Flammability Behaviours of Knitted Fabrics Containing PLA, Cotton, Lyocell, Chitosan Fibers

In recent years, studies have focused on the development of fire retardant products that are produced without the use of flame retardants with toxic effects and do not have harmful effects on humans and the environment. In this work, it has been compared the flame retardant properties of some biodegradable fibers obtained from different sources. It is important to investigate the performance of textile surfaces obtained from renewable fibers for flame retardant products and to improve their usage possibilities. The fire retardancy properties of knitted fabrics containing PLA, cotton, lyocell, and chitosan fibers were studied by analyzing the LOI values and burning behaviors. Single jersey knitted fabrics composed of 100% PLA, 100% Lyocell, 95% PLA 5% Chitosan, 95% Cotton 5% Chitosan, 95% Lyocell 5%Chitosan, 80%PLA 15%Cotton 5%Chitosan, 80%PLA 15%Lyocell 5%Chitosan were produced. The flame speed of each material was determined and differences in the flammability behaviors of the fabrics were identified. The lowest flammability occurred for the fabric 95% PLA and 5% Chitosan. The highest flammability was for 100% Lyocell knitted fabric. Knitted textile structures were evaluated for their flammability using the standard fire test ISO 6941. Also, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of knitted fabrics under ASTM: D2863 was evaluated.