A presentation on the current mattress open flame standard and various types of flame-retardant mattress materials and treatments.

1. Mattress Fire Barrier Technology
Presented to:
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Upholstered Furniture Fire Safety Technology Meeting
April 25, 2013
By:
Steve Wolf
Jones Fiber Products, Inc.

2. Topics Discussed
1. Brief overview of 16 CFR 1633, mattress open flame
standard
2. Mattress fuel loads protected by FR barrier materials
3. Mattress geometries protected by FR barrier materials
4. Various types of FR barriers used in the mattress
industry
5. Technologies and FR treatments
6. Bench scale test methods addressing both cigarette and
open flame ignition
7. Cigarette versus open flame ignition
8. Cost considerations

3. 16 CFR 1633
Unprotected bed set – Start of test

4. 16 CFR 1633
Unprotected bed set – 70 seconds

5. 16 CFR 1633
Unprotected bed set – 2 minutes

6. 16 CFR 1633
Unprotected bed set – 2 minutes, 50 seconds

7. 16 CFR 1633
Protected bed set – start of test

8. 16 CFR 1633
Protected bed set result

9. Mattress Industry Desires for FR Barriers
1. “Drop-in” or “Substitute” product for manufacturer
2. White in color
3. No free FR chemicals on product
4. Durable over the life of the end use product
5. Comfortable and invisible to the consumer
6. Availability of national distribution channels
7. Economical

10. Mattress Fuel Loads Protected by
FR Barriers
1. Wood in foundations
2. Non-FR fiber pads
3. Standard polyurethane foam
4. Memory foam
5. Latex foam
6. Gel foam

11. Mattress Geometries
Vertical and horizontal surfaces

12. Mattress Geometries
Tight-top mattress with foundation crevice

13. Mattress Geometries
Euro top

14. Mattress Geometries
One-sided pillow top crevice

15. Mattress Geometries
Two-sided pillow top with foundation crevice

16. Mattress Geometries
Crevice burn

17. Various Types of FR Barriers
Highloft Nonwoven
Densified Nonwoven Densified Nonwoven
Laminated Nonwoven Laminated Nonwoven
Knitted Socks

18. Technologies and FR Treatments
1. Highloft nonwovens

19. Technologies and FR Treatments
1. Highloft nonwovens
2. Densified nonwovens

20. Technologies and FR Treatments
1. Highloft nonwovens
2. Densified nonwovens
3. Mattress tickings laminated to nonwovens

21. Technologies and FR Treatments
1. Highloft nonwovens
2. Densified nonwovens
3. Mattress tickings laminated to nonwovens
4. FR fabrics and FR tickings

22. Technologies and FR Treatments
1. Highloft nonwovens
2. Densified nonwovens
3. Mattress tickings laminated to nonwovens
4. FR fabrics and FR tickings
5. Socks

23. FR Treatments
1. Inherent FR rayon

24. FR Treatments
1. Inherent FR rayon
2. Wool

25. FR Treatments
1. Inherent FR rayon
2. Wool
3. Glass fibers, ceramic fibers and para-aramids

26. FR Treatments
1. Inherent FR rayon
2. Wool
3. Glass fibers, ceramic fibers and para-aramids
4. Chemical treatments for cotton and non-FR
rayon fibers

27. UFAC Test Method for Cigarette Ignition
Resistance

28. Cigarette Test – ASTM D5238-10

29. Cigarette Test – ASTM D5238-10

30. Open Flame Test Methods

31. Open Flame Test Methods
Temperature Sensing Device
Horizontal Specimen Mounting Vertical Specimen Mounting
Horizontal Meeker/Fisher Burner Vertical T-Burner

32. Open Flame Test Methods
Vertical

33. Open Flame Test Methods
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55
Temp.F
Time Sec.
Vertical Thermal Transfer
1 23.7
2 24.8
3 23.9
4 24.8
5 24.1
Average

34. Open Flame Test Methods
Horizontal – Based on ASTM 7140-07

35. Open Flame Test Methods
Horizontal – Based on ASTM 7140-07
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55
Temp.F
Time Sec.
Horizontal Thermal Transfer
1 7.7
2 7.8
3 7.7
4 7.7
5 7.8
Average

36. Char Strength Test Methods
Ball Burst – Based on ASTM 6797-07

37. Char Strength Test Methods
Ball Burst – Based on ASTM 6797-07
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
ForceGram
Travel Inch
Char Strength
Series1
Series2
Series3
Series4
Series5
Average

38. Cigarette vs. Open Flame Ignition
FR barriers and the materials FR barriers are
designed to protect can react very differently to
cigarette versus open flame ignition sources.

39. Cost Considerations
The choice of FR barrier used in the mattress industry is
very dependent on the fuel load the FR barrier is
designed to protect and the geometries of the mattress

40. Cost Considerations
The choice of FR barrier used in the mattress industry is very
dependent on the fuel load the FR barrier is designed to
protect and the geometries of the mattress
For most mattress applications using high loft or densified
nonwoven materials, the weight basis used ranges from 0.5
to 1.0 ounces per square foot. In generalities, the cost of
these barriers will be in the range of $0.065 to $0.135 per
square foot. The cost of laminating nonwoven FR barriers
to mattress tickings can be estimated at $0.045 to $0.055
per square foot as a ball park range.