Fundamental scientific principles of textile heat and fire protection

3 Fundamental scientific principles of textile heat and fire protection 

Any flame constitutes a convective, oxidative, chemical reaction zone in which the energy is contained within the extremely hot gas molecules and particulates, including smoke. When a flame impinges upon a textile surface, not only is it subjected to the high temperature of the flame but also the chemical intermediates of the reaction zone, which may increase the likelihood of its degradation and ignition. Thus the selection of textile fabrics exposed to flame hazards should take account of both the temperature and reactivity of an impinging flame source. 

Once heat is absorbed by a textile fibre, it may promote physical or chemical change or both. All organic fibre-forming polymers will eventually thermally degrade at or above a threshold temperature often defined as the pyrolysis temperature, T, sometimes influenced by the presence of oxygen in the air. Typical values of T are listed in Table 8.1 for the more common and selected high performance fibres. Once heated 

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