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Ickchan Kim (Assoc)
Fire Research Engineer
Since joining the Flammability Reduction Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2015, Ickchan Kim has been integral to numerous materials and flammability research projects. His responsibilities encompass conducting bench-scale to full-scale fire tests on soft furnishings and testing standard reference materials, such as cigarettes. In recent years, Ickchan has become the primary point of contact for operating, maintaining, training, and repairing NIST's cone calorimeters—a critical apparatus for assessing material flammability.
The cone calorimeter, developed by NIST in 1982, is a pivotal instrument in fire safety engineering. It measures the heat release rate of materials by evaluating the amount of oxygen consumed during combustion, providing a reliable indicator of flammability. This method has become a standard for assessing material fire behavior and has been widely adopted in fire testing standards.
Ickchan's technical expertise with the cone calorimeters ensures the accuracy and reliability of flammability data, supporting the development of safer materials and contributing to NIST's mission to enhance fire safety standards.