FIRE RETARDANCY BEHAVIOUR OF COTTON FABRIC COATED WITH BIO AND SYNTHETIC MATERIALS

Abstract

Every year, fire accidents are responsible for killing larger number of people compared to any other natural disasters. The demand for development of new and efficient fire retardant materials is continuously increasing due to increment in fire accidents that causing property damage and loss of human lives. During fire-related accidents, the usage of effective fire-retardant materials could give individuals enough time to flee from the flames, reducing the number of injuries and reduce damage to the properties. The fire retardant materials in the market are offered in variety of forms, e.g., coatings, textiles, composites, etc. These fire retardant materials could be utilized in designing of various fire proof products like upholstery, seat covers, building walls, apartment partitions, and the bodies of automotive (trains and airplanes). These fire retardant products are prepared using different fire retardant materials and with varying compositions. The halogen based fire retardant materials are commonly used fire retardant materials in the past decade due to their high effectiveness and ability to reduce the fire spread but they release toxic gases during their burning, which cause environmental pollution and harmful effects on humans. So, at present, inorganic, nitrogen, and phosphorous-based compounds are replacing halogen based fire retardant materials because of their environmental friendly nature and low harmful effects on humans. Among all environment friendly or lower toxic fire retardant materials, some materials could be obtained from nature (biopolymers) that can demonstrate superior fire retardancy and release less smoke.