Mattress Tests

Furniture calorimeters were developed in the 1980s in several laboratories to obtain this kind of data.70 71 The first furniture calorimeter test standard was published in 1987 in the Nordic countries as NT Fire 032. Furniture calorimeter test standards have been developed by ASTM for chairs, mattresses, and stacked chairs. The corresponding designations are ASTM E 1537, ASTM E 1590, and ASTM E 1822, respectively. The California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (CBHFTI) developed California Technical Bulletins (CAL TB) 133 and 603. These documents describe fire test procedures to qualify seating furniture and mattresses, respectively, for use in public occupancies in California. CAL TB 603 has been superseded by the Federal CPSC standard 16 CFR 1633. The primary difference between the various chair and mattress tests is the ignition source. 

In 1988, the UK introduced Safety Regulations which ultimately will require that domestic upholstered furniture and mattresses will meet and resist a cigarette test and that fabrics and fillings will resist specified flaming ignition sources. 

The UK National Bedding Federation introduced a voluntary code which required its members only to manufacture mattresses which resisted a smouldering cigarette on its own and when covered by an insulating, non-combustible fibre pad (17). This test is now defined within BS 6807(8) while BS 7175(18) refers to bedding and pillows. 

Cigarette resistance to BS 5852 Part 1 is required by the primary upholstery composites of the actual furniture and mattress. This is consistent with all previous UK regulations and specifications which required that fire tests should be carried out on the actual upholstery composite. 

The Consumer Safety Regulations 1988 regulations were recently published for domestic furniture and mattresses. These are a complex series of relatively simple ignition tests designed to restrict the use of easily ignitable fabrics and infill materials. The 1988 regulations replace the earlier regulations of 1980 and 1983. 

When the non-foam fillings are used as composite fillings ror upholstered seating or for mattresses and bed bases the multiple layer composite is treated as a single material and tested in its final form to BS 5852 part 2 or BS 6807 respectively. 

A similar situation exists for mattresses where BS 6807 section 4 specifically excludes the testing of edge piping, tufts, pleats etc. The cigarette is used directly and also covered with a layer of non-combustible insulation representing non-smouldering bedding. 

The match test (No.l gas flame) is currently only applied to upholstered furniture but will be applied to mattress in the future by the same mechanism as the cigarette test. 

Although the ignition resistance of upholstered furniture, mattresses and bed assemblies are specified by tests on the final composite specimen, filling materials and foams are additionally required to conform to the 1988 regulations (Table IX). 

Table IX. Ignition Test Requirements for Upholstered Furniture and Mattresses for UK...

Actual upholstered composites are required to resist the cigarette source of BS 5852 Part 1 (furniture). Mattresses are also required to resist the cigarette test uncovered and covered with non- combustible insulation of BS 6807. 

All filling materials are specified by ignition tests to BS 5852 Part 2 and composite non-PU foam mattress fillings to BS 5852 Part 2 and BS 6807 for seating and mattress applications respectively with a flame retarded polyester fabric. Different ignition sources, constructions and pass/fail criteria are used to differentiate between "acceptable" and "unacceptable" materials. 

BS 6807 Methods of Test for the Ignitibility of Mattresses with Primary and Secondary Sources of Ignition. BSI, London. 

BS 7177 Method of Test for the Resistance to Ignition of Mattresses, Divans and Bed Bases. BSI, London 1989. 

Method of Test for the Ignitability of Mattresses in the Form of Bed Assemblies. National Bedding Federation. London 1982. 

Standard Method of Test for Heat Release Rates for Upholstered Furniture Components or Composites and Mattresses Using an Oxygen Consumption Calorimeter, 1990. Ignitability of Exterior Wall Assemblies Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source, 1994. 

My symptoms were painful eyes, numbness in my bottom lip, shortness of breath and weight loss. When I also became sensitive to my mattress and could no longer wear my clothes, the situation became unlivable. In July 2005, it turned out from testing that I also had a serious intolerance to pesticides on food and to various food products. 

In 1973, the U.S. Department of Commerce promulgated Flammability Standard FF4-72. This Act requires all mattresses to pass a cigarette smoldering test. Boric acid (12-14 wt.% loading) in conjunction with a dust control agent (1 wt.% of paraffinic oil) is normally used in the cotton batting to pass the test. 

ASTM E 1590 Standard Test Method for Fire Testing of Mattresses. Annual Book of Standards, Vol. 04.07, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA. 

Smoldering ignition of mattresses is regulated by CPSC and is also covered by the FFA, since the smoldering test in 16 CFR 163217 was introduced in 1972. 

Requirements for record keeping and prototype testing of mattresses for compliance with State and Federal Flammability Laws. Questions and Answers about the Amended Mattress Flammability Standard 16 CFR 1632 (FF 4-72)... 

Requirements, test procedures, and apparatus for testing the resistance of a mattress or mattress pad to combustion which may result from a smoldering cigarette... 

Flammability test procedure for mattresses for use in high-risk occupancies... 

Requirements and test procedure for resistance of a mattress/box spring set to a large open flame... 

The USCG regulations include reaction-to-fire requirements for the same products as the FTP code, but the tests required tend to be more realistic or severe. In particular, upholstered furniture and mattresses need to meet open-flame tests and not just smoldering tests, for example. Smaller... 

Fabrics Seat upholstery, mattress ticking and covers, curtains, draperies, wall coverings, and window shades8-0-1-11 14 CFR 25 Appendix F, Part I (vertical test) Flame time < 10s bum length < 6 in. ASTM E 662 Ds (4.0) < 200... 

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