How can flame retardant fabric treatment make a world of difference?

Flame retardant fabric treatment has revolutionised the way people live. When a property burns down, any curtains inside are usually the main fire spreaders because of their ignitability. However, developing fire curtains made from flame-retardant fabrics has helped lessen the frequency of property fires. These fabrics help keep fires at bay longer and make buildings safer. 

How fabric is made flame retardant? 

Flame retardant fabric can be made in two ways. The first way is to take regular material and treat it. The other way is to make it specifically flame retardant, referred to as inherently flame retardant. The fibres used to create this are permanently flame retardant, meaning that because of the polyester fibre's chemical structure, external influences cannot affect them. This often means it is a better solution to the risk of fire than anything that may have been made and then coated with an additional flame protection finish. 

Fabric that has been coated can often wear off quickly with age or washing, meaning it must be replaced or checked upon to ensure it still meets requirements. Fabrics being created in a flame retardant way in the first instance means there is no expiry date, so they last much longer than something made and treated afterwards. However, there are instances where designers may want a specific fabric to fit their desired room scheme. This may not be made in a flame-retardant material, so the designer must request that the cloth be treated with a flame-protective finish. This may be more expensive, but if the designer is set on a particular look or fabric, that is the best way to meet the design requirements and fire regulations. 

Fabric treatment with fire retardants 

There are two standard methods for treating and making flame retardant fabrics: 

• Chemical Dipping:

• When absorbed into the fibres, the material is submerged in a chemical solution that serves as a flame-resistant barrier. These compounds undergo a chemical reaction when they are exposed to tremendous heat. 

• Coating Technique:

• Textile makers add a fire-retardant back coating to the fabric rather than soaking it. Nonetheless, this procedure renders the fabric rigid and stiff, resulting in less natural-looking drapery. 

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What types of flame retardant treatments are available? 

There are several different options. One is to mix natural fibres with synthetic materials such as polyester. This used to be a popular choice but is becoming less favoured due to the damage that plastic-based materials can do to the environment. Their lack of biodegradability is increasingly on the sustainability radar. 

As such, an increasingly preferred choice is back-coating. For synthetic fabrics, the best method is to back-coat with either acrylic resins or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), both of which resist heat by raising the ignition temperature above that of a smouldering fire. This type of back-coating retains the comfortable feel of the fabric whilst offering a powerful barrier. 

The third option is to use mixed chemical flame retardants as a back-coating. This is the preferred option for natural materials such as cotton. A mixture of bromine, nitrogen compounds, and phosphate compounds creates a protective layer that delays the flame from reaching the flammable hydrocarbons. Treating fabrics this way keeps their natural elasticity, texture, and strength but drastically reduces the fire risk.