Interliner Effect on the Fire Performance of Upholstery Materials

Abstract

Sample screening can be an effective tool for understanding the fire problem of upholstered furniture. A study of the contribution of the com ponents of furniture construction to the heat release will permit the selection of materials which will be more likely to pass full scale tests. Component con tribution is complicated by fabric treatments and the use of interliners. Unless the interaction of these components during the crucial fire propagation phase is understood, no direction for improvement can be obtained from either full or small scale testing. By identifying the relevant interactions the selection of upholstery materials can be made more judiciously.

The heat release of selected foam/interliner/fabric combinations, using the Ohio State Heat Release Calorimeter, shows that the heat release contribution of various upholstery components can be identified. For foams covered with fabric, interliners generally improve the performance of those foams which pass California TB 117 while detracting from the performance of those which pass California TB 133 (with no covering). For certain fabrics which melt, the heat release at low flux is independent of the type of foam, or even the presence of foam, when a glass cloth interliner is used. Fabric backings are shown to con tribute to fire propagation, particularly when no interliners are used. Because the heat release increases when the fabric is back-coated, thermal decomposi tion of the underlying foam is increased with an interliner.