Assessment of Factors Affecting Fire Performance of Mattresses: A Review

Published

September 3, 2012

Author(s)

Rick D. Davis, Shonali Nazare, Kathryn M. Butler

Abstract

An in-depth analysis of U.S. residential fire statistics shows that although the total number of fires and deaths due to mattress fires has dropped as a result of several regulatory approaches, the mattress/bedding fires continue to account for one of the largest shares of residential fire deaths and injuries. the number of deaths per 1000 mattress/bedding fires has increased over past 3 decades. To address the increasing number of deaths per 1000 mattress/bedding fires, the open flame mattress flammability regulation (16 CFR 1633) was introduced in 2007. The 16 CFR 1633 prescribes performance standards rather than design standards; this allows manufacturers the flexibility to meet the needs of the consumer without sacrificing fire safety. This flammability regulation for residential mattress has generated much interest in understanding the burning behavior of mattresses as well as in developing new materials for mattress construction. To comply with this regulation, it is essential to understand mattress construction, fire performance testing, factors affecting mattress flammability, and compliance solutions. This report reviews the impact of current mattress flammability standards, examines factors affecting mattress flammability, and reviews full- scale and bench-scale test methods that are being developed for mattresses. The construction type, geometry, and size of a mattress are major factors in determining the fire threat of a mattress. The soft materials used in the mattress set, including cushioning materials, fire blocking materials, and tickings, act both individually and collectively to affect the fire performance. The performance of fire barrier materials designed to protect the inner cushioning material from heat and flame is largely dependent on the choice of cushioning material and ticking. When used with an incompatible combination of filling material and ticking, a fire barrier may fail to protect thermal degradation and subsequent burning of filling

Citation

Fire Science Reviews

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

mattress, flammability, fire review, fire losses

Citation

Davis, R. , Nazare, S. and Butler, K. (2012), Assessment of Factors Affecting Fire Performance of Mattresses: A Review, Fire Science Reviews, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=912268 (Accessed December 21, 2024)