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 Engineering Laboratory /                  Fire Research Division
      National Fire Research Laboratory

    
    Breadcrumb
        Fire Calorimetry Database (FCD)Full-Scale Experiments to Demonstrate Flammability Risk of Residential Upholstered Furniture and Mitigation Using Barrier Fabric

            Research Overview
                                A series of three full scale room fire experiments were conducted to demonstrate the potential fire risk of residential upholstered furniture. In this work, we investigated fire growth in a furnished compartment intended to mimic a living room where a couch was the main fuel load. Three TB-117-2013 compliant and commercially available couches were procured. The couches were identical except for the type of cover fabric: two couches used a cotton blend cover and one used a thermoplastic polyester cover. One of the two couches with the cotton blend cover fabric was modified by adding a barrier fabric as a liner between the cover fabric and the couch padding material. The barrier contained only intrinsically fire-resistant fibers without additional, chemically active fire retardants. Three fire tests, one per couch type, were conducted. A throw pillow on the arm of the couch, ignited with a propane flame, acted as an ignition source. Room Dimensions: 3.7 m (12 ft) by 3.7 m (12 ft) by 2.4 m (8 ft) ceiling height.  Opening Dimensions: 2.4 m (8 ft) wide, 2.1 m (7 ft) tall.


                  M. Zammarano, MS. Hoehler, JR. Shields, AL. Thompson, I. Kim, IT. Leventon and MF. Bundy, Full-Scale Experiments to Demonstrate Flammability Risk of Residential Upholstered Furniture and Mitigation Using Barrier Fabric, NIST Technical Note 2129, Nation...
  https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2129
                                        Low Heat Release Upholstered Furniture Project Webpage
  https://www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division-73300/flammability-reduction-73304/low-heat-release-upholstered-furniture
  

      

      Experiment Name
                            Plot of Heat Release Rate
                                                  Ignition Photo
                                                  Date/Time
                                                  Specimen
                                                  Fuel Type
                            Test Duration (min)Sort descending
                            Total Heat Released (MJ)
                            Peak HRR (kW)Throw_pillow_2
                            Plot of Fire Heat Release Rate with event markers. Uncertainty bar shown at peak value.
                                                                                        Ignition
                                                                                        07/31/2020 7:40:08 AM EDT
                                                                                        Throw Pillow
                                                                                        Polyester
                            6.65
                            4.20
                            45.0Throw_pillow_1
                            Plot of Fire Heat Release Rate with event markers. Uncertainty bar shown at peak value.
                                                                                        Ignition
                                                                                        07/31/2020 6:24:51 AM EDT
                                                                                        Throw Pillow
                                                                                        Polyester
                            7.10
                            3.96
                            34.6Test_1
                            Plot of Fire Heat Release Rate with event markers. Uncertainty bar shown at peak value.
                                                                                        Ignition
                                                                                        03/10/2020 5:49:14 AM EDT
                                                                                        furnished room with polyester fabric sofa no barrier
                                                                                        Cellulose, Plastic
                            37.10
                            2,551
                            9,175Test_3
                            Plot of Fire Heat Release Rate with event markers. Uncertainty bar shown at peak value.
                                                                                        Ignition
                                                                                        03/16/2020 10:06:42 AM EDT
                                                                                        furnished room with cotton fabric sofa no barrier
                                                                                        Cellulose, Plastic
                            37.17
                            2,636
                            9,639Test_2
                            Plot of Fire Heat Release Rate with event markers. Uncertainty bar shown at peak value.
                                                                                        Ignition
                                                                                        03/12/2020 5:30:32 AM EDT
                                                                                        furnished room with cotton fabric sofa with barrier
                                                                                        Cellulose, Plastic
                            54.22
                            2,246
                            8,422

      Bryant, R. and Bundy, M. The NIST 20 MW Calorimetry Measurement System for Large-Fire Research, Technical Note (NIST TN) 2077, 2019https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2077
        NIST Fire Calorimetry Database (FCD)https://doi.org/10.18434/mds2-2314

      Last Updated December 18, 2020
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