FireDOC Search

Author
Davis, R. D. | Ohlemiller, T. J. | Steckler, K. D.
Title
Materials and Fire Performance Testing of Barrier Fabrics in Mattresses and Upholstered Furniture.
Coporate
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Book or Conf
Fire and Materials 2009. 11th International Conference. Conference Papers. Proceedings. Organised by Interscience Communications Limited. January 26-28, 2009, Interscience Communications Limited, London, England, San Francisco, CA, 679-684 p., 2009
Keywords
mattresses | upholstered furniture | fire tests | barriers | fabrics | regulations | cushions | fire retardants | polyurethane foams | heat release rate | cone calorimeters | oxygen consumption | calorimetry | polypropylenes | polyesters | ignition source | heat flux | furniture calorimeters
Identifiers
fire blocking barrier fabrics; polyurethane foam properties - fire retardant quantities reported as mass fraction (%)
Abstract
Fire blocking barrier fabrics have been, or will likely be, heavily used in mattresses and upholstered furniture in order to comply with current or proposed fire performance regulations, such as Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 16 CFR 1633 (Standard for the Flammability (Open Flame) of Mattress Sets) and 16 CFR 1634 (Standard for the Flammability of Residential Upholstered Furniture - Proposed Rule). Over the last 30 years the Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has provided significant contributions to the current understanding of mattress and upholstered furniture flammability We are continuing to provide technical information on these topics with our most recent activities focused on fire block barrier fabrics used and/or intended for mattresses and upholstered furniture. The subject of material, technology, and measurement science needs for the development and utilization of barrier fabrics in the mattress and upholstered furniture industries will be the focus of a BFRL sponsored workshop on March 18th-19th 2009. This paper contains recent data illustrating why barrier fabrics may be required for upholstered furniture, a problem in barrier fabrics which could provide insufficient protection of the foam, and how a High Throughput approach to measure fiber shrinkage could be used to develop superior performing barrier fabrics.