Tests of the Protective Effect of Clothing in Apparel Fires

Abstract

A full size mannequin was constructed of fiberglass and plaster, and instrumented with 32 thermocouples, connected to a computer, through a data acquisition system. The mannequin is mounted on a portable platform, and can be moved at a pre-determined speed, to simulate movement of a person fleeing a fire scene.The mannequin was used for a series of nine tests in which the clothing on the mannequin was ignited by a splashed flammable liquid, and the resulting temperatures monitored. In some of the tests the mannequin was equipped, additionally, with an ordinary lab coat.The test results indicate that the mannequin adequately represents the realistic fire insult suffered by the simulated skin of a fire victim. This involves temperatures which can exceed 140°C in less than 1 min.The lab coat was shown to offer a certain degree of fire protection so that the temperatures achieved in its presence were lower than in its absence, by an average of ca. 20°C.