In the PU industry and specially that intended for domestic or industrial products, safety is a key factor. The British standard Crib V (BS 5852) establishes strict fire resistance criteria for upholstered furniture, evaluating its behaviour against different sources of ignition. In this context, silicone surfactants play a critical role in the formulation of safe and efficient polyurethane foams.
SPECIAL CRIB V FOAM TEST
- Silicone surfactants not only influence foam stability and cell uniformity , but also have a significant impact on fire resistance.
- In recent tests carried out with standard fire resistance formulations, incorporating our latest generation silicone surfactant, CONCENTROL STB PU 3244-K, we obtained very good performance results against Crib V standard.
Board 1. Crib V (BS 5852) test results for CONCENTROL STB PU-3244 K
- When using the Crib V ignition source, "progressive slow burn failure" is considered to be any composite material that produces externally detectable amounts of spoke 60 minutes after ignition of the crib. So it confirms and indicates we passed positively the test.
- It is considered "flame failure" if the material continues to burn for more than 10 minutes after ignition of the screen, Also clearly exceeded when the flame goes out after approximately 4 minutes (Board 1).
- Mass lost of about 46g. which is very good due to the standard formulation used and the specifications of the standard.
MAIN CONCLUSIONS OF THE STUDY
- The addition of this surfactant improves the distribution of flame retardant additives within the foam matrix
- Better integration of the essential components.
- The foam exhibited lower flame spread and lower heat generation, exceeding the requeriments set out in the standard.
- Safety is the most important key tool to improve innovation and development in silicone surfactants.
At Concentrol we continue to invest in advanced technology to offer solutions that meet the most demanding market standards, as well as the specific customer's request.
