Snapshot

The fire/flame retardant apparels have an industrial need as they offer protection from fire and other heat-intensive tasks. Flame, heat and splashes of molten metal etc. are hazards in many heavy engineering working conditions. The fire retardant apparels are used in refineries, iron and steel plants, aluminium plants and welding industries.

The typical characteristics of fire retardant (FR) apparel are:

1. Flame resistance – must not catch fire

2. Should be breathable

3. Easy to wear

4. Lightweight

5. Should have high abrasion resistance

FR Apparel can be developed in two ways:

1. Chemical coating of cotton fabric with FR chemical. The chemical generally used for coated fire retardant fabric is PYROVATEX® from Huntsman International. The apparel made from coated fabric generally has a basis weight of 250-350 GSM. The fabric used could be either woven or knitted. The coated fabric which accepted worldwide could have flaws due to incomplete coverage of fire retardant chemical on the fabric surface which would pose threat with ageing.

2. Apparel made from inherent FR fibre: FR fibres are fibres having the technical properties, wherein the molecules swell when in presence of heat, providing the person, longer protection from fire. The advantage of apparels made from FR fibres is that the resistance to fire does not degrade after washing.