As always, thank you for reading. As I write this letter, it surprises me that we are approaching the end of the year it seems that the year had just began. Perhaps it is best to say goodbye to 2020, a very trying year indeed.
In this newsletter, we cover our important accreditations and what those acronyms stand for. We also discuss Mutual Recognition Agreements, which serve to tie accreditations around the world together.
Research and studies are typically conducted by some of our clients here at NGC Testing Services. One acoustical research study by one of our clients was outlined in the paper "Look-Can You See the Noise Leaking Through Your Ceiling?" and presented at INTER-NOISE in 2018. You can read about this interesting study in this issue.
We've also included a technical piece on NFPA 285 fire testing and recent changes that may affect performance of some assemblies and may dictate retesting of some previous tests.
On the lighter side, we’ll look at how many of our visitors, after a successful day of witnessing their tests, have stumbled on local unique foods. Buffalo foods surprisingly go beyond the famous chicken wings-and you can wash these delicacies down with pop ("soda" to others).
Let us know if we can help you in your testing needs; we are always expanding our test menu, and perhaps we have added that test you need. We are always striving to be your full-service test provider, cost effective with quick turnaround.
Have a great holiday season and wishing you a successful and safe remainder of 2020. Let’s hope 2021 returns us to a more normal time.
Bob Menchetti
Director of Laboratory Facilities & Testing Services
LOOK-DO YOU SEE THE NOISE LEAKING THROUGH THAT CEILING?
Oftentimes, acousticians must convey complex, 3D, acoustical phenomena that occur within and between rooms in buildings to architects, interior designers and other visually oriented people. The message can be lost during translation from quantitative acoustics metrics and their acronyms to the design and intersection of actual building elements such as walls and ceilings.
The current phase of the Optimized Acoustics Research Program focuses on turning sound absorption and sound isolation performance into visuals by using color mapping. Much like how a thermal imaging camera shows differences in surface temperatures, a sound intensity probe is being used to produce high-definition color sound mapping of noise transmitting through acoustical ceiling systems and sound reflecting off of or being absorbed by surfaces with different absorption coefficients. This measurement and communication method helps to bridge the gap between the technical, quantitative side of acoustics and the visual side of design in an impactful and memorable way.
The above is the abstract taken directly from the paper written by Gary S. Madaras, Rockfon. based on research work completed here at NGC Testing Services. Click here to download the entire paper.
NFPA 285 2019 REVISIONS
The 2019 edition of NFPA 285 includes many substantial changes from the previous (2012) edition. The scope was expanded to apply to buildings of any construction type. The document was revised to include both bearing and non-loadbearing assemblies. In addition, new sections were added to Chapter 5 to address new requirements for window header construction and, most importantly, horizontal and vertical joint and seam locations.
Since the establishment of NFPA 285 as a test method in 1998, hundreds of various wall assemblies have been tested with no specific guidance regarding horizontal and vertical joint and seam placement. Consequently, many of these tests may not have been performed with joints or seams in the newly defined locations. Thus, with the publishing of the new NFPA 285 standard, many existing tests may no longer meet the requirements due to the new joint and seam requirements, and new tests may need to be run on those particular wall assemblies.
NGC Testing Services has the capabilities to test NFPA 285.
BEYOND THE WING: A LOOK AT BUFFALO FOODS
Visitors who come to our facilities for testing have the added benefit of trying some of the unique local foods only found in Buffalo. After all, "Buffalo" is the only city that is also a flavor:
The most famous are Buffalo Chicken Wings and Beef on Weck. But did you know there are a handful of other foods unique to Buffalo? These include:
Sponge candy
Pizza logs
Peanut sticks
Loganberry
Buffalo fish fry
Buffalo-style pizza
Spaghetti parm
Sahlen's charcoal broiled hot dogs
Bison dip
Weber's mustard
Chiavetta’s chicken
Not to mention some of our visiting clients' favorites: Paula's Donuts and Tim Hortons.
You are always welcome to visit during your test programs or any time. We will give you directions to the closest food source. But keep in mind, just like when in our lab, masks will be required. Also, when ordering your accompanying drink, it is important to note that we have "pop" here, not soda.
ACCREDITATIONS/LISTINGS: WHAT DO THESE LETTERS MEAN?
The following are our Accreditations/Listings and some information behind all those letter acronyms:
NVLAP Accredited: Lab Code: 200291-0 NVLAP or the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program is administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
IAS Accredited: Testing Laboratory 216 IAS or International Accreditation Service (IAS) is a subsidiary of the International Code Council (ICC),
City of New York, Office of Technical Certification and Research (OTCR) Approved Testing Agency California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Approved Testing Laboratory (Type B1) Florida Building Commission Approved Product Testing Laboratory Ohio Board of Building Standards Recognized Testing Laboratory UL Third Party Test Data Program (TPTDP) Recognized Participant Acoustical Testing File DA1294
ISO/IEC 17025 Compliant This is the basic requirement utilized by most laboratory accreditation organizations. Issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), it is the single most important standard for calibration and testing laboratories around the world. Laboratories that are accredited to this international standard have demonstrated that they are technically competent and able to produce precise and accurate test and/or calibration data.
It is important that whichever laboratory you utilized, that it be accredited, and be sure to check their scope of accreditation (list of tests they are accredited for), which can be found under their lab code. We are proud of our accreditations, which we feel are the most desired in industry. Gaining and maintaining, accreditations requires a significant amount of work, including a comprehensive quality system, collection of data and periodic in-depth onsite assessments.
The following are lists of selected countries and corresponding accreditation bodies that have signed a mutual recognition arrangement through APAC and/or ILAC. These lists are updated regularly; check their prospective website for any up-to-date information and a full list of countries:
APAC MRA
Australia: NATA, ALB, JAS-ANZ Canada: SCC, CALA, AC People's Republic of China: CNAS Hong Kong China: HKAS India: NABCB, GLAB, NABET Indonesia: KAN Japan: JAB, IAJapan, VLAC Republic of Korea: KOLAS, KASTO, KAS, KTC Kuwait: KAAS PAI Malaysia: Standards Malaysia Mexico: ema Mongolia: MNAS New Zealand: IANZ, JAS-ANZ Pakistan: PNAC Papua New Guinea: PNGLAS Philippines: PAO Russian Federation: AAC Analitica Singapore: SAC Sri Lanka: SLAB Chinese Taipei: TAF Thailand: NSC ONAC, BLA-DSS, BLQS DMSc USA: A2LA, IAS, ANAB, NVLAP, PJLA, AIHA-LAP Vietnam: BoA Australasia: JAS-ANZ Brunei Darussalam Gulf Region: GAC, GCC Peru: INDECOPI
ILAC MRA
Argentina: OAA Australia: NATA, JAS-ANZ Austria: Akkreditierung Austria Belgium: BELAC Bosnia and Herzegovina: BATA Brazil: CGCRE Canada: SCC, CALA Chile: INN China: HKAS People's Republic of China: CNAS Costa Rica: ECA Croatia: HAA Cuba: ONARC Cyprus: CYS, CYSAB Czech Republic: CAI Denmark: DANAK Ecuador: OAE Egypt: EGAC Finland: FINAS France: COFRAC Germany: DAkkS Greece: ESYD Guatemala: OGA Hungary: NAT India: NABL, NABCB Indonesia: KAN Ireland: INAB Israel: ISRAC Italy: ACCREDIA Jamaica: JANAAC Japan: JAB, IAJapan, VLAC Kazakhstan: NCA Republic of Korea: KOLAS Kyrgyz republic: KCA Luxembourg: OLAS Malaysia: Standards Malaysia Mexico: ema Mongolia: MNAS Netherlands: RvA New Zealand: IANZ Norway: NA Pakistan: PNAC Papua New Guinea: PNGLAS Paraguay: ONA Peru: INDECOPI Philippines: PAO Poland: PCA Portugal: IPAC Romania: RENAR Russian Federation: AAC Analitica Serbia: ATS Singapore: SAC Slovakia: SNAS Slovenia: SA South Africa: SANAS Spain: ENAC Sri Lanka: SLAB Sweden: Swedac Switzerland: SAS Chinese Taipei: TAF Thailand: BLQS-DMSc, NSC- ONAC , BLA-DSS, NSC Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: IARM Tunisia: TUNAC Turkey: TURKAK United Arab Emirates: DAC United Kingdom: UKAS Uruguay: OUA USA: A2LA, ANAB, FQS, IAS, NVLAP, PJLA, AIHA-LAP Vietnam: BoA
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK!
Check out our new brochure and watch our video for the latest updates about NGC Testing Services' capabilities. We're ready to put your products to the test, and this is a great way to see all that we can do for you. Take a look and give us a call — let us know how we can help. To learn more, visit our website.
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