High performance textiles for heat and fire protection

Key words protective textiles, fire resistance, heat resistance, aramid, thermoset, ceramic, intumescent, nanotechnology. 

The need to develop flame resistant textiles and related materials, such as composite building structures based on wood and other plant derivatives, has been realised for thousands of years with reported treatments in Roman 

In more recent times, use of chemical treatments has been made in order to reduce the flammability hazard associated with the more flammable textiles such as cotton and linen. The significant patent of Wyld in 1735 describing a finishing treatment for ceUulosic textiles using alum, ferrous sulphate and borax, and Gay-Lussac s first systematic study of the use of flame retardants in 1821 have formed the basis for the more recent and modern approaches to developing heat and fire resistant textiles. 

The need for fire protection is usually driven by regulations, some of which may relate to overarching legislation. As this is a subject beyond the scope of this chapter, it is sufficient to provide just a few examples by way of illustration. Noteworthy in the UK is the legislation introduced in 1988 that required all domestic soft furnishings and furniture (apart from curtains 

It is probably evident from the above introductory discussion, and important to realise, that the whole issue of heat and fire protection with respect to textiles is a complex area involving knowledge of elements of fire science, flame retardant treatments, development of heat and fire resistant fibres and derived textile structures and the inter-relationships between regulations, applications and markets. The bibliography lists a number of prime sources of information in these areas, and for an overview of textiles for fire and heat protection the reader should refer in particular to a recent article by this author. In this chapter, the focus will be only on high performance textiles in which fire and heat protection are essential requirements. 

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