Flammability Burn Ignite

Overview

Objectives/Goals My project was designed to find which of the materials (among wool, cotton, nylon, and polyester) was the most flammable. Also, I wanted to learn about the characteristics and elements of the fabrics to understand their flammability. Methods/Materials For my project I used 5" x 5" pieces of material. I secured each piece of fabric to an elongated metal hanger with a metal paper clamp. I then hung the hanger from a pole and lit the material with a match. I repeated this with each material sample. Each piece was timed from the moment of ignition to the time it self-extinguished. I then took the elapsed times and divided each by twenty-five to find the burn rate (the time it takes to burn one square inch of the material.) Results The cotton had the quickest burn rate where polyester had the second. The nylon and the unrefined wool, from Chile, did not burn; they smothered the flame. Conclusions/Discussion In conclusion, my data indicates that, the cotton and polyester were the fabrics to have the quickest burn rate. I noted that the wool and the nylon did not ignite, as I later learned of the lanolin in the wool and other compounds that cause the materials to not ignite. Though my project was successful, I learned of some possible errors due to factors beyond my capability of indulgence. Examples include such things as: chemicals on the wire hangers and paper clamp, matches not working, human error in timing and carcinogens in the air.

Competition history

• CSEF 2010 Materials Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1523

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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