7 - Flammability tests for upholstered furniture and mattresses

Abstract

When a fire occurs within a residential dwelling, there are few objects that have the potential to bring about untenable conditions as swiftly as upholstered furniture. It is not only the heat given off during the growth period, but also the toxic combustion products produced that overwhelm the occupants. This chapter describes the current level of understanding of the fire behavior of upholstered furniture and mattresses. Recently, a great deal of research has been completed on upholstered furniture and mattresses conducted with support from the European Commission. The study, Combustion Behaviour of Upholstered Furniture (CBUF), incorporated both extensive experimental research as well as enhanced fire modeling. The results of this research are the basis for the discussion on modeling upholstered furniture fires in the chapter. In addition to the total number of fires, the individual ignition scenarios are also of interest when assessing the hazards associated with upholstered furniture and mattress/bedding fires. Research has shown that the fire hazard of upholstered furniture and mattress/bedding fires is a function of the ignition source. There is a broad spectrum of experimental methods for upholstered furniture and mattresses covering a wide range of fire scenarios. Test standards can be broadly divided into three areas based on the item used in the test. For example, some standards such as TB 117 Requirements, Test Procedures and Apparatus for Testing the flame retardance of resilient filling materials used in upholstered furniture use only individual components, namely, the padding material and fabric. The more applicable test standards involve testing of actual furniture items and quantifying the actual fire hazard with Oxygen Depletion Calorimetry (ODC).