1 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Flame Resistant Protective Clothing: Treated or Inherent?
JOIFF AGM, November 7 th , 2007
Guido Vliegen Vice President
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3 | Industrial Protective Fabrics TenCate Worldwide
4 | Industrial Protective Fabrics TenCate Protective Fabrics – FR product applications
Emergency Industrial Response
Military 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
6 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
7 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
8 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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/cm 2.s heat flux for 3 seconds
• Thermal Protective Performance (TPP) 2.0 cal/cm 2.s -with spacer: 6 cal/cm 2 = 3 seconds -without spacer: 3 cal/cm 2 = 1.5 seconds
9 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Vertical Flammability Test – NFPA 2112
10 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Convection Oven – NFPA 2112
• 500 oF for 5 minutes • Thermal Shrinkage max. 10% • No melt & no drip
11 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Thermal Manikin Testing – NFPA 2112
• 2 cal/cm²·s Heat Flux for 3 seconds; 50% max body burn • Located at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
12 | Industrial Protective Fabrics TPP – Thermal Protective Performance
• Bench-top version of manikin test
• Same 2 cal/cm 2 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
13 | Industrial Protective Fabrics NFPA 2112 THERMAL PROTECTIVE PERFORMANCE TEST METHOD (TPP)
Copper To Recorder Calorimeter Insulating Board 1/4 Inch Spacer
Test Fabric Bottom Support
Water Cooled Shutter
Quartz Tubes Meeker Burners
• 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
14 | Industrial Protective Fabrics TPP test – NFPA 2112 -with spacer: 6 cal/cm2 = 3s -without spacer: 3 cal/cm2 =1.5s 15 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
16 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
17 | Industrial Protective Fabrics % Phosphorus vs Warp Char Length
3.50
3.00 D1 D2 2.50 D3 2.00 D4 % Phosphorus . Phosphorus %
1.50 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 Warp Char Length
18 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
19 | Industrial Protective Fabrics % Phosphorus 0 to 100 Launderings
3.50 Unwashed 3.00 50x SMI 2.50 100x SMI 2.00 Series4 1.50 Unwashed 1.00
% Phosphorus . Phosphorus % 60x Lab 2 0.50 100x Lab2 0.00 7 oz Indura Ultra Soft
20 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
21 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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?
22 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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)
23 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
24 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
25 | Industrial Protective Fabrics % Phosphorus 0 to 100 Launderings
3.50 Unwashed 3.00 50x SMI 2.50 100x SMI 2.00 Series4 1.50 Unwashed 1.00
% Phosphorus . 60x Lab 2 0.50 100x Lab2 0.00 7 oz Indura Ultra Soft
26 | Industrial Protective Fabrics % Phosphorus 0 to 100 Launderings
3.50 Unw ashed
3.00 50x SMI 2.50 100x SMI 2.00 Series4 1.50 1.00 Unw ashed gth % Phosphorus . % Phosphorus Failedn Char 0.50 Le 60x Lab 2 hard w ater 0.00 100x Lab 2 hard w ater 7 oz Indura Ultra Soft
27 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Char Lengths Westex FR Cotton - Industrial Wash
14 12
10 Unwashed warp char Unwashed fill char 8 50x warp char 50x fill char 6 100x warp char 4 100x fill char Char Length - inches . inches - Length Char 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910111213 Fabric ID
28 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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/cm 2 = 3 seconds x 2 cal/cm 2
• FR cotton exotherm (THPC/Proban type treatment)
29 | Industrial Protective Fabrics CHANCE OF SURVIVAL FROM BURN INJURY
100 25% Body Burn 80 50% Body Burn 60 75% Body Burn
40 Chance 20 of Survival, % 0 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 Age Range, Years
Source: American Burn Association (1991-1993 Study) 30 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Flash Fire Exposure (Thermal Manikin Test)
90% ASTM F1930 Standard for Flame-Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire Body burn percentage (2.0 cal/cm 2 sec) is directly affected by TIME and the TOTAL CALORIES of ENERGY emitted during a flash fire exposure. 80% 9 oz FR Cotton
70% 7.0 oz Tecasafe plus
rm 60% e th o x 50% E 6.0 oz Freestyle ; 40% Nomex IIIA 4.5 oz Freestyle; 30% Nomex IIIA 20% AVERAGE PREDICTED BODY BURN BODY PREDICTED AVERAGE 10% 0% 3 4 5 EXPOSURE TIME (Seconds) 9.0 oz FR Cotton 3.5 4.5 oz4.5 FreeStyle 6.0 oz FreeStyle 7.0 oz Tecasafe plus 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).
31 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Manikin % Body Burn
40 37 35 35 32 30 25 Tecasafe plus 700 20 15 7.0 osy Indura Ultra Soft 15
% Body Burn . Burn Body % 6.5 osy Protera 10 6.0 osy Nomex IIIA 5 0 ASTM F 1930 Manikin Test % Body Burn - 3 sec exposu re
32 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Nomex vs. FR cotton service life
Expected Expected Months of Months of Months of Nomex Garment Life Garment Life Garment Life FR cotton Nomex IIIA Advantage
Rental Laundry A 18 - 24 60 42 - 36
Rental Laundry B 36 60 24
Garment Manf. C 24 - 30 36 - 60 12 - 30
Garment life based on normal wear, industrial wash every other week
33 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Inherently FR fabric advantages
• No treatment to wash out or be damaged in laundering
• Greater durability
• Superior flash fire protection
• Lower life cycle cost
34 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Tecasafe plus™ Durability Advantages
• Superior abrasion resistance
• High strength
• Good resistance to seam abrasion in laundering
• Excellent resistance to pilling
• Good colorfastness
35 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
36 | Industrial Protective Fabrics 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
37 | Industrial Protective Fabrics Thank you for your interest
38 | Industrial Protective Fabrics