Flammability Characteristics of Lightweight Cellulosic and Polyester-Cellulosic Blend Fabrics

The ignition and burn times for lightweight (< 4oz/yd ² ) all cellulosic, polyester/ cotton, and polyester/rayon fabrics held at 45° and in the vertical mode were measured and compared using modifications of the CS 191-53 test method. Sur face ignition times increased with increasing fabric weight but were essentially unaffected by fiber content or burning angle. The burn times for all cellulosic fabrics were longer and more sensitive to fabric weight than they were for polyester/cellulosic blend fabrics. In addition, polyester/cotton blends tended to have longer burn times than similar weights of polyester/rayon. Differential thermal analysis demonstrated a synergism between the polyester and cotton components in blended fabrics during rapid thermal decomposition.