Flame-Retardant Design and Protection for Furniture and Furnishings

This chapter covers the fire hazards of flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF) used in furniture and furnishings. This includes analysis of the current fire tests for furniture, as well as how changes in regulations have affected the fire test and what flame retardants (or lack thereof) are permitted to be used. The fire physics of how FPUF thermally decomposes and leads to "pool-type" fires is discussed, as well as some of the chemistry of this process. Some discussion of flame-retardant solutions (historical and present) are included in the chapter as well.