Burn Injury Potential of Navy Shipboard Work Clothing

Abstract : Shipboard work/utility clothing was evaluated to determine the potential of standard clothing (officer and enlisted personnel) for burn injury. Sixteen fabrics made from cotton, polyester, wool, and blends of these fibers and of nylon/cotton were used in shipboard clothing and were heat tested along with two fire-retardant (FR) materials of Nomex/Kevlar and 100-percent FR- treated cotton (THPOH-NH3) and four underwear materials of cotton and polyester cotton. Materials were subjected to radiant heat exposures of 0.2 to 0.6 g cal/cm sec. The FR materials were also impinged by flame. Time to burn injury (TBI) values were established for all tested fabrics using the Stoll-Derksen curve with the measuring calorimeter in contact and 1/2 inch from the specimens. For the flame impingement tests the flame temperature was 2000 deg F and the TBI and total heat values were measured 1/8 inch from the fabrics. Experimental methods were established which could differentiate between heat protection assemblies exposed to modest and high heat exposure. Data were obtained for TBI and total heat (TH) transmitted. Visual inspection of the material was also noted. Results showed that, at radiant heat flux levels of 0.2 g cal/cm2/sec, protection was related to fabric weight and not fiber type. At higher heat exposures, the type of fiber used becomes significant, with thermoplastic fibers providing the least protection. Data on the Nomex/Kevlar and FR cotton fabrics showed that the aramids were superior to the FR cotton at the higher flux values of 0.6 g cal/cm2/sec, but neither would provide reliable protection from jet fuel fires for more than a few seconds.