Indian Journal of Fibre & Textile Rescarch

Vol. 3 1 , June 2006, pp. 330-334

Application of flame retardant products to knitted fabric

G Ozcan", H Dayioglu & C Candan

Textile Engi neering Departmcnt, Istanbul Technical U n ivcrsity, Istanbul , Turkey
Received 1 Septelllber 2004; revised received 3 1 January 2005; accepted 1 1 April 2005

The effect of durable flame retardant products on knitted fabric flammabi lity has been studied. Firstly, the non-durable,
semi-durable and durablc flame retardants were applied to the bleached knitted cotton fabrics to observe their effects on
fabric flammabi l ity and then phosphorus-based durable flame retardant products were applied to bleached fabrics at
different concentrations, curing temperatures and curing ti mes alternatively to evaluate the effect of thei r treatment
parameters on fabric burning behaviour. The burning behaviour and weight loss values of all the fabrics were evaluated
using the standard vertical flammabil ity test method. The resul ts evaluated using an SPSS statistical program show that the
flame retardant concentration, curing temperature and curing time are vcry i mportant parameters to obtain FR fabrics having
good flame resistance and acceptable handle and appearance.
Keywords: Cotton, Flame retardant fabric, Knitted fabric
IPC Code: Int. C1.8 C09K2 1 100; D06M I IIOO

1 Introduction amidosulphonic acid are often used as non-durable

Flame retardancy may be conferred on textile flame retardant products. 2 ,3 Semi-durable flame
materials by the use of inherently flame resistant retardant products may crosslink to fibre reacti ve
fibres, changing of fibre molecular structures by co­ groups. Flame retardancy can be maintained for 5- 1 5
polymerization and chemical modification methods ti mes to dry or aqueous cleaning processes, depending
(as in modacrylic fibres or FR-polyester), on their constitution. Halogenated products, such as
i ncorporation of flame retardant additi ves during the chlorinated paraffin, polyvinyl chloride,
production of man-made fibres (FR-viscose) or polyvinylidene chloride, metal oxides (especial ly
application of flame retardant products to textile antimony trioxide i n combination with halogen
substrates by a chemical after-treatment processes. 1 .2 compounds such as hexabromocyclododecane or
Chemical after-treatments i nclude surface or topical chlorinated paraffin) and simple phosphorus/nitrogen
treatments, coatings and functional fi nishes, which compounds, are often used as semi-durable FR
become a part of final fibre structure. Durability of 2
products unless applied together with a resin.
flame retardant finishes generally depends on their D urable FR products bond to the reactive groups of
adherence or bond strength to the fibre surfaces or fibre molecules or penetrate inside the fibre. Durable
molecular structures. Generally, the flame retardant FR products often consist of organophosphorus
(FR) products and their flame retardancy effects are condensates especially in the presence of cellulosic
classified as non-durable, semi-durable and durable. '
fibres.
Durability i s determi ned by launderabili ty, aftercare The effi ciency of the FR finish on a textile fabric
and defined cleansing requirements, weatherabili ty, depends on a number of factors, e.g. fibre
and exposure to light, heat and atmospheric agents. U composition, fabric construction, FR compatibility
4
Non-durable FR products are deposited on and with other finishes, end use and durability . 1 .2,
between the fibres and no crosslinki ng takes place. Successful FR finishes should combine acceptable
These products adhere on fibre surfaces. Some non­ levels of flame retardancy at an affordable cost and be
durable FR finishes can resist dry-cleaning process applicable to textile fabrics using conventional textile
depending on their constitution. Diammonium finishing and coating equipment. ' ,2
phosphate, borax and boric aci d m ixtures, ammonium Flammability i s of major concern with respect to
sulphate, ammoni u m bromide and ammonium salts of apparel fabrics, furnishing textiles and clothing for
defence personnel . By the appropriate appl ication of
"To whom all the correspondencc should be addressed. flame retardant the probabil i ty of a textile material
E-mai l: olcangul@ itu.edu.tr catching fire and danger of fire spread is considerably
 OZCAN el al. : APPLICATION OF FLAME RETARDANT PRODUCTS TO KNITTED FABRIC 33 1

reduced, so that i t i s possible to find enough time to Chemical Company and Lefasol P448-organo
escape or extinguish the fire. More recently, phosphorus-based (durable) flame retardant was
considerable number of studies on the effects of flame obtained from Lefateks Chemical Company.
retardant on pyrolytic degradation of cellulosic Phosphoric aci d was used for catalysing the finishing
materials and on burni ng behaviour of textiles has process and N a2C03 was used for neutralizing stages
been reported. 4. 16 The present study is aimed at of durable flame retardant applications for PR 20. Wet
observing how and at which level of application pick-up of the fabrics was about 80% and drying
parameters (such as flame retardant concentration, temperature was 1 20aC for all FR finish i ngs. The
curing temperature and curing time), the flame curing temperature was kept constant at 1 50aC for the
retardant fini shes affect the flame resistancy of the durable flame retardant (PR20).
cotton knitted fabric. In thi s study, FR type, FR concentration, curing
time, curing temperature and washi ng process of FR
2 Materials and Methods fabrics were considered as variables for analysis. The
To investigate the effects of flame retardant type on fabrics used were Ne 30/ 1 cotton s ingle jersey knitted
flame resistance of knitted cotton fabric, non-durable, and bleached. All finishing processes were applied to
semi-durable and durable flame retardant products the fabrics according to their anticipated commercial
were chosen and applied to the bleached knitted appl ication and were performed in laboratory type
fabrics at recommended levels by their suppliers. padding and dyeing machine. Finishing formulations
Phosphorus-based durable flame retardant species and after-treatments are given in Table 1 .
were applied to the b leached cotton fabric each at five Flammability test was repl icated four times for each
different concentrations, five different curing sample and a total of 84 samples were tested to
temperatures and five different curing times to evaluate the effects of fin ishes.
evaluate the effect of their treatment parameters on
fabric burning behaviour. The burning behaviour and 2.2 Methods
weight loss values of all the fabrics were evaluated Vertical flammability test method [BS 5438 ( 1 976)
using the BS 5438 ( 1 976) vertical flammabi li ty test Part 2] was used to evaluate the fabric flammability.
method. Finally, the experimental results were The test specimen strips ( 1 7 cm x 22 cm) were
evaluated using an SPSS statistical program. conditioned at 20±2°C and 65± 2% RH for 24 h
before testing. The conditioned specimens were
2.1 Materials mounted on a suitable clamp and placed in a standard
SU 40-diammonium phosphate-based (non­ cabinet, which allows 2 mrnls airflow. A standard
durable), PF-phophorus/nitrogen compound-based flame was applied at the bottom edge of the fabric for
(semi-durable) and PR 20-organo phosphorus-based 30 s under controlled conditions. All flammability
(durable) flame retardants were obtained from SETAS tests were conducted under ambient temperature and
Table I -Finishing formulations and after treatments

B leaching Non-durable (SU 40) and Durable FR finishes

semi-durable (PF) FR finishes PR 20 Lefasol P448

H202 (m1/400 ml), 1 .6 SU40 (giL), 300 PR 20 (gIL), 300 Lefasol P448(g/L), 300
Na2COJ(g/400 ml), 0.4 Phosphoric acid (giL), 2 Phosphoric acid (gIL), 22 Phosphoric acid (gIL), 22
Wetting agent (g/400 ml), 0.4 Wet pick up (%), 80 Wet pick up (%), 80 Wet pick-up ( %), 80
Sodium sil icate Drying temp (0C), 1 20 Drying temp (OC), 1 20 Drying temp. (0C), 1 20
(mll4oo ml), 0.4 Liquor ratio, 1 :90 Curing temp. ( 0C) Curing temp. (0C)
Active agent content for 5 min, 155 for 5 min, 1 50
SU : 37% Liquor ratio, 1 :90 Liquor ratio, 1 :90
Liquor ratio, 1 :20 PF : 46% Active agent content (%), 88 Active agent content (%), 80
Temperature (0C), 85
Time (h), I
Washing with cold water Washing with cold water After the treatment, the fabrics were washed with 1 0glL sodium
carbonate at 85°C for 2 times, again washed w ith 5gIL sodium
carbonate at 40°C and then rinsed i n cold water 4 times.
332 INDIAN J. FIBRE TEXT. RES., JUNE 2006

relative humidity i n the l aboratory. This flammability from FR types (Table 2). When the FR type changes
test method normally measures char and damaged to a durable FR product, there i s a decrease in the
length. However, these measures do not always weight loss of the fabrics. Figure 1 shows the relation
represent the real destroyed area of the fabric for between FR type and weight loss behaviour of the
many cases. Therefore, it was decided to use another fabrics.
parameter (weight loss), which will give more This decrease in the weight loss values can
realistic approach to evaluate fabric destruction. It is probably be attributed to the enhanced active agent
clear that the parameters selected are interrelated or content of the flame retardant products generated by
dependent on each other; high weight loss would the durable FR product. The i ncrease in active agent
definitely show a high area destroyed, though the content results in an increase i n degree of flame
reverse would not necessarily be true. For these retardance consuming more combustion energy and
reasons, char length and weight loss were measured producing less flammable volatiles and hence reduced
for all specimens. Before and after testing the test weight loss.
speci mens were weighed and the weight loss value
was determined using the following relationship: 3.2 Effect of FR Concentration
To determine the effect of FR finish concentration
Weight loss Initial weight of specimen - Last weight of specimen on flame resistance of the knitted fabric, the durable
(%) Initial weight of specimen FR finish (organo phosphorus based, PR20) was
selected and applied to the fabrics with five different
The results were evaluated statistically with the add-ons (200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 giL). Each
help of analysis of variance (ANOY A) tables to sample was dried at 1 20°C and cured at 1 60°C for 3.5
indicate the significance of the effect of fi nishing min. Linear regression analysis (R2= 73.3%, F=49.4 1 ,
treatments and then regression analysis was used to and significance« O.OO 1 ) indicates that the
show the relations between applied finishing process concentration of finishing agents considerably
and the fabric flammability. Each variable used in the ,:[1 ,..-----,
study was considered signi ficant if the probability
level was 0.05 or less and highly significant if the
probability level was 0.0 1 or less. Polynomial
? l(1
regression analysis results are shown i n Table 2. �
<n
<n
o

�J l(1
3 Results a n d Discussion

3.1 Effect of Flame Retardant Type �

With respect to the effect of non- durable, semi­
durable and durable FR finishing agents on vertical [I
Non-durable Sem i -durable Durable
(SU 40) ( PF) ( PR20)
strip test behaviour, results from the analysis of
variance and polynomial regression analysis (R2=
98.9% and significance =< 0.00 1 ) show that the Fig. I - Relationship between FR types and weight loss after
weight loss values of the fabrics are highly affected ignition of the fabrics
Table 2-Polynomial regression analysis results
[Dependent variable-Weight loss I
I ndependent variable Rsq df F S igf b() bl b2

FR type 0.988 9 382. 1 5 0.000 54.22 -42. 1 7 8.39

FR concentration 0.960 17 205.53 0.000 389. 1 5 -2.2 1 0.003
Curing temperature 0.235 17 2.6 1 0. 1 03 225.96 -2.61 0.008
Curing t i me 0.9 19 17 96.53 0.000 3 1 .96 - 1 1 .79 1 .2 1
Washing cycle 0.977 9 191.14 0.000 5.35 3.53 -0.062

Rsq-Coefficient of determination; df- Degree of freedom; F-Ratio between the treatment mean square and the error mean square;
Sigf-Significance; and boo b l > and b2 are the regression coefficients.
Mathematical equation-Quadratic model whose equation is Y= bo + (bl *t) + (b2 *t\ where Y-Dependent variable, and
t- Independent variable.
 OZCAN el (Ii . : APPLICATION OF FLAME RETARDANT PRODUCTS TO KNITTED FABRIC 333

influences flame resistance of the fabrics (Table 2). values are obtained at 4 min and 5 min. It is assumed
Figure 2 shows that the weight loss decreases that the observed high weight losses at 2 min and 3
significantly as the FR concentration is i ncreased. min are probably caused by the incomplete
Flame retardant application from bath l iquor condensation of the flame retardant during these
concentration above 350 giL generates excessive curing times. On the other hand the samples cured at 6
harshness of handle although high flame resistance is mll1 show a
obtained. slight reduction i n FR properties and undesirable
yellowing. This clearly i nd icates that the time and
3.3 Effect of Curing Temperature temperature of curing stage of the FR finish are very
Keeping the FR concentration fixed at 300 giL, the important parameters to obtain FR fabrics having
temperature of curing was varied from 1 40°C to good flame resistance, and acceptable handle and
1 80°C for 3.5 min for durable FR Lefasol P448. appearance.
Polynomial regression analysis (R2 = 1 3 .2%, F=2.75,
significance = 0. 1 1 5 ) shows that the cUring 3.5 Effect of Washing Process
temperature has no significant effect on flame Many FR cotton products are washed under severe
resistance of the fabrics (Table 2). It is observed that conditions. " In this study, after the durable FR
the highest curing temperature of 1 80°C does not add finishing agent was appl ied to the knitted fabrics
to flame resistance when compared with the similar according to the supplier recommendations for
sample cured at 1 60°C. All the samples that were commercial use (300 giL), the FR fabrics obtained
cured above 1 60°C are found to show undesirable were washed 5 and 50 times according to the I SO 1 05
yellowing. The samples that were cured under 1 50°C C06 washing standard at 40°C for 30 min. Polynomial
were ignited and continued to burn. This can be regression analysis shows that as the washing cycles
attributed to incompleted FR curing process and i ncrease, the weight loss also i ncreases which is
removal of retardant after washing off. The effect of i nversely proportional to the flame resistance. This
change in curing temperature on flame resistance i n clearly indicates that with every additional wash there
term o f weight loss of the knitted fabrics i s shown in i s a defi nite amount of loss in flame retardant finish.
Fig. 3 . Figure 5 shows the relation between the washing
process and the fabric flame resistance.

,-.. 14
3.4 Effect o f Curing Time It is interesting to note that after 5 1h washing cycle
Keeping the FR concentration fixed at 300 giL and
r------.

.3 10
the curing temperature at 1 60°C, the time of curing �
process was varied from 2 min to 6 min. Polynomial '"

(R2=9 1 .9%,

! 6140 150 160 170 180 190

regression analysis F=96.5,
significance« 0.00 I ) indicates that the flame
resistance of the fabrics is i n fluenced by the curing \--�--�-����

time (Table 2). Figure 4 shows that the flame Curing Temperature ('C)
resistance of the fabrics increases as the curing time
increases from 2 min to 5 min. The lowest weight loss Fig. 3 -Effect of curing temperature on fabric name resistance as

80 r-------�
weight loss after ignition

,-.. 60 14 .,-----,

e
l:l 40
. 200
.3
�
.,
�

200 250 300 350 400

FR Cone. (giL)
4

2 ���__-__-��
2 3 4 5 6 7
Curing Time (min)
Fig. 2 -Relationship between name retardant concentration and
weight loss after ignition Fig. 4 - Effect of curing time on flame resistance of the fabrics
334 INDIAN 1. FIBRE TEXT. RES., JUNE 2006

30 r-----�
obtain FR fabrics having good flame resistance and
acceptable handle and appearance.
The i ncrease in weight loss with every additional
wash of the FR fabrics also shows that every
additional wash of the FR-finish fabrics causes
considerable loss of flame retardant finish although
they keep some level of flame retardance.

Acknowledgement
o
o 5 50 The authors are thankful to the Seta� Chemical
Washing Cycle Company and Lefatex Chemical Company, Turkey,
for chemical supports and to Bilkont Company,
Fig. 5 - Effect of washing cycle on fabric flame resistance
Turkey, for permitting to use their plant for producing
test fabrics. Appreciation i s extended to l .T.U. Textile
the weight loss after ignition of the fabrics increases
and Clothing Quality Control and Research
by approximately 5 times compared to their i niti al
Laboratory for the support to perform experimental
value. The h ighest weight loss value is obtained after
work.
50th wash cycle.

4 Conclusions References
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application conditions considerably i nfluence knitted Flallle Retardant Chemicals (National Academy Press,
Washington D.C.), 2000, Appendix B .
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883-89 1 .
Curing temperature has no significant effect on flame
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7 Reeves W A , Drake G L & Perkins R M , Fire Resistant
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8 Frankli n W E & Rowland S P, J Appl PolYIII Sci. 24 ( 1 979)
Flame resistance of the fabrics i ncreases as the time of 1 28 1 - 1 294.
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I I Horrocks A R, J Soc Dyers Colour. 1 6 ( 1 986) 62- 1 0 I .
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and curing time are very important parameters to 16 Galil F, Text Chem Colour, I I ( 1 979) 66-72.