Thermal Protective Performance of Turnout Gear at High Flux Environment

Abstract

Thermal protective performance (TPP) tests are conducted at a heat flux of 84 kW/m2 to evaluate a firefighter’s turnout gear performance. The test criterion used is based on a study conducted by Behnke in 1984. However, an average heat flux of 200 kW/m2 has been documented in the literature over the past decade. Henceforth, experiments are conducted on the turnout gear at a higher heat flux level of 126 kW/m2, which represents a typical heat flux during the initial phase of a fully developed fire. The analytical analysis provides insights into air gaps, the effect of smoke layers on radiative attenuation and the thermal decomposition of the fabric layers. Numerical techniques were employed to introduce a survival curve to effectively gauge the degree of spatial burn at variable levels of heat fluxes, moisture effects and superficial burns. The sustainability of high resistance fabrics in terms of toxicity of flame retardants and recycling of these textiles have been discussed. Bio-composites as flame retardants are being introduced to replace traditional flame-retardant chemicals.