This U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff laboratory test manual is a reference guide designed to assist with the testing procedures specified in the Standard for the Flammability of Clothing Textiles codified at 16 CFR Part 1610 (the Standard).
This test manual is not the complete mandatory standard, but is a tool that may be used in conjunction with the requirements specified in the Standard. The test manual is provided for guidance purposes only and is not intended to be fully inclusive of the test procedures, nor is it intended to replace or supersede any sections of the Standard. In the case of any discrepancies between this manual and the Standard, the Standard will supersede this test manual.
The test manual also identifies testing equipment used to conduct testing in accordance with the Standard. The descriptions and pictures are not meant to serve as specifications or recommendations of any brand, make, or model of instrumentation that must be used in order to comply with the Standard,but rather as examples for clarification purposes.
TEST PROCEDURE：
1. Before testing, ensure that the flame impingement timer is set to 1.0 s.
Turn on gas supply to the test chamber and allow air to be displaced from the supply line. Use the flow control device to set the flow of butane to the igniter. Once gas is supplied to the igniter, light the igniter.
2. Once the flow has stabilized(approximately 5 minutes), adjust the flame length so that the test flame is 16mm (5/8 in). (Fig. 19) The fume hood should be turned off before testing begins.
Periodically check (and adjust, if necessary) the test flame length during testing. Use the regulator on the gas tank to modify the flame length.
3. Remove a mounted specimen from the desiccator.
4. Place the mounted specimen on the specimen rack in the test chamber.
5. Adjust the specimen rack so that the indicator finger just touches the surface of the specimen.
6. Pull the stop thread through the guides of the specimen holder and test chamber.
7. Attach the stop weight to the thread just below the stop weight thread guide.
8. Set the timing device to zero.
9. Close the door of the test chamber.
10. Activate the trigger device so that the flame impinges on the specimen for 1.0 s.The timing device starts automatically.
11. At the end of the test, there will be either:
A burn time – occurs when the specimen ignites and the flame travels up the specimen,
breaking the stop thread. When the stop thread breaks, the stop weight falls and stops the timing device.
No burn time – occurs when the specimen:
1) Does not ignite.
2) Ignites, but self-extinguishes before reaching the stop thread.
3) Ignites, but the flame travels under the stop thread without breaking it. The occurrence of surface flash should be noted for raised surface specimens.
12. Record the burn time from the timing device as well as any visual observations using the prescribed test result codes (refer to section 13. Test Result Codes and Sequence of this laboratory manual). If there is no burn time, record any visual observations using the test codes.
13. At the end of each test, turn on the fume hood to exhaust any fumes or smoke produced during the test. The fume hood should be turned off once the effluent has been cleared.
14. Before testing the next specimen, check that the fume hood has been turned off and reset the timing device to zero.
15. Test five specimens. Determine the average burn time. For raised surface fabrics, determine the type of burn using the test result codes. Use the appropriate Test Sequence flow chart in section 13.
Test Result Codes and Sequence of this laboratory manual to determine the next step in testing.