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Experimental Investigation of the Factors Affecting Performance of Firefighters’ Protective Clothing

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Characterization of Minerals, Metals, and Materials 2024 (TMS 2024)

Part of the book series: The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series ((MMMS))

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Abstract

The role of a firefighter is crucial in safeguarding lives, property, and the environment, as firefighters bravely confront the formidable challenges posed by fires and emergencies. The protective clothing worn serves as a vital barrier, allowing firefighters to operate in extreme conditions while minimizing the risks to their own well-being. This paper characterises a multi-layer material used by NSW Fire and Rescue through cone calorimetry, a powerful fire testing equipment under ISO5660. The multi-layer material was compared with single layer materials used in the 2013 and 2022 Rural Fire Service (RFS) jackets to determine its feasibility to be used by the RFS. Results demonstrated that the time to ignition (TTI) of the multi-layer material, under all heat flux levels, was significantly longer than the two single layer materials. Additionally, it exhibited a lower peak heat release rate (HRR), however, releases greater total thermal energy due to its larger thickness and mass. Both these properties of the material indicate the greater fire resistance of the multi-layer material, but more importantly highlights that this material will allow for an extended time to recognise endangerment and prevent second degree burns.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia

    J. Lu, M. Ghodrat & J. P. Escobedo-Diaz

Authors
  1. J. Lu
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  2. M. Ghodrat
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  3. J. P. Escobedo-Diaz
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to M. Ghodrat or J. P. Escobedo-Diaz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Central South University, Changsha, China

    Zhiwei Peng

  2. Baowu Ouyeel Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China

    Mingming Zhang

  3. CanmetMATERIALS, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Jian Li

  4. Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA

    Bowen Li

  5. Military Institute of Engineering, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Sergio Neves Monteiro

  6. Chem Service Inc., West Chester, PA, USA

    Rajiv Soman

  7. Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA

    Jiann-Yang Hwang

  8. Middle East Technical University, Ankara, TĂĽrkiye

    Yunus Eren Kalay

  9. University of New South Wales, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Juan P. Escobedo-Diaz

  10. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA

    John S. Carpenter

  11. Army Research Office, Durham, NC, USA

    Andrew D. Brown

  12. Amman, Jordan

    Shadia Ikhmayies

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Lu, J., Ghodrat, M., Escobedo-Diaz, J.P. (2024). Experimental Investigation of the Factors Affecting Performance of Firefighters’ Protective Clothing. In: Peng, Z., et al. Characterization of Minerals, Metals, and Materials 2024. TMS 2024. The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50304-7_45

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