Effect of Air Gap under Fabric on Thermal Protective Performance Using an Improved Apparatus

The bench top test is one of the most important and effective methods to evaluate the total thermal protective performance(TPP) of firefighters' protective clothing,which is greatly influenced by the air gaps entrapped.In this paper,to investigate the effect of air gap width on TPP,a new improved apparatus with two height changeable buttons to hold the thermal sensor was developed to get a series of air gap sizes from 0 mm to 40 mm.The TPP of two types of flame-resistant outer fabrics was measured with TPP test apparatus respectively.Analysis of temperature rise with each air gap width was made to determine the effects of different air gaps on protective performance.It was indicated that air gap size had great effect on TPP of fabrics in the bench top test.An air gap width above 8 mm was suggested for the thermal protective clothing design.

Modeling Thermal Protective Performance of Multilayer Fabrics for Firefighters

This paper is to report a prediction model for thermal protective performance of multilayer fabrics based on Matlab neural network toolbox. Then a back propagation (BP) neural network model is developed to predict thermal protective performance of multilayer fabrics for firefighters. The network consists of twelve input nodes, six hidden nodes, and one output node. The inputs are weight, thickness, density of warp and weft, limited oxygen index (LOI), and heat conductivity of each-layer fabric. Thermal protective performance (TPP) rating of multilayer fabrics is the output. In this paper, the data from the experiments are used as learning information for the neural network to develop a reliable prediction model. Finnally the model performance is verified, and the proposed model can be applied to predict the thermal protective performance of multilayer fabrics for firefighters.

Effect of Phase Change Materials on the Thermal Protective Performance of the Multi-layered Fabrics Examined by TPP Tester under Flash Fire

Cotton fabrics treated with phase change materials( PCMs)were used in multi-layered fabrics of the fire fighter protective clothing to study its effect on thermal protection. The thermal protective performance( TPP) of the multi-layered fabrics was measured by a TPP tester under flash fire. Results showed that the utilization of the PCM fabrics improved the thermal protective performance of the multi-layered fabrics. The fabric with a PCM add on of 41. 9% increased the thermal protection by 50. 6% and reduced the time to reach a second degree burn by 8. 4 s compared with the reference fabrics( without PCMs). The employment of the PCM fabrics also reduced the blackened areas on the inner layers. The PCM fabrics with higher PCM melting temperature could bring higher thermal protective performance.

Protective performance test and safety risk evaluation of a powered air-purifying suit

The positive pressure biological protective suit is the highest degree of personal protective equipment, and its performance directly impacts the health and safety of the wearer. Protection factor is the most critical measure of the performance of a positive pressure bio-protective suit. This study establishes a dynamic detection system for the positive pressure bio-protective suit, to evaluate its safety risks, and explores methods to reduce these risks. A manikin was used to perform human actions, such as raising the arms, sitting, and walking, that were simulated at different levels. Integrity breaches of different shapes and sizes were made to different parts of the suit for evaluation. The aerosol concentration and the pressure of the suit were detected. Positive-pressure suits provide exceptionally good protection even in accident scenarios and provide a greater flexibility and more ergonomic benefits. However, sufficiently large (>3 cm) breaches caused a negative-pressure and an inward airflow during vigorous activities. The location of the breach site on the suit also had a significant effect on bio-aerosol leakage. Studies have shown that effective methods to avoid the risk of damage include increasing the air supply flow and performing gentle movements while wearing the suit. The dynamic detection method and the results obtained in this study are a significant advance to predict and avoid the risks associated with powered air-purifying suits.

Application of Composite Materials in the Fire Explosion Suppression System

In order to lighten the weight of the special vehicles and improve their mobility and flexibility, the weight of all subsystems of the whole vehicle must be reduced in the general planning. A fire explosion suppression system is an important subsystem for the self-protection of vehicle, protection of crews and safety of a vehicle. The performances of the special vehicles determine their survival ability and combat capability. The composite bottle is made of aluminum alloy with externally wrapped carbon fiber ; it has been proven by a large number of tests that the new type explosion suppression fire distinguisher made of such composite materials applied in the special vehicle has reliable performance, each of its technical indexes is higher or equal to that of a steel distinguisher, and the composites can also optimize the assembly structure of the bottle, and improve the reliability and corrosion resistance. Most important is that the composite materials can effectively lighten the weight of the fire explosion suppression system to reach the target of weight reduction of the subsystem in general planning.

Air plasma-sprayed high-entropy (Y_(0.2)Yb_(0.2)Lu_(0.2)Eu_(0.2)Er_(0.2))_(3)Al_(5)O_(12) coating with high thermal protection performance

High-entropy rare-earth aluminate(Y_(0.2)Yb_(0.2)Lu_(0.2)Eu_(0.2)Er_(0.2))_(3)Al_(5)O_(12)(HE-RE_(3)Al_(5)O_(12))has been considered as a promising thermal protection coating(TPC)material based on its low thermal conductivity and close thermal expansion coefficient to that of Al2O3.However,such a coating has not been experimentally prepared,and its thermal protection performance has not been evaluated.To prove the feasibility of utilizing HE-RE_(3)Al_(5)O_(12) as a TPC,HE-RE_(3)Al_(5)O_(12) coating was deposited on a nickelbased superalloy for the first time using the atmospheric plasma spraying technique.The stability,surface,and cross-sectional morphologies,as well as the fracture surface of the HE-RE_(3)Al_(5)O_(12) coating were investigated,and the thermal shock resistance was evaluated using the oxyacetylene flame test.The results show that the HE-RE_(3)Al_(5)O_(12) coating can remain intact after 50 cycles at 1200℃ for 200 s,while the edge peeling phenomenon occurs after 10 cycles at 1400℃ for 200 s.This study clearly demonstrates that HE-RE_(3)Al_(5)O_(12) coating is effective for protecting the nickel-based superalloy,and the atmospheric plasma spraying is a suitable method for preparing this kind of coatings.