Evaluation of Carpets in the National Bureau of Standards Flooring Radiant Panel

Abstract

The burning behavior of carpets of very similar construction and contract com mercial carpets made from different fibers and blends in the National Bureau of Standard Flooring Radiant Panel were significantly affected by the pile fiber com position. Carpets of 100% wool and 80/20 wool/nylon produced critical radient flux (CRF) values > 0.5 W/cm² and these values were not affected by underlays. The CRF values of nylon carpets depended significantly on carpet construction, with low weights producing low CRF values, and decreased significantly with underlays. An increase in the imposed heat flux decreased the CRF values for nylon, but in the case of wool, CRF values significantly increased. This is probably associated with the different heat outputs and melting or charring behavior of the two fibers. Other carpet parameters that can affect CRF values are Zirpro flame-retardent treat ment of wool, shorn pile density, backing fiber composition (jute or polypropylene), and flame retardant latex.

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