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Fabrics and textiles are highly combustible and prone to fire incidents in households, industrial, defense, and manufacturing sectors. As a result, how fabric can be treated with fire retardants has become a top priority for businesses and homeowners across the United States.
Today, fire retardant chemicals for fabrics are one of the most viable options to prevent them from catching fire.
This blog's major topic is how those fabrics can be treated with flame-retardant chemicals to reduce fires in different industries.
What Are Fire Retardants?
Fire retardants are chemicals that help prevent fire spread in textiles, plastics, building materials, electrical, transportation, and defense.
They can be efficiently applied to synthetic fibers' molecular structures as they transform gases and tars into carbon char, thus decreasing the fabric's burning pace.
Industrial workwear, fireman costumes, contractor attire, painter clothes, and so on all use different fire retardant sprays so the fabric burns slowly.
Chemically speaking, the molecular structures of flame retardants can are classified into the following categories:
Brominated (BRFs), carbon-based, chlorinated, antimony oxide, boron-based, minerals, phosphorus-containing, nitrogen-containing, silicon-based, synergists, and others.
Aluminum hydroxide, magnesium Dihydroxide, organophosphorus, and others
How Can A Fabric Be Treated with Fire Retardant?
The process of treating fabric with fire retardantinvolves the application of special chemicals to reduce its flammability. Different methods exist for applying these chemicals, including spraying, dipping, or incorporating them into the fabric during manufacturing. The key is tocreate a barrierthat inhibits or delays the ignition and spread of flames when exposed to fire.
One common method involves using chemical treatments like bromine, chlorine, or phosphorous compounds. These substances disrupt combustion, making it harder for the fabric to catch fire or sustain flames. Recent tech advances have produced eco-friendly fire retardants, alleviating worries about conventional chemicals' health and environmental effects.
How Long Does Fire Retardant Last on Fabric?
The longevity of fire retardant treatments on fabric depends on various factors, including the type of treatment, application quality, and use frequency. Generally, fire retardancy is not a permanent feature; over time, it may diminish due to wear, washing, or exposure to environmental elements.
The durability of fire retardant treatments can be affected by the quality of the initial application. Fabrics treated with precision and high-quality chemicals will likely maintain their fire-resistant properties for extended periods. However, frequent washing or cleaning, exposure to harsh weather conditions, and abrasion can accelerate the deterioration of these treatments.
Manufacturers often provide guidelines on how to care for fire-retardant-treated fabrics to maximize their lifespan. Following these recommendations, such as using gentle cleaning methods and avoiding harsh chemicals, can prolong the treatment's effectiveness.
Fabric Treatment With Fire Retardants
There are two common methods for treating and making fire-resistant fabrics:
- Chemical Dipping: The material submerges in a chemical solution that serves as a flame-resistant barrier when absorbed into the fibers. These compounds undergo a chemical reaction when exposed to great heat.
- Coating Technique: Textile makers add a fire-retardant back coating to the cloth rather than soaking it. Nonetheless, this procedure renders the fabric rigid and stiff, resulting in less natural-looking drapery.
Many materials are used to treat textiles that come in the form of spray-on fire retardants for fabrics. These are some of the most often used chemicals applied to fabrics:
- Kevlar
- Twaron
- Indura fr cotton
- M5 fiber
- Nomex
- Coated nylon
- Carbon Foam
- Proban fr cotton
- PYROMEX
- Pyrovatex fr cotton
- Dale Anti flame
- Technora
- Teijinconex
- Lenzing FR
- PBI
- Carbon X
- Kanox
- Mazic
- Modacrylic
- Kermel, etc.
RDR Technologies for All Fire-Retardant Chemical Technologies
Now that you understand what fire retardant materials are, make sure to get them from a reputable vendor.
Want more information on Fire Resistant Fabrics Industry? Feel free to contact us.
We collaborate with the nation's leading fire-retardant producers to provide you with a one-stop shop to meet your fire code needs.
If you require a special fire retardant or are unsure which product to buy according to your business field, feel free to contact us for an assessment.
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What’s the difference between FR-treated and inherent FR fabric?
Two types of fabrics typically serve the market for flame-resistant protective clothing. These typical fabrics are:
- Inherent FR or
- FR-treated
But what do these terms mean, and is there a difference? Simply put, inherent FR implies that the fibres used in the fabric are naturally flame resistant - like aramids and modacrylics.
FR-treated means that the flame-resistant property is a result of a chemical treatment that is applied to the fabric.
How do FR chemical treatments work, and when are FR-treated fabrics a good choice?
FR chemical treatment dates back to the introduction of Proban® by Solvay back in the 1950s. Some of the earliest applications of Proban® treated cotton fabrics were in children's nightwear. Nowadays, several chemical suppliers can make this chemical called 'THPC chemical.' THPC is a durable flame retardant treatment for cotton and other cellulosic fibres and blends. Durability is achieved by the formation of a cross-linked inert polymer within the fibre, which makes sure the FR properties won’t be washed out.
Performance improvements along the way
It's, of course, significant that this chemical treatment can turn cotton, which is a relatively cheap fabric, into a fabric with flame retardant properties. And its cost-effective positioning has turned this fabric into a mainstream solution used in protective FR clothing.
While it all started with 100% cotton fabrics, different blends were introduced to add specific characteristics to the fabric, like better mechanical performance, lower shrinkage, and better colour fastness.
Benefits of FR-treated fabrics for different industrial markets
- As discussed previously, a prominent benefit is that it is a more cost-effective option for protective clothing.
- FR-treated fabrics offer excellent protection against molten metal splashes. For this reason, in many steel & metal environments, protective clothing made with FR-treated fabrics is the standard solution.
- In the case of welding, this fabric is the only textile fabric that can achieve decent protection levels. In case of intensive welding, we still recommend wearing a leather apron on top.
- Next to the protection against flames and molten metal splashes, the chemical treatment also gives these fabrics adequate performance in arc flash protection. This is why markets like utilities and oil & gas use FR-treated fabrics.
Side Effects of FR-treated fabrics
Cotton is a well-known fibre and is widely regarded as comfortable — since we use this a lot at home. Thanks to the chemical treatment, there are excellent protection features added to cotton, but there are also downsides to choosing FR-treated fabrics:
- When washed regularly, which is often required in industries that use protective clothing, cotton-based fabrics tend to lose their colour quickly, giving the fabric a white-washed effect over time.
- Extra care is needed during the washing process, and specific soaps and detergents should be used in combination with the correct temperatures during washing.
- If bleach is used, this will affect the FR-property of the fabric. Most companies that provide protective clothing to their workers make use of an industrial laundry service contract to ensure proper washing instructions are followed and continued protection is guaranteed. Some FR-treated fabrics are still in use over 50 industrial cleaning cycles.
- The garments will get to a point where they are too dirty to wash again and, in some cases, may need to be replaced often.
Is FR-treated fabric a good choice? Well, it's all about preferences
Ultimately, there is no such thing as bad FR fabrics. They all have to meet the specifications they claim to protect professionals against. Therefore, when choosing protective clothing, it more comes down to elements like colour fastness, comfort, industrial launderability, the cost, and the importance you give to each of these elements to define what suits you best.
We know there are many options for protective clothing available in the market and that it can be challenging to make the right choice. Our experts in FR-fabrics are, therefore, more than happy to guide you on which option is best for your workforce. Get in touch and make an appointment with us today. Or download the FR Fabrics Guide:
Read the FR Fabrics guide
Discover how to improve your protective clothing decisions, download our complete and comprehensive FR Fabrics Guide today:
The company is the world’s best Fireproof Fabric Suppliers supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.