Which Fabrics burn the fastest?
- Cotton
- Satin
- Polyester
- Silk
- Fannel(fire retardent)
- Cotton(fire retardent)
- Silk(fire retardent)
Purpose:
The purpose of this experiment is to test which
fabric will burn the fastest. A friend of mine performed this
same experiment which had suprising results that in turn made me want
to see for myself. In order to really see this experiment work,
it is important to have fabrics that are controlled(not flame
retardent) and flame resisitant fabrics.
Materials:
- Different pieces of fabric
- bucket of water
- bucket of flame retardent solution
- lighter
- stop watch
Content:
Fire triangle
There are three parts to the Fire Triangle. The first
one is Oxygen, the second one is Fuel, and the third one is heat. If there is
oxygen to sustain combustion, enough heat to raise the material to its ignition
temperature, and some sort of fuel or combustible material there will be a
chemical reaction called oxidation. You take any of these away and the flame will not burn. fire triangle
Fuel -- something which will burn (such as paper, plastic, fabrics, wood,
etc.)
Heat -- enough to make the fuel burn
Oxygen -- air we breathe
Flame-Retardent
This is what a Flame-Retardant tries to do,
it takes away one. The flame retardant in this experiment creates
a layer around the fabric which tries to cut off the oxygen source.
Nothing flammable can really be fire proof but you can either
spray, soak, or purchase already flame resisitant fabrics to reduce the
time it takes to burn. It will either cause the material to take
longer to ignite, extinguish itself, raise the ignition temperature, or
cut off the oxygen source somewhat.
Explanation:
- Cut out cloth into three equal pieces
- Make sure the pieces are about two feet long and a foot wide
- Light controlled(dry fabric)
- Light water soaked fabric
- Light flame retardant fabric
While doing this experiment, you will
either use pre-made fabrics that have been treated with flame-retardant
solution or dip them into the solution yourself. Making
predictions as to which material will burn faster whether it is
controlled or treated. You will use the stop watch to write down
some times for each fabric to make a chart for the data. Here are
some results with the fabrics that you will see occur:
Fabrics
- Cotton
burns slowly and the flame extends while it is burning.
- Polyester can catch on fire fairly easily.
- Nylon is a stretchy kind of fabric. When burning has a strong smell and
is sort of sticky.
- Rayon. When burning Rayon melts into a
glob, and melts until the flame is out and not burning.
- Silk melts and
then puts itself out.
A fabric that really
isn’t recognized but worn is Acetate. Acetate catches on fire easily and burns
quickly.
References:
links:
fire triangle
experiment
fire retardant fabrics
