Potential alternate smoldering ignition sources: literature review with analysis

Abstract

Existing and proposed U.S. flammability standards for soft furnishings such as mattresses and upholstered furniture specify a "standard" cigarette as the ignition source in smoldering resistance performance tests. With the introduction of reduced ignition propensity cigarettes into the marketplace, the specific conventional cigarette that has been widely used in testing for ignition resistance is no longer in production. A standard reference cigarette, SRM 1196, has been developed as a short-term replacement. However, to support furnishings manufacturers and testing organizations in product design and evaluation, and to assist regulators in the compliance evaluation process, a feasible and preferably non-agricultural ignition source with long-term availability is desirable. A key first step in establishing such a standard ignition source is examination of prior characterizations of smoldering ignition sources and the cigarette ignition process. This report documents a literature survey on these topics.

The roles of standard cigarettes in assuring the ignition resistance of soft furnishings

“…NIST compiled these sources from an extensive review of the archival literature. 52 These included a variety of electrically powered devices, oven-heated metal pieces, and reacting materials. The report also reviewed the thermal characteristics of cigarettes, the parameters that affected whether ignition occurred, the response of substrates to the presence of a lit cigarette, and the measurement techniques used to characterize the ignition process.…”

Investigation of surrogate smoldering ignition sources for testing soft furnishings

“…Many smoldering studies have utilized various ignition sources to initiate smoldering combustion. A review of these studies is provided in NIST TN 1710 [16]. The following is an abbreviated summary of that report.…”