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The Effect of Various Retardants on Burning Rate of Cotton |
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Researched by Elizabeth B.
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The purpose of this experiment was to compare the ability of fire retardants in preventing cotton from burning.
I first became interested in this idea when I heard that my father’s previous house had been burned because of a child causing the curtains to catch on fire.
The information gained from this experiment could help people around the world, especially parents with young children or people who own or work at retirement homes, hotels and hospitals.
My first hypothesis was that the cotton would burn faster without flame-retardants than with.
My second hypothesis was that Flamex Fire Retardant Spray would cause cotton to ignite more slowly than No-Burn Fabric Fire Guard Fire Retardant Spray and Flametard Fire Retardant Spray.
I based my hypothesis on a previous experiment done in 2005 by science student Janyn Mercado and her results when working with fire retardants. “The Flamex Fire Retardant Spray took the cotton longer to ignite than the Flametard Fire Retardant spray and the No-Burn Fabric Fire Guard Fire Retardant spray.”
The constants in this study were:
• The approximate temperature in the room
• Type of material burned (cotton)
• Size of the cotton (10cm. by 10cm.)
• Amount of each flame retardant used to prevent burning
• Alcohol lamp to ignite cotton
• Timers for experiment- stopwatches
The manipulated variable was the type of flame retardant used to prevent burning.
The responding variables were:
• How long it took for the cotton to ignite
• How much of the cotton didn’t burn
• The time it took for the cotton to stop burning
To measure the responding variables, I used stopwatches to figure out the amount of time it took for the cotton to ignite and then the time it took for the flame to go out. To measure the amount of cotton that didn’t burn, I put a 10cm by 10cm plastic grid on the cotton and counted the square centimeters of the area that did not burn.
QUANTITY ITEM DESCRIPTION
1 Liter Spray Bottle Flamex Fire Retardant Spray
1 Liter Spray Bottle Flametard Fire Retardant Spray
1 Liter Spray Bottle No-Burn Fabric Fire Guard Retardant Spray
1 Graduated Cylinder
2 Stopwatch
1 Lighter/Box of Matches
1 Non-Flammable Cookie Sheet
20 Cotton Fabric Squares (10cm by 10cm)
1 Burning Stand
1) Prepare the cotton.
a. Clean and dry the cotton
b. Cut the cotton into 20 10 by10cm squares
2) Separate the 20 squares of cotton into 4 groups of five (labeled group one, group two, group three and group four.)
3) Administer Flame-retardants to cotton.
a. Spray Group one evenly with Flametard fire retardant spray to an equivalent of 10 milliliters (8 sprays) on both side of the cotton.
b. Spray both sides of group two with the same amount of No-burn Fire Guard fire retardant spray (10 milliliters)
c. Spray both sides of group three evenly with10 milliliters of Flamex fire retardant spray.
d. Don’t spray group four with anything
4) Let all of the cotton squares dry for 24 hour by hanging them by clothespins.
5) Gather materials and do test over a non-flammable cookie sheet
6) When the groups have dried, clip one square of cotton fabric onto the ring stand.
7) Then, take the alcohol lamp and ignite the cotton from the bottom corner
8) Measure Responding Variables.
a) Start stopwatch 1 when the alcohol lamp is placed under the cotton.
b) Stop stopwatch 1 when cotton lights.
c) Start stopwatch 2 when the cotton lights.
d) Stop stopwatch 2 when the cotton stops burning.
e) Determine how much cloth was burned by placing the plastic grid on top of the cotton. Count the square centimeters of the cotton that wasn’t burned and subtract this from 100 cm2.
f) Record readings from the stopwatches and the grid onto the data table.
9) Repeat steps 6 through 8 for the rest of the cotton in group one.
10) Repeat steps 6-8 for group two.
11) Repeat steps 6-8 for group three
12) Repeat steps 6-8 for group four.
13) Average all data for each group.
The original purpose of this experiment was to compare the ability of fire retardants in preventing cotton from burning.
The results of the experiment were that Flametard Fire Retardant Spray prevented the cotton’s ignition longer than Flamex Fire Retardant Spray and No-Burn Fire Guard Fire Retardant Spray. Also the cotton with no fire retardant burned the fastest and left the least amount of cotton. No-Burn Fire Guard Fire Retardant Spray burned less than Flamex Fire Retardant Spray and Flametard Fire Guard Fire Retardant Spray even though it took the longest to extinguish.
See data and graph bellow
My hypothesis was that the cotton would burn faster without flame-retardants than with.
The results indicate that this hypothesis should be accepted, because the cotton without the fire retardant ignited and burned quicker with less remaining than the cotton groups with retardants on them.
My second hypothesis was that Flamex Fire Retardant Spray would cause cotton to ignite more slowly than No-Burn Fabric Fire Guard Fire Retardant Spray and Flametard Fire Retardant Spray.
The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected, because on average the Flametard fire retardant kept the cotton from igniting for the longest time.
After thinking about the results of this experiment, I wonder if different fabrics would burn differently: Would cotton burn easier than silk, wool, linen or nylon. I also wonder if the retardants would work equally well on all those other types of cloth.
If I were to conduct this project again I would use more squares of cotton per group. I would use more types of fire retardants. Also I would use different variations of fire retardant amount, like applying 5 ml. instead of 10 ml.
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Introduction Fire is an element that has benefited humans for so long that it is hard to tell the true beginning of its use. It has been used in homes and camps to warm and cook and in factories to fashion metals and do many other things. If fire is not handled carefully it will also harm or kill. Fire Fire is a reaction of chemicals and cannot happen without three components known as the fire triangle: Heat, Oxygen and Fuel. The fire feeds off the fuel, which can be anything burnable: solids like cloth or wood, liquid like gasoline and oil, or a gas like hydrogen. Without oxygen the triangle will be broken and there will be no fire because oxygen chemically combines with the fuel in a process called oxidation. Finally fire needs sustained heat. If the fuel’s ignition temperature weren’t met there would only be the chemicals, fuel and oxygen, unlit and unable to support itself to keep burning. In order to have a fire all of these things must be present. Fire has been used to warm living spaces, heat water, cook, provide light, and melt metal to the point that it can be molded into weapons, coins or tools as well as many other things. Fire Retardants All fabrics used as textiles will burn but some are more combustible (flammable) than others. Cotton has a high burning rate compared to other fabrics but this can be prevented by the application of flame-retardants. A fire retardant is a foam or liquid spray that prevents or slows fires. If a fire strikes, the chemicals in the retardant react with the combustible gases and tars generated by the material. The tars are turned into char that forms on the surface, slowing the burning rate. The flammable gases are for the most part hindered in their ability to create more fire by the retardant chemicals that help break apart the fire triangle needed to form a fire. Some retardants keep the fuel from getting enough oxygen to burn well. Though they prevent many burnings fire retardants are also dangerous and are toxic when they are swallowed or breathed in. Cotton Cotton is the most often used fabric in the United States and is also one of the most flammable. Since he invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney cotton has been the main fabric for clothing. Cotton is also highly flammable. Summary Humans have used fire for numerous things. Although fire can be very useful, it can be harmful or deadly if not controlled or at least handled properly. |
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“Burnsurgery.org”. December 15, 2005. <http://www.burnsurgery.org/> Dharma Trading Company, “Fire Retardant Spray for Fabrics”, 11/17/05 <http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1693-AA.shtml> Mercado, Janyn, “Effect of Fire Retardants on the Burning Rate of Cotton”, 11/10/2005 <http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/SOAR/SciProj2005/JanynM.html> National Fire Proofing Company. “Fire Retardant Products”, 11/10/05 <http://www.natfire.com/flame.retardant_fx.htm> Safety Think Incorporated, “No-Burn Fabric Fire Guard”, 11/17/05 <http://www.safetythink.com/detail.php?catid=3&prodid=36> Barnett, Jonathan R. “Fire.” Microsoft Encarta. 2005 edition. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corporation 2004 Nguyen, Huy X. “Flame Retardants.” Microsoft Encarta. 2005 edition. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corporation 2004 Treybal, R. E. “Combustion.” Microsoft Encarta. 2005 edition. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corporation 2004 |
I would like to thank the following people for helping make my project possible:
• My dad for helping me with my project.
• My teacher, Mr. Newkirk, for helping make this project possible.
• Mrs. Viernes for helping with my diplay.
• Michelle for more help with my display
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