Effects of upholstery materials on the burning behavior of real‐scale residential upholstered furniture mock‐ups

Abstract

Fire spread and growth on real-scale four cushion mock-ups of residential upholstered furniture (RUF) were investigated with the goal of identifying whether changes in five classes of materials (barrier, flexible polyurethane foam, polyester fiber wrap, upholstery fabric, and sewing thread), referred to as factors, resulted in statistically significant changes in burning behavior. A fractional factorial experimental design plus practical considerations yielded a test matrix with 20 material combinations. Experiments were repeated a minimum of two times. Measurements included fire spread rates derived from video recordings and heat release rates (HRRs). A total of 13 experimental parameters (3 based on the videos and 10 on the HRR results), referred to as responses, characterized the measurements. Statistical analyses based on Main Effects Plots (main effects) and Block Plots (main effects and factor interactions) were used. The results showed that three of the factors resulted in statistically significant effects on varying numbers of the 13 responses. The Barrier and Fabric factors had the strongest main effects with roughly comparable magnitudes. Foam was statistically significant for fewer of the responses and its overall strength was weaker than for Barrier and Fabric. No statistically significant main effects were identified for Wrap or Thread. Multiple two-term interactions between factors were identified as being statistically significant. The Barrier*Fabric interaction resulted in the highest number of and strongest statistically significant effects. The existence of two-term interactions means that it will be necessary to consider their effects in approaches designed to predict the burning behavior of RUF.

Interpol review of fire debris analysis and fire investigation 2019–2022

“…Pitts et al examined the changes in fire spread and fire growth on real-scale furniture upholstered with different materials, including barrier, fabric, sewing thread, wrap, and foam [ 178 ]. The ability to ignite the furniture was dependent on the material, with the barrier, fabric, and foam having the most statistically significant effect, and thread and wrap having the least significant effect on burning characteristics.…”

Solving the soft furnishings fire problem (without incurring collateral damage)

“…Pitts and co‐workers conducted tests on real‐scale four‐cushion mockups of residential furniture to identify the extent to which changes in materials led to significant changes in burning behavior 15 . The cushion variables were the upholstery fabric (thermoplastic or cotton), the type of FPUF, the presence of a polyester fiber wrap around the foam, the presence of one of two fire barrier layers under the fabric, and the type of sewing thread.…”

Repeat Fire Tests of Upholstered Furniture: Variability and Experimental Observations

“…Of particular note in the context of furniture-scale calorimetry is the recent work of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US. This group has produced a series of recent publications that outline the fire performance of upholstered furniture and describe techniques to mitigate the burning of upholstered chairs [10,[19][20][21][22][23]. These studies have identified various aspects that influence the growth rate of upholstered furniture fires (e.g., generation of a pool fire beneath the item) and present a range of solutions to improve furniture safety, such as passive fabric barriers within the make-up of the item which can greatly reduce the peak HRR.…”