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THE USE OF SYNTHETIC MODACRYLIC F I B E R S * R. S. BRISSETTE Marketing Manager, Fibers and Fabrics Division Union Carbide Corporation New York, N. Y. IN presenting for your consideration an account of our experience in the use of synthetic modacrylic fiber I intend to describe the con- tributions that this fiber makes to the problem of producing flame- retardant fabrics. I wish also to point out, I hope realistically, the very real problems of developing and marketing such fabrics. Personal safe- ty in the use of fabrics is a minor consideration for the consumer, as it is in regard to many other products. Most people put greater value on the glamour and esthetics of fabrics than they do on their own safety. There are three natural divisions of the subject that I wish to cover: i) what we are trying to accomplish in dealing with the problem of flammable fabrics and what the textiles are that we are using; 2) how to solve the problem of flame-retardant fabrics by exploiting the par- ticular properties of modacrylic fibers; and 3) how these properties have been combined in such a way as to provide a salable, usable prod- uct, yet one that provides real safety from fire. Textiles, perhaps more than any single category of products, are bought by the consumer primarily for esthetic reasons: for qualities of style, color, and design. The basic function of textiles-to cover some- one or to keep him warm-is assumed by the customer to be inherent in the product he buys. A woman in buying a coat is not particularly worried in most instances as to whether it will keep her warm. She is more concerned about the style, the cut, the color, the trimming and, to some degree, about the label. This outlook applies to sweaters, dresses, stockings, and other such items. Some functional aspects of textiles used in clothing, home furnishings, blankets, carpets, or other such products can be promoted to some extent: for instance, the *Based on a paper presented at the Conference on Burnws and Flante-Retardant Fabrics, held at The New York Academy of Medicine, December 2 and 3, 1966. The conference was sponsored by: the New York and Brooklyn Trauma Committee of the American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Ill.; The National Fire Protection Association, Boston, Mass.; the Section on Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of The New York Academy of Medicine; and the Division of Accident Prevention of the U. S. Public Health Service, Washington, D. C. The conference was held in cooperation with the American Academy of Pediatrics, Evanston, Ill.; the American Public Health Association, New York, N. Y.; and the National Safety Council, Chicago, Ill.; and was supported by a grant from the U. S. Public Health Service.

Bull. N. Y. Acad. Med. SYNTHETIC AMODACRYLIC FIBERS 69 5 warmth without weight of synthetic fabrics and their durable creases, which make it easier for the housewife to take care of them. These promotional qualities of fabrics accord with the modern trend toward automated, easier living. But there still remains the fundamental problem of alxvays having to set first the design and the style in fabrics that are largely assumed to serve their basic functions. There is also in our technological age the automatic urge to develop more efficient manufacturing techniques to reduce prices and help expand markets. These techniques generally create opportunities for new design and styling and thus reinforce this aspect of the production and marketing of textiles. I mentioned a moment ago the development of the durable crease, which illustrates how necessary it is for these fabrics to be adaptable to present methods of laundering and dry cleaning. I think the proliferation of basic fiber types further indicates the need for active consideration of style and design as they apply to the construction of textiles. There are, for example, the filament nylon fibers for upholstery, dress goods, and lingerie; the acrylic, nmodacrylic fibers for carpets and scatter rugs; the nlodacrylic fibers for pile coats and pile trim; a combination of polyesters with cotton for dress goods, slacks, and suits. Each one of these fibers has created for itself certain markets based on the purposes it serves best, but in almost every in- stance it is the prime function of the fiber to provide latitude for crea- tivity and ease of care once the product is in the hands of the consumer. It must be kept in mind that modacrylics, like other types of fiber, cannot solve all the problems of esthetics, processing, care in the home, construction of the fiber, etc. Modacrylics do provide a latitude in style in certain markets, as we shall see shortly, but if they are set aflame the fire is self-extinguishing. This fact will remain of minor importance to the consumer until he or she is specifically educated as to the value of this property in products and, more important, becomes aware that textiles made from these fibers are available and that they meet the criterion of flame retardancy. The problem accordingly becomes one of development, of market- ing and, primarily, of education: a product must be given style to meet demands in certain areas; it must be marketed in such a way that the consumer will recognize the need for their fire-retardant qualities; and, third, this characteristic must appeal to the consumer educated as to

Vol. 43, No. 8, August 1967 696 R. S. BRISSETTE the value of having nonflammable products in her home. These con- siderations, then, constitute the problem. \Vhat does the modacrylic fiber contribute toward its solution? SOLUTIONS THROUGH 1\ODACRYLICS Mlodacrylic fiber, as defined by the Federal Trade Commission, is one made from a copolymer resin that contains not more than 85 per cent of acrylonitrile, the remainder consisting of several resins such as vinyl chloride or vinylidene chloride. These fibers are primarily avail- able in what is known as staple form, which is similar to that of cotton or xvool, in that the fibers are short and can accordingly be processed into yarns for knitting, weaving, felting, tufting, and other such uses. The fibers wvhen made into fabrics produce goods that are warm, soft, and generally characterized as having a o001- or furlike "hand" and appearance. The fibers are dyeable, they are basically and chemically inert and, most interesting to participants in this conference, they can be ignited but the fire is self-extinguishing when the source of the flame is removed. I believe that it is important to note that the fibers, while burning, tend to shrink and contract but do not drip a hot melt that in some cases can be more of a problem than the burning fabric itself. The fact that fire ignited in modacrylics extinguishes itself is due primarily to the presence of vinyl chloride or the vinyl chloride copolymer, which is inherently nonflammable; a component that, moreover, under the temperatures of ignition, xvill release products that extinguish the flame when the source of it is removed. The presence of modacrylic fiber in blends in sufficiently high amounts will therefore act as a fire extinguisher for any more flammable component such as cotton or rayon. The ignition and burning of a fabric in actual service involves many factors, such as the temperature of the source of the ignition, the time of exposure, the angle at which the fabric is exposed, air cur- rents in the area, density and distribution of fibers in the fabric, and many other variables. A very real problem in developing suitable fabrics that are non- flammable is that there are four or five tests sponsored by the trade or required by the government that are used regularly, and none of these under the same circumstances will give the same results. At this point I think it will 1)e well to consider some specific instances in which moda-

Bull. N. Y. Acad. Med. SYNTHETIC MOI)ACRYLIC FIBERS 69 7 crylic fiber can definitely miake a contribution to the safety of a textile composed of modacrylic alone or of blends containing it. TYPICAL APPLICATIONS To illustrate wvhat we are talking about in terms of esthetic con- struction and uses let me cite specific samples and demonstrations. Work clothing. Fires ignited in garments made from ioo per cent modacrylic fibers are self-extinguishing. This fiber, moreover, provides a high degree of chemical resistance and cleanability in a soft, com- fortable garment. A fire in a blended fabric of which one third of the composition is cotton in order to provide increased absorption of moisture displays the same self-extinguishing characteristics although it burns somewhat longer. More important, perhaps, there is no after- glow, since the afterglow of many cellulosic items can also contribute to a bad burn. Rugs. A popular item in the home today is a loose, fluffy, lustrous scatter rug. In this product the fibers are loose and widely separated, and there is good air flow among them. If wrong fibers are used on the surface, the rug is highly flammable. A wholly modacrylic rug of this type, however, is hard to ignite and the fire is self-extinguishing. The ignition of hearth rugs caused by flying sparks from open fireplaces is not common in the United States but is prevalent in Europe, where these rugs are extremely popular. In England particularly this product, known as a hearth rug, is used in front of open fires where small chil- dren often play. The contribution made by nonflammable modacrylics in this area is of particular value. Blankets. Of the many popular types of blanket on the market today there are twvo that are basically fire-resistant: the wool blanket and the modacrylic. In developing the m(odacrylic blanket it was necessary to build into it warmth, stability of color, washability, and hand, all at a price that the consumer would find attractive. The modacrylic blanket has inherently and for its complete life the characteristic of extinguish- ing any fire ignited in it. A burning match or any other source of flame, if dropped on a blanket coniposed of synthetics, starts a fire of a chem- ical type that may consume the entire blanket within a very short time. However a similar source of flame on a blanket of ioo per cent moda- crylic fiber causes fire that is confined to the immediate area, and no further damage or ignition is possible. The public requires much educa-

Vol. 43, No. 8, August 1967 66998 R.R.SS. BRISSETTERSET tion in this connection; and this education will become increasingly important as time goes on both for adults and children, and especially for the traveling public as it moves from one hostelry to another. Apparel pile fabrics. A popular fabric today is that used in the coat of simulated fur, which can be made from a number of fibers or from fiber blends; in its most popular forms it generally contains modacrylics. Wrongly selected surface fibers are subject to a flash fire across the surface of a pile that can produce burns about the face and hands before the garment can be taken off or before the fire can be extin- guished. Modacrylic fibers contribute the necessary esthetic and wear characteristics to these fabrics and still provide a degree of fire re- tardancy when used in the proper proportions even where more flam- mable fibers are present. Hair goods. Finally I should like to cite the characteristics of Dynel modacrylic in something that appeals to almost all women-and that is hair. Wigs and hairpieces of ioo per cent Dynel are available all over the world in great variety and are promoted as the realistic, practical substitute for real hair. Dynel can be curled, set, braided, washed and, if necessary, dry cleaned. One might say that since this fiber is pro- duced in a continuous strand, we are selling beauty by the mile. Important, we think, but not of real interest to women, is the fact that a fire ignited in this fiber is self-extinguishing and that, if ignited, this fiber will not melt and drip. Human hair, as everyone knows, will flare dramatically when touched with a flame. SUMMARY This, then, has been a capsule review of my firm's Dynel moda- crylic fiber and of the various textile and fiber products in which it is used. In making all possible products, from rugs to wigs, the same basic material is used, and this material has the basic property of being hard to ignite; moreover, any fire ignited in it extinguishes itself. Thus flame retardancy is already present in garments and other products based on Dynel-as I have tried to show. That the consumer is not often aware of this is in the end, I feel, primarily because she is more often motivated by esthetic considerations than by anything else. Safety from fire in apparel is an area in which more education of the consumer is required; and this goal is a continuing aim of our development and merchandising policies and programs.

Bull. N. Y. Acad. Med.