- Author
- Babrauskas, V.
- Title
- Mattress Flammability Testing--Full-Scale and Bench-Scale Results.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Book or Conf
- Combustion Institute/Western States Section. 1978 Fall Meeting. October 16-17, 1978, Laguna Beach, CA, 42 p., 1978
- Keywords
- combustion | mattresses | flammability testing | large scale fire tests | hospitals | nursing homes | prisons
- Abstract
- Continuing reports of multiple-life loss fires involving mattresses in hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons indicate that the existing federal cigarette ignition standard may not be adequate for institutions. A full-scale fire test program was conducted to determine the hazards of currently used mattresses. Ten different mattresses were tested using standardized hospital bedding and a small wastebasket ignition. According to tenability criteria which were established, four different performance levels were found. The mattresses padding type was seen to be the dominant controlling factor. A series of bench-scale test methods were then utilized in an effort to evolve a practical test standard. These tests included rate of heat release, smoke specific extinction area, calorific value, flame spread rate, and ease of ignition. Rate of heat release adequately described the fire development rate, while specific extinction area times the rate of heat release product described the smoke conditions.