Standard System Analysis on Protective Clothing Against Heat and Flame

Abstract:

Firefighter's protective clothing provide protection for the firefighter's torso, neck, arms, and legs, but excluding the head, hands. The performance index for textile burning behaviour include afterflame time, afterglow time, damaged length, damaged area, dimensional stability to heat, ignition time and so on. The purpose of Standard is to provide minimum performance requirements for protective clothing for firefighters, whilst fighting fires. Within national standard GB 8965.1-2009 protective clothing, flame-retardant protection, part 1: flame-retardant protective clothing, the performance requirement are divided into three grade: A grade, B grade, C grade. The performance requirements C grade is the lower level, A grade, the higher level. The level of personal protection chosen should be based on the outcome of a risk assessment. Within national standard GB/T 17591-2006 flame retardant fabrics, assessment criteria are divided into two grade: B1 grade and B2 grade. The performance requirements B2 grade is the lower level, B1 grade, the higher level. Within standard GA 634-2006 protective clothing for proximity fire fighting and GB/T 5444-1997 textiles-burning behaviour-vertical method, the performance requirement are not classification. In different standard, the test parameters, such as the specimen dimension, specimen quantity and the flame height, are different. In order to establish suitable standard system, some effective standard should be revised. The standard system should cover the general clothing design, the minimum performance levels of the materials used, and the methods of test to be used to determine these performance levels. For adequate overall protection against the risks to which firefighters are likely to be exposed, additional personal protective equipment to protect the head, face, hands and feet should also be worn, along with appropriate respiratory protection where necessary.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volume 796)
• Pages: 613-616
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.796.613
• Online since: September 2013
• Authors: Gui Fen Yao, Hai Wen Liu, Jian Hua Yin
• Keywords: Damaged Length, Flame Retardant, Thermal Protective Performance (TPP)

References

[1] GB/T 20097-2006 Protective clothing - General requirements.

[2] GA 634-2006 Protective clothing for proximity fire fighting.

[3] GB 8965. 1-2009 Protective clothing Flame-retardant protection Part 1: Flame-retardant protective clothing.

DOI: 10.1520/stp19198s

[4] FZ/T 01028-1993 Textiles—Burning behaviour—Flame spread rate of horizontally oriented specimens.

[5] GB/T 5454-1997 Textiles—Burning behaviour—Oxygen index method.

[6] GB/T 5455-1997 Textiles—Burning behaviour—Vertical method.

[7] GB/T 5456-2009 Textiles—Burning behaviour—Flame spread properties of vertically oriented specimens.

[8] GB/T 8745-2001 Textiles—Burning behaviour—Determination of surface burning time of fabrics.

[9] GB/T 8746-2009 Textiles—Burning behaviour—Determination of ease of ignition of vertically oriented specimens.

DOI: 10.3403/00477996

[10] GB/T 14644-1993 Textile fabrics—Burning behaviour—The 45˚ test determination of flame spread rate.

[11] GB/T 14645-1993 Textile fabrics—Burning behaviour—The 45˚ test determination of damaged area and ignition times.

[12] GB/T 17599-1998 Protective clothing—Heatproof behaviour—Determination of behaviour of materials on impact of small splashes of molten metal.

DOI: 10.3403/00283652u

[13] FZ/T 50017-2011 Testing method for flame retardant property of polyester fibers—Oxygen index.

[14] FZ/T 50016-2011 Testing method for flame retardant property of viscose staple fibers—Oxygen index.