Journal
FIRE AND MATERIALS
Volume 45, Issue 1, Pages 56-67Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/fam.2847
Keywords
furniture; ignition; polyurethane foam; smoldering; testing
Categories
Funding
- American Chemical Council -North American Flame Retardant Alliance
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Materials prone to smoldering can lead to ignition and propagation to foam, while flame retardant materials can prevent this transition. The transition from smoldering to flaming occurs when oxygen consumption exceeds supply, leading to thermal decomposition and high fuel concentrations for flaming combustion.
The transition from smoldering to flaming was studied on fabric, batting, and foam assemblies via an electric spot ignition source of similar intensity to a cigarette. The materials studied included four different fabrics (cotton, polyester, cotton/polyester blend, flame retardant cotton/polyester blend), two types of batting (cotton, polyester), and three types of polyurethane foam (nonflame retardant, flame retardant by FMVSS 302 testing, flame retardant by BS5852 testing). The results from testing found that materials highly prone to smoldering could propagate smoldering into foams and lead to ignition, whereas materials that tended to melt back from the ignition source did not. Flame retardant fabrics or foam can and do prevent the transition from smoldering to flaming provided sufficient levels of flame retardants are incorporated in the upholstery fabric or foam. The transition from smoldering to flaming of cotton fabric/nonflame retardant foam assembly was also studied using temperature measurements and evolved gas analysis. It was determined that the transition takes place when the oxygen consumption by accelerating smoldering front exceeds the oxygen supply. At this point, the solid fuel gasification becomes driven by thermal decomposition rather than by surface oxidation which leads to high enough concentrations of fuel for flaming combustion to occur.
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