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1 | Industrial Protective Fabrics

Flame Resistant Protective Clothing:

Treated or Inherent?

JOIFF AGM, November 7th, 2007

Guido Vliegen

Vice President

www.tencate.com/protective


Protective Fabrics

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TenCate Worldwide

Industrial

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Response

TenCate Protective Fabrics – FR product applications


Difference in inherent and treated

• Inherent: existing in something as a natural and inseparable quality

or characteristic. Innate, basic, inborn.

• Treated: subjected to some process or substance in processing


What’s the difference in inherently flame resistant

and treated fabrics?

• An inherently flame resistant fabric does not require a treatment to make it flame resistant. The fabric is made of a fiber or combination of fibers that resist burning. FR property cannot be removed.

• Aramids (i.e. Nomex, Kermel, Kevlar, Twaron, etc)

• Tecasafe

• FR rayon (Lenzing)

• A treated fabric is put through a chemical process to make it flame resistant. The fabric will burn if not treated or if treatment is removed.

• Proban

• Indura Ultra Soft

• Pyrovatex


Origin of Flame Resistant Treated Cotton Fabrics

• Ammonia cured FR cotton developed for USDA (US Dept. of Agriculture)

• U.S. steel industry was one of initial end users of fabric

• Finish was improved to increase the durability of the finish

• Nylon was added to increase the durability of the fabric

• Fabric blend is 88/12 cotton/ nylon

• All of the nylon is in the warp yarn

• Nylon does not increase strength

• Fabric was not originally used for flash fire protection


Protection from flash fire – NFPA 2112 Standard

• Vertical flame: 12 second exposure (bottom edge); 100 mm (4 inch) max. char length; less than 2 seconds afterflame; before and after 100x Industrial Launderings

• Oven test: 10% max. shrinkage for 5 minutes at 500°F (260C); no melt, no drip

• ASTM F 1930 Instrumented Manikin: 50% max. body burn for 2.0 cal/cm2.s heat flux for 3 seconds

• Thermal Protective Performance (TPP) 2.0 cal/cm2.s

-with spacer: 6 cal/cm2 = 3 seconds

-without spacer: 3 cal/cm2 = 1.5 seconds


Vertical Flammability Test – NFPA 2112


• 500oF for 5 minutes

• Thermal Shrinkage max. 10%

• No melt & no drip

Convection Oven – NFPA 2112


• 2 cal/cm²·s Heat Flux for 3 seconds; 50% max body burn

• Located at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Thermal Manikin Testing – NFPA 2112


TPP – Thermal Protective Performance

• Bench-top version of manikin test

• Same 2 cal/cm2 heat flux as manikin test

• Tests conducted with and without spacer

• Without spacer – simulates garment in contact with skin

• With spacer – simulates (loose) portion of garment not touching skin


NFPA 2112 THERMAL PROTECTIVE PERFORMANCE TEST METHOD (TPP)

• Conditions:

– 2 Cal/sq cm-sec Heat Flux

– 50/50 Balance of Radiant and Convective Energy

• Spacer

– Used for Spaced Test

– Omitted for Contact Test

Copper To Recorder

Calorimeter

Insulating Board

Test Fabric

Water Cooled

Shutter

1/4 Inch Spacer

Bottom Support

Quartz Tubes Meeker Burners


TPP test – NFPA 2112

-with spacer: 6 cal/cm2 = 3s

-without spacer: 3 cal/cm2 =1.5s


Vertical flammability

• 100mm (4”) char length is the maximum allowed in NFPA 2112

before and after 100 industrial wash and dry cycles

• Basic test for flammability – determines damage to fabric after

exposure to flame

• Most difficult part of the standard for treated fabrics – meeting

vertical flammability 4” char length after100 washes

• Some of the FR finish is washed out during the 100 wash cycles


Vertical flammability of treated fabrics

• FR cotton finish contains phosphorus as part of a polymer that

forms a char when exposed to sufficient heat, separating or

insulating the balance of the fabric from the flame

• How much finish is needed to pass the 4” char length standard?

• Before wash?

• After 100 washes?

• How does the manufacturer know how much finish is on the fabric?

• Laboratory analysis of % phosphorus

• Char length and % phosphorus relationship


% Phosphorus vs Warp Char Length

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00

Warp Char Length

% Phosphorus .

D1

D2

D3

D4


What happens to FR finish in laundering?

• Some finish is lost during repeated launderings

• If the finish is properly cured and oxidized during treatment, wash

durability is improved

• Manufacturer must start with enough finish to allow for some loss in

laundering


% Phosphorus 0 to 100 Launderings

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

7 oz Indura Ultra Soft

% Phosphorus .

Unwashed

50x SMI

100x SMI

Series4

Unwashed

60x Lab 2

100x Lab2


Laundering Problems

• Loss of treatment during repeated launderings

• Incorrect detergents/ bleach – chlorine or peroxide

• Home laundering

• Industrial laundering

• Washing with hard water

• Laundering guide – 14 pages


Home laundry products that will degrade FR

cotton finish

• Chlorine bleach

• Hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate

• Tide with Bleach (Liquid)

• Clorox II (Liquid) – non chlorine bleach, safe for colors

• Vivid (Liquid)

• Other new products?


Home laundering vs. Commercial laundering

• Home laundering is usually considered the biggest risk to FR cotton garments

• Uncontrolled washing conditions may cause progressive degradation of the FR treatment

• Fear of the unknown

• Industrial laundries offer more control, but also make mistakes

• Mixing FR and non-FR garments in same process

• Using wrong wash process

• Using wrong chemicals

• Recent large claim concerning FR cotton garments caused by commercial laundry washing with incorrect chemical (oxygen bleach)


Pyrovatex Storage Problems

• During storage, the acidity of fabric increases (pH drops)

• This leads to acid hydrolysis, harming the chemical bond of the

Pyrovatex finish to the fabric

• During the next wash, the loose finish is removed


Problems with hard water

• Hard water contain calcium and magnesium salts that attach themselves

to (FR cotton) garments during laundering

• These interfere with the function of the FR finish, causing a significant

decrease in protection

• FR properties of garments can be lost (garments burn) in less than 50

launderings

• Hard water is common in many parts of the word, including the USA

• Laundering in hard water may be the single greatest risk to long term

protection of end users wearing FR cotton garments



0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50


% Phosphorus .

Unwashed

50x SMI

100x SMI

Series4

Unwashed

60x Lab 2

100x Lab2



0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50


% Phosphorus .

Unwashed

50x SMI

100x SMI

Series4

Unwashed

60x Lab 2 hard

water100x Lab 2 hard

water

Faile

d Cha

r

Leng

th


Char Lengths Westex FR Cotton - Industrial

Wash

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Fabric ID

Char Length - inches .

Unwashed warp char

Unwashed fill char

50x warp char

50x fill char

100x warp char

100x fill char


FR cotton for flash fire protection

• Provides only limited protection beyond minimum protection

required by NFPA 2112 standard

• NFPA 2112 minimum total exposure is:

6 cal/cm2 = 3 seconds x 2 cal/cm2

• FR cotton exotherm (THPC/Proban type treatment)


CHANCE OF SURVIVAL FROM BURN INJURY

Source: American Burn Association (1991-1993 Study)

Chance

of Survival, %

0

20

40

60

100

Age Range, Years

25% Body Burn

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59

80 50% Body Burn

75% Body Burn


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

3 4 5EXPOSURE TIME (Seconds)

AVERAGE PREDICTED BODY BURN

9.0 oz FR Cotton 4.5 oz FreeStyle

6.0 oz FreeStyle 7.0 oz Tecasafe plus

9 oz FR Cotton

Flash Fire Exposure (Thermal Manikin Test)

ASTM F1930 Standard for Flame-Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire

Body burn percentage (2.0 cal/cm2 � sec) is directly affected by TIME and the TOTAL CALORIES of ENERGY emitted

during a flash fire exposure.

NOTE: Comparable garments were tested in separate weight categories for “shirts” and “pants/coveralls” under full scale flash fire exposure conditions.

Tests performed concurrently at North Carolina State University by an independent third party lab.

All garments were laundered once under AATCC 135. Results include 7% head burn (hands and feet are excluded).

3.5 4.5

4.5 oz Freestyle;

Nomex IIIA

6.0 oz Freestyle ;

Nomex IIIA

7.0 oz Tecasafe plus

Exotherm


Manikin % Body Burn

15

3537

32

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

ASTM F 1930 Manikin Test % Body Burn - 3 sec exposure

% Body Burn .

Tecasafe plus 700

7.0 osy Indura Ultra Soft

6.5 osy Protera

6.0 osy Nomex IIIA


Nomex vs. FR cotton service life

Garment life based on normal wear, industrial wash every other week

12 - 3036 - 6024 - 30Garment Manf. C

246036Rental Laundry B

42 - 366018 - 24Rental Laundry A

AdvantageNomex IIIAFR cotton

Garment LifeGarment LifeGarment Life

NomexMonths ofMonths of

Months ofExpectedExpected


Inherently FR fabric advantages

• No treatment to wash out or be damaged in laundering

• Greater durability

• Superior flash fire protection

• Lower life cycle cost


Tecasafe plus™ Durability Advantages

• Superior abrasion resistance

• High strength

• Good resistance to seam abrasion in laundering

• Excellent resistance to pilling

• Good colorfastness


Tecasafe plus™ Comfort Advantages

• Soft hand – better than conventional FR fabrics

• Good moisture wicking – 37% cellulosic fiber

• Lyocell absorbs 3 times it’s weight in water

• Comfortable fabric for shirt, coveralls, or pants

• Favored in wear trial 4 to 1 over Indura Ultra Soft

• Best value - lower initial cost than aramid, longer life than cotton


Independent wear trials

• Multiple wear trials in process

• one trial being conducted in 5 locations Tecasafe plus favored:

• 4 to 1 over Indura Ultra Soft

• 2 to 1 over Protera

• Everyone to 1 over Nomex

• Extensive Tecasafe plus information and video can be found at

http://tencate.com/smartsite.dws?id=2656


Thank you for your interest

Documents

1 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Vliegen.pdfTrampolines, Pool & Truck Covers Sports Grass Landscaping Grass Outdoor Fabrics 4 | Industrial Protective Fabrics TenCate Worldwide Industrial