Protective Clothing Fabrics

Abstract

Laboratory small-scale tests for the evaluation of the performance of fabrics against molten steel, cast iron, copper, aluminum, zinc, lead, and tin were developed. The results of the small-scale molten iron and copper tests were verified by a large-scale test. Zirpro wool fabrics offered the best protection against the molten metals evaluated, followed by untreated cotton. Two organophosphorus-based flame- retardants adversely affected the performance of cotton against molten aluminum and zinc, and to a lesser degree against lead and tin. Glass, asbestos, and aramid fabrics were not suitable for protection against most metals. Possible explanations for the performance of the individual fibers and molten metals evaluated are given.