FLAME RETARDANT FLEXIBLE POLYURETHANE FOAM FINDS WIDESPREAD COMMERCIAL USE AS A SEATING MATERIAL DUE TO ITS FAVORABLE COST, SUPPORT, AND RESILIENCE CHARACTERISTICS.

FLAME RETARDANT FLEXIBLE POLYURETHANE FOAM FINDS WIDESPREAD COMMERCIAL USE AS A SEATING MATERIAL DUE TO ITS FAVORABLE COST, SUPPORT, AND RESILIENCE CHARACTERISTICS. HOWEVER, SMOKE AND TOXIC GAS EVOLUTION IN THE EVENT OF FIRE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM. THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO CREATE A FIRE RESISTANT COMPOSITE FOAM STRUCTURE WHICH WILL GENERATE NEGLIGIBLE QUANTITIES OF TOXIC FUMES WHEN EXPOSED TO FIRE. PRELIMINARY WORK INDICATES THAT AN OUTER LAYER OF SILICONE FOAM CAN BE APPLIED TO COMMERCIAL FOAM SEATING MATERIALS TO FORM A COMPOSITE FOAM STRUCTURE. WHEN EXPOSED TO FIRE, THE OUTER LAYER FORMS AN ABLATIVE CHAR WHICH PROTECTS THE INNER FOAM CORE. THE PROGRAM WILL INVOLVE PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITE FOAMS AND FORMULATING THE OUTER LAYER TO INCREASE FIRE RESISTANCE AND DECREASE TOXIC GAS EVOLUTION DURING COMBUSTION. NON-FLAME RETARDANT FOAMS WILL ALSO BE INVESTIGATED TO DETERMINE IF SILICONE OUTER FOAM LAYERS CAN AFFORD THE SAME DEGREE OF PROTECTION TO THESE CORE MATERIALS.