Inter-Bolt Variability of Cotton Duck #4 and the Effects on Cigarette Ignition Propensity Test Outcome

Abstract

Two bolts of cotton duck fabric that meet military specifications and the purchasing guidelines described by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for use as a substrate in "Test Methods for Quantifying the Propensity of Cigarettes to Ignite Soft Furnishings" were tested with smoldering cigarettes to determine the effect of inter-bolt variations on cigarette ignition propensity test outcome. The test was designed around an ASTM method that calls for the control of all known test variables, except for those inherent to the fabric's manufacture. The ignitability of each fabric was determined by testing two sets of 48 replications for each of two experimental cigarettes. The two bolts of cotton duck fabric showed a statistically significant difference in ignitions, independent of environmental and experimental fac tors. Two additional bolts of cotton duck #4 were analyzed. Cigarette ignition test results and the physical parameters of the additional bolts offer evidence that the NIST specifications are difficult to meet and further that test results are extremely sensitive to fabric properties.

Keywords

cigarette ignition propensity cotton duck inter-bolt variabil ity mock-up Fire Safe Cigarette Act of 1990 soft furnishings.

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