Carpet evaluation

Other polyamides having higher moduli and T than nylon-6 and nylon-6,6 have been evaluated in an effort to reduce wrinkle resistance and eliminate flat-spotting of bias and bias-belted tires (Table 3). Nylons have also been tested extensively over the years for apparel and carpets (Table 4). 

Resilience of textile fabrics when compressed in the bent state is related to wrinkle resistance and retention of shape, drape, and hand. Resilience is an important parameter for evaluating blankets, wearing apparel in which warmth is a factor, pUe fabrics including carpets, and bulk fiber utilization in mattresses, cushions, etc. The general method for determining compressional resilience is to compress and unload the material cycHcahy, creating a plot of compressive force versus fabric thickness. 

In order to evaluate the results of the operations, insects of several species were caged in the buildings that were to be fogged, both in the open and in places of difficult access, such as in cupboards and behind baseboards. In the first series of tests, the insects included bedbugs, cockroaches, houseflies, clusterflies, clothes moths, and carpet beetles. 

There have been limited field and controlled exposure studies that evaluated human reactions to carpet emissions. Winfield (1987) described a USA primary school where odor, headache, nausea, fatigue and mucosal irritation were reported by a high proportion of the students. Elevated indoor air concentrations of styrene (900-4000 xg m 3) were found, which were believed to be due to a SB R latex-backed carpet which had been installed several years previously. The carpet was removed and the ill-effects were reported to abate. Johnsen et al. (1990) exposed asthma sufferers to a foam rubber-backed carpet in a room chamber. While no clinical effects on lung function were observed, objective eye measurements found that there was a change in tear film quality. This was proposed to result from a degreasing effect of lipophilic VOCs, identified as toluene and acetone (Wolkoff, Nielsen and Hansen, 1990). 

The dyed nylon batches were evaluated by color measurement and color difference calculations using the described procedure. Ten random samples were cut from each of the five nylon carpet sections (3 x 38 ) dyed in the reuse sequence. Color differences between the samples from the four reuse runs and samples for the initial (conventional) dyeings were calculated. The tristimulus values and 1 were obtained on the Diano... 

The base color of each dyed sample was determined by averaging the ten values obtained form the samples cut from each carpet. Color uniformity was evaluated by calculation of the color difference of each of the samples from the average value for the carpet. These results for the seven dyed carpets are detailed in Table III. The color difference values were calculated using the FMC II color difference equation. 

Table V. Evaluation of Light Fastness for Polyester Carpet Dyed by the Reconstituted Dyebath Method...

Several other types of hand-held vacuum samplers have been used to collect dust from residential surfaces. One of these, the Baltimore Repair and Maintenance Study Cyclone Sampler (BRMCS) (Farfel et al 1994), has been evaluated against the HVFS. The BRMCS uses the same cyclone and catch bottle assembly as the HVS3, but a different nozzle and vacuum source. The vacuumed dust is sucked into the cyclone via a semi-rigid Tygon hose (2.54-cm o.d.) that is notched on the sampling end to simulate a nozzle. Suction is provided by a small, hand-held vacuum device (Royal Hand Vac , Model 553, 2 A). The collection efficiency for the BRMCS was determined to be 44.1 % n =6, s = 3.8) for plush uylou carpet, 61.1 % (n = 6, = 6.7) for level loop carpeting, 71.8-87.8 % n =6, s = 3.5) for upholstery and 84.7 % n = 3, s = 2.3) for wood surfaces (USEPA, 1996b). 

ASTM International (2003c). F 608, Standard test method for evaluation of carpet-embedded dirt removal effectiveness of household vacuum cleaners. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol. 15.07, American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohoken, PA, USA (website http //www.astm.org). 

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