The Fire Research Division in the National Engineering of the National Engineering Laboratory has a long-term project on Reduced Flammability of Upholstered Furniture. The rapid fire growth and intense burning of modern residential upholstered furniture (RUF) is recognized to be the largest contributor to fire losses in American homes. Therefore, it is an appropriate target for efforts to reduce these fire losses. Recently, the topic has received a high level of public attention due to concerns regarding the safety of fire retardants often used to reduce the flammability of the flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF) and other materials used in RUF. The overarching goal of the project is to provide the measurement science necessary to manufacture upholstered furniture having reduced flammability. Current efforts associated with the project include (1) developing approaches that utilize fire measurements on small-scale to predict the burning behavior of real-scale RUF, (2) developing tests to characterize the behavior and effectiveness of barrier fabrics designed to protect highly flammable cushioning materials, (3) characterizing and developing appropriate tests for understanding and characterizing the smoldering of materials (particularly FPUF and barrier fabrics), (4) developing and maintaining tests designed to characterize and test reduced ignition propensity cigarettes (cigarettes are a major source of ignitions for RUF), (5) estimating the maximum fire size for RUF sufficient to limit the fire growth to a single room within a residence, and (6) statistical analysis related to reducing fire losses associated with RUF. Both experimental and modeling studies are being used and there are abundant opportunities for either or both approaches during an NRC Postdoctoral Research Project.

 

References

Pitts WM: Role of two stage pyrolysis in fire growth on flexible polyurethane foam slabs, Fire and Materials, published on line, DOI: 10.1002/fam.2183: 2013

Nazaré S, Pitts William, et al: Evaluating fire blocking performance of barrier fabrics, Fire and Materials, published on line, DOI: 10.1002/fam.2210: 2013

 

key words

Fire; Upholstered furniture; Smoldering; Barrier fabrics; Fire safety; Fire growth; Fire modeling; Fire measurements; Fire sealing;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants