Researched by Markus N.
2000-01

• PURPOSE 
• HYPOTHESIS 
• EXPERIMENT DESIGN 
• MATERIALS 
• PROCEDURES 
• RESULTS 
• CONCLUSION 

• RESEARCH REPORT 
• BIBLIOGRAPHY 

• All About Me

INTRODUCTION
Safety is important to humans. Fire is a big problem because it destroys people and people’s things. Some fabrics can catch on fire easily and burn quickly and that can hurt or kill people.
Fire
Danger
Fire can be dangerous. Some people lose a lot of their possessions by the cause of fire. They may have lost their home or a loved one. They might have even lose their life. That’s why fire can be very dangerous if not used carefully and safely.
Cause
Fire is combustion. Combustion is a chemical reaction that gives off heat and light. In most cases combustion occurs between a gaseous fuel and oxygen in the air at or about a certain temperature.
The second one is spontaneous combustion. Spontaneous combustion may occur when piles of oily rags, coal, and fabrics are left unattended. It is the effect of a material beginning to oxidize very quickly. If a farmer baled hay wet, the core could get so hot that it could burst into flames.
Fire triangle
There are three parts to the Fire Triangle. The first one is Oxygen, the second one is Fuel, and the third one is heat. If there is oxygen to sustain combustion, enough heat to raise the material to its ignition temperature, and some sort of fuel or combustible material there will be a chemical reaction called oxidation.
Oxygen
Antoine Lavoiser gave oxygen its name and recognized that it was an element. As his ideas took over, chemists all over Europe began studying the new elements and their compounds. Many chemists were amazed because of the new gasses such as oxygen. Oxygen is noncombustible even though one of the most striking characteristics of oxygen is how it reacts more quickly at high temps than normal temps. 

Fabrics
Types
All fabrics will burn but some slower than others. There are many different types of fabrics. A really popular one is cotton. Cotton is used a lot in making clothes. Cotton burns slowly and the flame extends while it is burning. Another fabric is Polyester. Polyester can catch on fire fairly easily. Another famous fabric is Nylon. Nylon is a stretchy kind of fabric. When burning has a strong smell and is sort of sticky. Another fabric is Rayon. When burning Rayon melts into a glob, and melts until the flame is out and not burning. A fabric that really isn’t recognized but worn is Acetate. Acetate catches on fire easily and burns quickly. A very popular fabric and somewhat expensive is Silk. Silk melts and then puts itself out.

Uses
Fabric can be used in many ways. Some of the ways are tires or insulation for houses.                     It is used mostly for clothing for humans to wear. Only some fabrics are used in tires. Nylon is not one of them, because it is too stretchy. In clothing fabric can keep us warm and covered up. Insulation we need, because it helps the house stay warm in the wintertime. Some insulation is sprayed with fire retardant to reduce flammability. 

Fire prevention
Fire prevention is a term for the many safety measures used to keep harmful fires from starting. In homes trash, old clothes, and furniture should be thrown away not stored in the attic or closets. Those things can easily catch on fire and burn a house down. Liquids such as paint and gasoline burn easily. Keep them tightly sealed and stored away. 
Fire Hazards 
Fire hazards such as smoking in bed, and playing with matches can easily start a fire. Playing with matches causes loss of life and thousands of dollars in damage yearly in the United States. Storing flammable liquids, overloading electrical outlets and dishtowels close to something hot can also cause a fire. Keep those things away, out, and or not do such things.
Home owners/Parents
Many types of fabrics burn. Wise parents should teach their children not get to close to fires, lighted stoves, and space heaters. Pictures, rhymes or coloring sheets can help children learn about fire safety. 
Fabric safety
Lose fitting and flowing garments ignite easier than other fabrics do. Polyester and Nylon are more difficult to ignite. When clothing burns it comes into a high heat, a spark, open flame, or ignition scources like a red-hot wire. Clothing fires can have more severe, painful, and costly burns. Liquid fabric softener increases the speed at which certain fabric’s burn. Dryer sheets have little effect. 

Allaby Michael  "FIRE:  The  vital  scource of  energy,"

Encarta Encyclopedia disc 2000

Fitzergerald, Karen "The Story of Oxygen" New York: FranklinWatts 1996

"Flammability of Fabrics." http://www.atmi.org/standards /flammability .asp

"Flammability of Fabrics." http://www.fabriclink.com/university.html

"Flammable fabrics," http://google.yahoo.com/bin/query?p=flammability+of+fabrics&hc=0&hs=0

Oxygen and Combustion pp. 34-40

Quintiere, G. James. "Combustion," World Book Encyclopedia. p.876

Vaun steck-Raintree. "Flammable,"  Science  Encyclopedia.   p. 719