Experts analyze the development status of the domestic flame retardant fiber industry
In 2002, with the introduction of the GA-10 firefighting protective clothing standard for firefighters, the second generation of fire-retardant fabrics, essentially fire-retardant fabrics based on Nomex3A fabric, debuted in a standard form.
Moderator: our reporter Tao Lulu
Guest: Zhu Minru, Honorary Chairman of China Industrial Fabrics Industry Association
Engineer of the Armed Police Logistics Equipment Research Institute Yan Youjuan
Secretary-General of the Chinese Fire Protection Society Zhou Zhengmao
Actively call for the introduction of mandatory fire prevention standards
Zhu Minru
According to relevant statistics, 1/3 of fires are caused by the spread of fire after fabrics are ignited, such as curtains and tablecloths. Once these non-fireproof fabrics burn, a large amount of thick smoke will be produced in an instant and melting will occur. dripping phenomenon. Although the cause of these fires was not fabrics, the spread of the fire was particularly severe. If these fabrics are fire-resistant, it will give people time to escape. Even a few seconds may save many lives. ”
In fact, our country began technological research and development of fire-proof products around the 1990s. Why have their products not been widely promoted and applied many years later? There are many reasons:
First, the public does not have enough understanding of this, and the awareness of personal protection is not clear. As a result, fire-proof products and work clothes are mostly used in the field of professional work wear, and it is difficult to promote civilian use. The second is the price issue. Compared with the civilian field, whether it is professional workwear or military fields, the demand for fireproof products is still relatively small. In addition, the price of fireproof products themselves is also slightly higher. For many years, product prices have been relatively high. point. Third, from a national level, this is also an important point. Our country does not have complete laws, regulations or mandatory standards, and there is no binding force on the use of fire protection products in some public places.
With the development of society, there are more and more high-rise buildings, hotels and other places. However, the focus on emergency systems cannot just stop at “fire fighting”, but should prevent problems before they occur. For example, it is extremely difficult to put out fires in high-rise buildings. If such places can be equipped with fireproof blankets, escape ropes, or use fireproof fabrics, it will buy precious time for rescue and self-rescue. If it is only a small fire, covering it with a fireproof blanket may A fire was spared.
From a government perspective, there are many methods that we can learn from abroad. The laws of many European and American countries stipulate that children’s work clothes must meet certain fire protection standards. Fire blankets must be necessary for families. The knowledge of personal protection must be regularly publicized. Raise public awareness. With mandatory regulations in place, it is more important to implement them.
In addition, the progress of the domestic fire protection industry requires not only active calls from the industry, but also new media to help us strengthen publicity and reporting in this area to improve the public’s awareness of personal protection.
The domestic market in this area is not yet active, causing the industry to be unable to operate continuously and a virtuous cycle has not yet been formed. Only when fire-proof products are widely used in the market will problems be discovered, solved, and entered into a process of continuous improvement and progress. For enterprises, they must ensure stable product quality, ensure production capacity, and reduce costs from the perspective of formula and production efficiency, in order to support the healthy operation of themselves and the industry.
The orderly progress of the industry also requires two combinations of industry, academia and research. On the one hand, it is a horizontal combination within the industry, giving full play to the scientific research advantages of colleges and universities, and jointly developing multi-functional fabrics with enterprises, which should have both fire protection and Features include anti-static, anti-splash, and comfortable hand feel.
On the other hand, focus on vertical integration with the chemical industry, such as the selection of fire retardants. In the process of industry, academia and research, companies can not only work hard on modified fireproof fibers, but also focus on the research and development of non-combustible fibers, such as glass fiber, basalt fiber, ceramic fiber, etc. While improving the fire protection level, reasonably controlling prices and actively developing new raw materials and new products are also processes that need to be actively explored in the development of the industry.
The upstream and downstream industry chain should establish effective alliances
Yan Youjuan
Domestic fire-proof fabrics have roughly gone through three periods of development: In the 1980s and 1990s, the first-generation fire-proof fabrics were mainly based on PROBEN post-processing of cotton printed and dyed fabrics. Its process is simple and low-cost, and it has played an important role in professional wear occasions such as oil fields. It plays an important role, but its washability is poor and its strength is not high. It has been challenged by intrinsically fireproof products.
In 2002, with the introduction of the GA-10 firefighting protective clothing standard for firefighters, the second generation of fire-retardant fabrics, essentially fire-retardant fabrics based on Nomex3A fabric, debuted in a standard form.
We have now entered a new period of research and development and trial use of the third generation of fire-resistant fabrics. Due to the use of intrinsically fire-resistant high-strength fibers, comfortable fibers, and dyeable and printable fibers, high-strength and wear-resistant, intrinsically fire-resistant, comfortable, and oil- and water-repellent fabrics are required. Such extraordinary functions are currently being trialled by the military and armed police special operations forces. The third generation of fire-resistant fabrics uses the synergistic effect of multiple fire-resistant fibers to solve problems, so it puts forward higher requirements for the selection of dyeing materials and the selection of finishing process routes.
So, what kind of fire-proof fabrics do army officers and soldiers need? First of all, it must be durable, high-strength and wear-resistant. The high-intensity training of climbing, rolling, and rolling is a particularly big test for the strength of the fabric. Secondly, it must be intrinsically fireproof, have good fireproof and washability, and have good fireproof performance during the wear cycle. Third�Comfortable to wear, work clothes should be used all day and for a long time, and their comfort is the prerequisite for ensuring combat effectiveness. Fourth, it is required to be able to be printed, and the dyeing fastness and hand feel after printing should be good, making it possible to realize the camouflage pattern and provide concealed protection within the visible range. At present, many good intrinsically fire-resistant fibers such as PBI and Nomex cannot meet this condition when used alone. Fifth, the price must be moderate.
Domestic fire-proof fabrics have reached a good stage, but in the recent R&D and trial production process, I personally think there are some problems that need to be solved urgently:
First of all, there is an urgent need to establish an effective cooperation system or alliance among demand industries, fabric production companies, including raw material production, spinning, manufacturing, post-finishing, etc., workwear companies, R&D institutions, and scientific research institutes. , the R&D cost of fire-proof fabrics is high, and fabric production companies are not very enthusiastic when they cannot see the demand. An alliance must serve as a bridge. When there is demand, the financial resources, technical support and enthusiasm of all parties in the cooperation system can be mobilized to the maximum extent, and quickly Present products efficiently.
Secondly, standards must be formulated and standards must be relied upon to unify products. Good product performance is reflected in its first-class indicators.
Once again, we call on auxiliary material manufacturers to strengthen research and development and provide intrinsically fireproof auxiliary materials. The last few issues of the newspaper mentioned fireproof zippers, which is a particularly good phenomenon. At the same time, there should also be high-strength fireproof sewing threads, linings, Intrinsic fire-proof products such as buckle straps, polar fleece, and elastic fabrics also require price reductions accordingly. When we reviewed the products in the early stage, we found that the price of fabrics had dropped significantly, but the prices of supporting accessories were frighteningly high, which was particularly detrimental to the development of the industry.
After that, it is also crucial for the media and industry practitioners to strengthen the introduction and publicity of domestic fireproof products. The management and use departments must support state-owned essential fireproof fibers from a strategic height, and provide support from the entry threshold, price and other aspects, so as to truly achieve the goal of using China’s Made of fire-retardant fabrics.
Fire prevention awareness must be popularized among the people
Zhou Zhengmao
At present, the development trend of domestic fire-resistant fibers is good, and the mass varieties are basically in sync with the international technical level. In some fields, the quality of domestic fire-resistant fibers has already exceeded the international level. For example, fire-resistant polyester fiber and fabrics made from it are superior to some international brands in terms of fire protection, coloring, feel, strength and many other aspects. therefore. It can be said that the development of domestic fireproof fibers is healthy and steady, and its prospects are extremely broad.
However, due to the lack of enforcement of mandatory national standards in some application fields, the market development of fire-retardant fabrics is still insufficient.
For enterprises, in fact, the individual R&D capabilities of each enterprise need to be further strengthened. Judging from existing experience, “industry-university-research” is a good cooperation model. With the support of scientific research units, enterprises propose projects based on market demand, which are completed by a combination of the advantages of “industry, academia and research” parties. However, the problem reflected at this stage is that some projects are too advanced and can only lead in technical reserves, but their actual application value cannot yet be reflected.
Based on this, companies should vigorously develop fire-retardant fibers that are easy to produce, easy to organize, popular, and have excellent comprehensive properties. Blindly pursuing the development of extraordinary performance fire-retardant fibers may not be in line with the actual application value of market development.
To prosper my country’s fire-resistant fiber market, it is important to rely on the establishment of national mandatory standards and the implementation of standards. Without these, the progress of the fire-resistant fiber market has no basis. From this perspective, improving the cost-effectiveness of fiber is the second aspect of market prosperity.
The relevant standards for the use of fire-retardant fabrics in foreign countries are relatively complete, people’s awareness of mandatory use is also very clear, and they have strong self-discipline, so the market is bound to prosper. This requires strict discipline from law enforcement.
In addition, media promotion efforts in this area also need to be strengthened. The fire protection industry should strengthen contact with the standardization committees of various application departments to standardize the completeness of various mandatory standards, and cooperate with the new industry departments to introduce fire-resistant fibers and fire-resistant fabrics with excellent cost performance. It is also necessary to strengthen publicity and promote it from within the industry to outside the industry to enhance people’s safety awareness in the use of fire-proof products.
AAAJYUIYFHGE
Extendedreading:https://www.brandfabric.net/two-layer-two-stretch-breathable-fabric/
