Fire-resistant garments

Gasperin et al. [70] used a manikin system to objectively assess the performance of fire resistant garments. The system acquires temperature readings fi om the manikin, calculates... 

In Sections 24.3 and 24.5 the flammability and fire resistance of individual fiber/fabric type are discussed. However, as also discussed before, the fire resistance of a fabric not only depends upon the nature of components and the FR treatments applied, but also on fabric area density, construction, air permeability, and moisture content. Nonwovens, for example, will have superior properties to woven or knitted structure, even if all other variables are kept the same.93 The air entrapped within the interstices of any fabric structure and between layers of fabrics within a garment assembly provides the real thermal insulation. For effective thermal and fire resistance in a fabric structure, these insulating air domains need to be maintained.22 In general, for protective clothing and fire-block materials, for best performance multilayered fabric structures are employed. The assembly structures can be engineered to maximize their performance. It is beyond the scope of this chapter to go into details of these composite structures hence the reader is referred to the literature on specified applications and products available. 

Nomex fiber has excellent fire resistance and is frequently used in applications requiring resistance to fire Nomex and Kevlar fibers, individually or in a blend, are used to make fire protection garments. They are also used extensively in electrical insulation, thermal liners and moisture barriers. 

Typically, sites lease their FRC from a vendor and workers have five to seven days of FRC available for work. At the end of the workday, they usually place their dirty FRC in a collection site. The vendor collects it, washes it, and returns it to the user work area. This is done to prevent the worker from taking the FRC home and washing it with the wrong detergents, bleaches, etc., that might degrade the fire resistant compounds of the garment. 

Rossi R. Characterizing comfort properties of flame resistant fabrics and garments. In Kilinc FS, editor. Handbook of fire resistant textiles. Oxford Woodhead Publishing 2013. p. 415-33. 

The Nomex family products consists of staple fibres, continuous filament yarns, paper, woven, hydroentangled and coated fabrics, and they are used in firefighter garments insulation in fire resistant thermal protective apparel and apparel fabrics to protect against flash fire and electric arc exposure. Examples of DuPont Nomex fibres suitable for protective clothing are summarized in Table 3.3 below. 

Many companies have a policy that anyone exposed to potential flash fires should wear fire-resistant clothing (FRC). The same policy applies to personnel working on electrical systems where the voltage is greater than 480 volts. These companies will also have a policy that workers on offshore platforms should wear FRC where they could be exposed to potential flash fires. FRC must be worn as the outer-most garment sleeves must be rolled down to the wrist and front closures engaged to the base of the throat. 

A specific evaluation of the work environment to determine the requirement for wearing flame-resistant garments must be based on the potential hazards workers are exposed to in their work duties, the evaluation must include among others, factors such as the proximity of the work to the flash fire hazard, the presence of flammable materials in the environment during process operations, the potential for the task being performed to increase the possibility of a flammable release, e.g., a mechanical failure such as a line breaking, etc. [Section... 

When employees such as operators and maintenance personnel are in the areas where flash fire hazards exist, yom employees must wear flame-resistant garments/flame-resistant clothing to protect against the flash fire hazards. 

Manmade fiber with fire-resistant (not fire-proof) qualities. The fabric s weave and the garment design will determine its resistance to liquid and vapor exposure. 

As a result of their outstanding physical and mechanical properties, aromatic polyamides are attractive materials for use in high-performance structural applications 853072 833611 820253, including aircraft components or fire protection garments, as constituents of both traditional, i.e., fibre-reinforced composites 774110 762844, and molecular composites. One of these applications takes advantage of their thermal stability 881232 825031 763791 755849 and allows the manufacturing of heat-resistant materials for fire protection 713906. In a different context, aromatic polyamides (aramid fibres) have been proposed in the past few years as precursors of activated carbon materials with distinctive adsorbent properties (thermally stable molecular sieves). Aramid fibres, e.g., poly(w-phenylene isophthalamide), poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) 709654, etc., are a class of synthetic polymers that possess excellent thermal and oxidative stability, good flame resistance, and superior mechanical and dielectric behaviour. 

Fire-retardant material does not possess the same inherent qualities as flame-resistant material. Fire-retardant material is made from flammable materials, such as cotton or nylon, which are treated with a combination of chemicals to allow the material to resist burning. A manufacturer will use specific combinations of chemicals and win soak or spray the material so it will have the ability to self extinguish after being exposed to flames. Unlike a flame-resistant garment, fire-... 

PPE garments used by the armed and police forces and those used by safety personnel should provide some resistance to flame as flame/fire may be initiated on purpose with the intention to cause harm/injury. Attacks involving fire can be extremely severe and could be targeted on one individual and hence the protective clothing used should be able to withstand flash fire/flame, to allow enough time to react and escape from the presented threat. It is therefore essential that the fibres used are retardant to fire. 

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