SBIR-STTR Award

New fire barrier methods are necessary to protect furniture and mattresses from fire. Current California (and soon National) regulations require mattresses to be able to pass the mattress fire burn test. Typical barrier fabrics use self extinguishing fibers with high limiting oxygen index (LOI) to create a barrier that the flame cannot pass. A second approach creates a carbon barrier that is formed during the fire. The carbon barrier is formed through the carbonization of the fibers in the fiber. Tex Tech plans to demonstrate the ability to manufacture lightweight felt barriers that can stop the flame spread, eliminate foam melt through, and be strong enough to handle any water damage. COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The potential market for effective fire blocking materials for furniture and mattress is in the many millions of dollars. Effective July 1, 2008 all mattresses manufactured and sold in the United States must be resistant to open flame sources, such as candles, matches and cigarette lighters. This follows California that became the first state in the nation to require that mattresses be resistant to open flame sources in 2005. According to the International Sleep Products Association, U.S. mattress producers shipped nearly 24 million new mattresses, while federal statistics show another 4 million mattress sets were imported

Through this NIST SBIR program, Tex Tech Industries is developing furniture and mattress fire blocking materials. Fire barrier methods are necessary to protect furniture and mattresses from fire. In Phase I, Tex Tech used a variety of fibers to make and evaluate fibers for fire barriers. In Phase II, Tex Tech proposed to continue to develop a fire protection barrier from textiles that can potentially provide better fire protection, are easy to use and put into production, and low cost. Tex Tech will work with Georgia Tech’s Dr. Satish Kumar, who has developed a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon nanofiber (CNF) fiber that has the potential to be produced into a high char yield product and lower shrinkage. The increased char may provide a stronger barrier during a fire to protect the inside of a mattress or the furniture from burning. In Phase II, Tex Tech proposes to carry this work to the next development stage. Specific solutions using unique fibers based on textile barrier solutions will be addressed. COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: As further regulations and increased safety come into play, the market potential for fire blocking fabrics for furniture, mattress and bed clothing continues to grow. Tex Tech is posed to take advantage of the mattress fire blocking material with there development work over the past 5 years to develop a non-chemical solution to fire blocking that is economically priced and effective. The total market potential is several hundred million for the mattress and an equal or larger market for the upholstered furniture market. Through this development, Tex Tech will also be able to provide a product with improved properties at potentially lower costs. Tex Tech has a proven record and system for developing new products through working relationships with key partners who are major contenders within the giving market place