoke index of small specimens of materials subjected to combustion or pyrolysis.
VTEC — Your Trusted NES 711 Test Lab
For fast, accurate NES 711 testing, you can count on VTEC Laboratories. Since 1982, we’ve been a leading commercial testing service. We’re fully ISO accredited and recognized as an approved vendor by the US Navy, NAVSEA and NSWC.
Whether you need NES 711 or customized onsite testing, we provide affordable, quick and professional results.
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Continue reading to learn more about the methods involved in NES 711 and why VTEC Laboratories — a fully qualified NES test laboratory — is such a trustworthy materials test provider capable of customized testing, as well as rush orders.
What is the NES 711 Toxicity Test?
Naval Engineering Standard 711 — commonly known as NES 711 — uses material specimens of a relatively small size to discover their potential for smoke production. Under the controlled conditions of the test, specimens are required to be 75 mm by 75 mm with a thickness of less than 25 mm. The specimens are tested for a minimum of 24 hours under fluctuating temperatures that produce either combustion or pyrolysis — material deterioration brought about by exposure to heat.
Equipped with the knowledge of how much smoke is produced by a particular specimen, government organizations, the armed services and military contractors are better able to make informed decisions regarding the design and manufacture of equipment.
NES 711 helps quality control engineers and other professionals involved in the production of cutting-edge military and ruggedized equipment accurately estimate the combustion characteristics of test specimens, especially in relation to the production of smoke. It’s a crucial test when making decisions regarding materials that may impact personnel safety.
Included in the U.K.’s naval engineering standards, NES 711 carefully documents changes in optical density that result from the production of smoke in a controlled unit of air during the test period. Any recorded density of smoke is consequently related to time elapsed from the beginning of the test to calculate what’s known as the smoke index, which allows for the useful comparison of products and materials.
As stated, NES 711 produces a standard by which various materials can be compared regarding their smoke production under controlled test conditions. However, because the test employs only small samples of materials under strict thermal exposure conditions, it’s not able to comprehensively predict the actual fire hazards posed by materials when involved in real fires.
NES 711 and the Smoke Index
The smoke index is a valuable standard that allows for the accurate comparison of materials and products in relation to their likelihood to produce smoke when exposed to high heat. While this combustion characteristic alone doesn’t fully determine the fire hazard of a given material, it does serve as an integral piece of data when making material choices that can impact the safety and lives of military personnel.
Recommended Tests to Pair with NES 711:
- NES713 - Toxicity Index Test
- Acid Gas Testing
- UL1685 - Smoke-Release Test for Cables
- XRF (X-ray Fluorescence)
- ASTM G21 - Fungal Defacement Test
Learn More About VTEC Services
At VTEC Laboratories, our role as a multi-functional company stems from our more than three decades of experience. Due to our extensive expertise in multiple industries, we provide comprehensive services that meet each field’s unique standards, needs and objectives.
Learn more about our services by contacting us online or calling us at (718) 542-8248.