Flammability and Carpet Safety Technical Bulletin The flammability characteristics of building materials, interior finishes, and furnishings are important in protecting human life and property from fire. Such properties greatly influence whether these materials ignite and how they affect the rate at which a fire might spread. Research has identified two possible ways in which carpet might become involved in a fire. The first situation is where carpet might be the first item ignited, and the possibility of spreading flame from a small ignition source, such as a dropped match, where the small flame might spread across the floor to ignite other materials. The second situation associated with carpet is its behavior in a fully developed fire, where intense heat radiates down onto the carpet surface in conjunction with advancing flames. Research and experience have produced tests that clearly demonstrate carpet’s inherently favorable flammability performance in the lab as well as the real world. Regulations based on those tests are much less stringent than those for other interior finish materials, thus acknowledging carpet’s performance in the real world. The Pill Test The first situation described above is addressed by the Flammable Fabrics Act, which is administered by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The standard, CPSC FF 1-70, covers both carpet and large rugs. A similar standard, FF 2-70, addresses rugs of less than 24 square feet. All carpet and rugs manufactured, imported or introduced into commerce in the United States, must meet the acceptance criteria of FF1-70, or in the case of small rugs, FF 2-70. The same test is used for both standards. In this test no more than one out of eight specimens may burn a distance of three inches from the point of ignition. The eight 9-inch square specimens, which have been dried in an oven, are subjected to a flame from a standard igniting source, a methenamine tablet. The tablet or “pill,” (hence the “pill test”) is placed in the center of the specimen and ignited with a match. If the flame spreads more than three inches from the point of the ignition, the specimen fails. If more than one of the eight fails, the carpet cannot be legally sold. The burden of compliance rests with the carpet manufacturer. The flammability of imported products must be certified by the foreign manufacturer and the importer unless the Consumer Public Safety Commission (CPSC) exempts one or the other of the responsibility. Source:CRIBlog.Org
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:00:00 +0000
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