- Author
- Alderson, S. | Breden, L.
- Title
- Evaluation of the Fire Performance of Carpet Underlayments.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NBSIR 76-1018, September 1976, 69 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
- carpets | carpet underlays | flammability | floor coverings
- Abstract
- A series of carpet underlayments was evaluated for fire performance in a corridor configuration using the same carpet in all tests. Carpets with underlayments flashed over during corridor tests. In a series of small-scale tests, such as the smoke density chamber and the radiant panel, the flammability properties of the carpet tended to mask the flammability properties of the underlayment. The exception tot his masking effect was the results from the flooring radiant panel test where the thermal conductiity of the underlayment influenced the burning characteristics of the carpet. High concentrations of toxic combustion products were observed at the time of flashover in the corridor, with both cellulosic and synthetic underlayments. Smoke optical density values for the various carpet plus underlayment combinations were approximately the same in the flaming mode, except for the integral pad system which has a higher value.