Analyzing steam transfer though various flame-retardant fabric assemblies in radiant heat exposure

Protection from steam burns is beneficial to reduce the nonfatal injuries of firefighters in firefighting and rescue operations. A new multifunctional testing apparatus was employed to study heat and steam transfer in protective clothing under low-pressure steam and low-level thermal radiation. Single-, double-, and triple-layered fabric assemblies were selected in this experiment. It is indicated that the existence of hot steam weakens the positive influence of the fabric’s thickness, but increases the importance of the air permeability on the thermal protection. The fabric assemblies entrapping moisture barrier can better resist the penetration of steam through the fabric system, and significantly improve the thermal protection in low steam and thermal radiation exposure due to the low air permeability. Additionally, the total transmitted energy ( Q _e ) and dry thermal energy ( Q _d ) under low steam and thermal radiation are dramatically larger than that under thermal radiation ( p < 0.05), while hot steam insignificantly reduces the thermal energy during the cooling ( p = 0.143 > 0.05). The understanding of steam heat transfer helps to provide proper guidance to improve the thermal protection of the firefighter’s clothing and reduce steam burns.