Investigation of weave influence on flame retardancy of jute fabrics

In the present work, seven different weave-structured jute fabrics were treated using an organophosphorus-based flame-retardant (FR) chemical (ITOFLAM CPN) along with a cross-linking agent (KNITTEX CHN) by the pad–dry–cure method. The flammability properties were determined by vertical and horizontal flammability tests and limiting oxygen index (LOI). The flame-spread and after-glow time in the vertical flammability test were calculated to be zero seconds on the FR-treated fabrics while the untreated fabrics were completely burnt. The burn rate in the horizontal flammability test is also measured at zero seconds on the FR-treated fabrics. The highest LOI (43.33) is found in the Twill-3/1 and 4-ends Irregular Satin fabrics, while other fabrics had similar LOI (40) results after FR treatment. The maximum char length (71 and 74 mm) was determined in the warp and weft directions of the Plain-1/1 fabric, while an average minimum char length was found for Twill-2/2 fabrics. Despite the significant improvement in FR performance, it strongly affects the tensile properties of FR-treated fabrics. A substantial loss of tensile strength loss was measured in all treated fabrics; however, the highest loss (77%) was examined for the Plain-1/1 fabric, and the lowest loss of strength (60%) was in the Basket weave (Matt)-4/4 fabric.