How to test fire retardant fabric?

The Fabric Flame Retardancy Tester is a precision-engineered instrument used to measure the flame retardancy of fabric samples under controlled conditions. It features advanced safety features and simulates realistic flame exposure scenarios to examine the timing and duration of sample combustion. The fabric is placed in the test chamber at a specified angle. A standard flame is applied for a specific time, and sensors measure the duration and damage length, accurately assessing the fabric's flame retardancy.

Flame retardancy, as a key indicator of fabric safety, has always been a focus of industry attention. With the continuous advancement of technology, intelligent fabric flame retardancy testers have emerged, providing efficient, accurate, and reliable solutions for fabric flame retardancy testing, becoming a crucial tool for ensuring fabric safety.

By default, the tester is configured with two combustion positions: bottom ignition and surface ignition. Bottom ignition is suitable for realistic fire scenarios where flames rise from below. Surface ignition is a new type of ignition used to evaluate direct heat exposure on items such as upholstery.

The flame tester is driven by three advanced, high-precision stepper motors, which control the flame's aim, height, and tilt at a specific angle.

The ignition duration can be set anywhere from 0 to 999.9 seconds, with control accuracy up to 0.1 second. The burning rate range is 0 to 6553.5 seconds, with an accuracy of 0.1 second. The flame velocity through the fabric ranges from 0 to 9999 mm/min, with a resolution of 1 mm/min.

This fabric flame tester uses industrial-grade propane or butane gas as the ignition source. Its combustion characteristics maintain the integrity of the test environment and provide more accurate results.

The Importance of Fabric Flame Retardancy

The flame retardancy of a fabric refers to how easily it burns when exposed to a fire source and how quickly it spreads. Fabrics with excellent flame retardancy are less likely to burn when exposed to a fire source, and even if they do burn, they effectively slow the spread of fire, buying valuable time for evacuation and firefighting. The use of flame-retardant fabrics in public places such as hospitals, schools, shopping malls, and transportation can significantly reduce the risk of fire and minimize the damage caused by fire. Therefore, flame retardancy testing of fabrics is a crucial step in ensuring their safety.

Working Principle

The flame retardancy of fabrics is quantitatively assessed by simulating the combustion environments they might encounter in actual use. The core principle is to utilize a specific combustion device and detection system to apply a standard flame source to the fabric and observe and record the fabric's burning behavior, including key parameters such as burning time, burning length, and flame spread rate. Analysis of these parameters can determine whether the fabric meets relevant flame retardancy standards.

Intelligent fabric flame retardancy testers further enhance testing accuracy and efficiency. Equipped with high-precision sensors and an advanced data acquisition system, it monitors combustion parameters such as temperature, flame height, and smoke concentration in real time. It then uses intelligent algorithms to analyze and process the data and generate detailed inspection reports. This intelligent inspection method not only improves the accuracy of test results but also significantly reduces inspection time.

Operation Instructions

The steps are as follows: First, close the front door of the combustion test chamber and turn on the instrument (press the "1" terminal of the "Power Switch"). When the power indicator lights up, observe the igniter position. If it is not in the initial position, click the "Return" button to reset it. Then, set the ignition time. The instrument defaults to 12 seconds (in compliance with national standards). If no modification is required, skip this step. If adjustment is required, press the "Set" button. Once the cursor for the desired position flashes, use the corresponding buttons to increase or decrease the time. Once the settings are complete, open the gas source valve (pay attention to controlling the gas flow) and prepare. During the test, press the "ignition" button. The pulse igniter will automatically ignite 2-3 seconds after the solenoid valve is opened. If ignition is difficult, adjust the "flame adjustment" button (clockwise to reduce, counterclockwise to increase the flame) until it ignites. Each time the ignition button is pressed, it will automatically continue to ignite for 10 seconds. If it fails to ignite the first time, repeat the operation. If the alarm sounds during the test, it means that there is a gas leak in the internal pipeline of the instrument. You need to immediately turn off the power and check the gas circuit. After eliminating the gas leak, follow the steps again. After the flame is stable, open the front door of the combustion test chamber, place the flame height gauge (40mm high) just above the flame, and pass it through the test chamber. Adjust the flame height to 40mm±2mm by the “flame adjustment” knob, remove the height gauge and hang the sample together with the sample clamp vertically in the middle of the box and close the box door; click the “start” button, the burner moves to the sample hanging position (the time from the sample to the sealed container should be controlled within 1 minute), the burner automatically stops gas and returns after the set time, and the “afterburning time” starts to count; observe the burning of the sample, press the “afterburning stop” button after the afterburning ends, if there is no afterburning, press the button directly, the “smoldering time” will start to count automatically, press the “smoldering stop” button again after the smoldering ends Press the "Stop" button to record the afterflaming time, smoldering time and test phenomena; then open the box door, take out the sample clamp and remove the sample, and use the specified weight according to the unit area weight of the fabric to measure the damaged length (refer to the standard for specific operations); click the "Clear" button to restore the instrument to its initial state, open the box door to clean out debris, turn on the ventilation equipment to exhaust smoke and gas, and turn off the exhaust equipment after exhausting all the smoke and gas to complete the test; if you need to continue the test, repeat steps 5-10. If you do not need to continue, turn off the gas source, press the "0" end of the "power switch" to turn off the power, and unplug the power cord to end the test.

Application Scenarios

Textile and Apparel Industry

In the textile and apparel industry, flame retardancy testing is widely used to test the flame retardancy of clothing fabrics. With increasing awareness of clothing safety, the demand for flame-retardant fabrics is also increasing. Using a fabric flame retardancy tester allows companies to ensure that their clothing fabrics meet relevant flame retardancy standards, improving their market competitiveness. Furthermore, the tester provides regulatory authorities with an effective testing tool to ensure that clothing products sold on the market possess good flame retardancy.

Home Furnishings Industry

The flame retardancy of fabrics used in home furnishings, such as curtains, carpets, and sofas, is equally important. In home fires, these fabrics are often a significant vector for fire spread. Using a fabric flame retardancy tester, rigorous flame retardancy testing can be performed on home furnishing fabrics to ensure they can effectively slow the spread of fire in the event of a fire, allowing for evacuation and firefighting.

Transportation Industry

In the transportation sector, the flame retardancy of interior fabrics used in vehicles, such as car seats, airplane seats, and train seats, is directly related to passenger safety. A fabric flame retardancy tester can accurately test the flame retardancy of these interior fabrics, ensuring they meet stringent industry standards. The use of flame-retardant fabrics can significantly reduce the risk of fires in vehicles, safeguarding the lives of passengers.

Public Places

The flame retardancy of fabrics is crucial in public places such as hospitals, schools, shopping malls, and theaters. These places are crowded with people, and the consequences of a fire could be devastating. Using a fabric flame retardancy tester, decorative fabrics used in public places can be rigorously tested to ensure they effectively slow the spread of fire in the event of a fire, facilitating evacuation and firefighting.

As a key tool for intelligent flame retardancy testing, the fabric flame retardancy tester provides an efficient, accurate, and reliable solution for fabric safety assessment. Its precise test results, efficient data processing, diverse testing modes, and safe and reliable testing procedures have comprehensively elevated the level of fabric flame retardancy testing. Whether in textiles and apparel, household goods, transportation, or public spaces, fabric flame retardancy testers play a vital role, providing strong assurance for fabric safety.