Burning Behavior of Carpets: The Advantages of Wool and Flame-Resistant Wool

Abstract

A comparison of the burning behavior of carpets of very similar construction made from different fibers or blends evaluated by the methenamine tablet test, F.A.R. vertical flame test, British radiant panel test, and the French epiradia teur test shows that wool and particularly flame-resistant wool perform significantly better than the other man-made fibers investigated, especially in the more severe vertical and radiant panel tests. With the latter tests the carpet backing has to be flame resistant, the flame-resistant wool sheared pile density should be above 0.10 g/cm', (0.058 g/in2), and the pile weight and thickness should not exceed a certain value to allow effective heat sink from the pile, thus ensuring short spread of flame. Flame-resistant, wool-rich blends with nylon burn significantly more than comparable flame-resistant, all-wool carpets, when evaluated by the radiant panel tests.