Filtered and Nonfiltered Cigarette Ignition of Cotton Upholstery Fabrics

Abstract

Mean smoldering temperatures and burn times were determined in order to test for differences between filtered and nonfiltered cigarettes on various upholstery fabric treatments when uncovered and covered with a sheeting material. Cigarettes were burned on four cotton upholstery fabrics over a fiberglass substrate, and on the fiberglass substrate without fabric. Smoldering temperatures were obtained by eight thermocouples positioned in the abutment of a small sample mockup similar to the fabric classification tester described in the Proposed Standard for the Flammability of Upholstered Fur niture recommended to the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by its staff. Results showed that covered cigarettes produced significantly higher temperatures compared to uncovered cigarettes. Finished cotton fabrics produced higher smoldering temperatures and required more burn time than loom-state cotton fabrics. Highest recorded mean temperatures were not produced near the butt end of the nonfiltered cigarette but at the center of the covered filtered cigarette. Both cigarette types produced irregular burning patterns on the various fabric structures.