PUTech is familiar with the standards involved in all the different types of polyurethanes, therefore as a guideline we decided to include them on this site for reference.

Standard flammability test methods have been developed in which a test sample of material, such as foam or foam and cover combination is used. The material is subjected to ignition sources of varying intensity for a given time. Performance in such tests may be graded. Actual fire performance of manufactured items depend on a number of factors, varying from test to test. Small-scale flammability tests are mostly used in quality assessment of flame retarded foam grades.

TEST - DESIGNATION - BRIEF - DESCRIPTION - RATING

BS5852 British Standard ignitability test. Combination of cushion and cover tested as a mock-up to cigarette (Source 0), gas-flame (Sources 1-3) and small timber crib (Sources 4-7) ignition sources. Non-ignition, smouldering ignition or flaming ignition.

BS5852/Source 5 modified.Cushion tested with FR polyester fabric as a mock-up to Source 5 crib.Pass, if mass loss is less than 60 grams.

AS/NZS4088.1(Int):1993 ignitability test. Cushion tested with FR polyester fabric as a mock-up to BS Source 2 gas flame. Pass, for non-ignition (flames self-extinguishing within 120 sec.)

FAR25/863/App.F test of Civil Aviation Authority, USA component tests. Vertically oriented small foam sample tested with gas burner for flame spread. Pass, if damage less than 200mm, after-burn less than 15 sec.

FAR25/853/App.F-Part 2. Civil Aviation Authority, USA aircraft seat test. Kerosene burner fire applied to complete seat and back. Pass if mass loss is less than 10% and burn length is less than 430mm.

FMVSS 302 and SAE T2002 automotive industry standards. Horizontally placed strip of foam tested with gas burner. Less than 100mm/min. flame spread rate for pass.

AS1530/Pt.3 - Aust. Standard for ignitability, flame propagation, heat released and smoke released. Radiant panel test for vertically oriented samples (for wall linings, but also used for other materials). Rating on a 0-20 scale for ignitability and 0-10 for flame, heat and smoke.

Technical Bulletin 117/A/Pt.1 and D/Pt.2 of the State of California, USA. Foam vertical burn test with gas burner and cigarette test of foam with standard fabric. 200mm max flame spread + no smouldering ignition for pass on new and on aged samples (104ºC/24hrs).

AS3744/Parts 1 and 2 Aust. Standard ignitability test for upholstered furniture. Identical to BS5852 Source 0 (cigarette burn) and Source 1 (match-flame equivalent gas flame) tests. Non-ignition, smouldering ignition or flaming ignition.

V/Line EC/F/2 test for foam cushioning in railway seats. Seat/back assembly or foam components only tested with 125g newspaper box ignition source. After-burn (following the burning of newspaper) should be less than 60 seconds for pass.

AS2122.2 Aust. Standard for minimum oxygen concentration determination. Minimum oxygen concentration determined for flame propagation on small vertical sample of material. Flame retarded foams generally rated at about 23 to 30%.

Physical Properties are measured, whenever possible, following the methods outlined in Australian Standard AS 2282-1991.  Specifications for physical properties and dimensions of flexible load-bearing polyurethane foam are set out in AS 2281-1993.

Australian Standard (AS) Class

The following foam types are defined in the standard: H - for heavy duty conventional, N - for normal duty conventional, HR - for high resilience, LR - for low resilience and BC - for bonded crumb. Minimum density requirements are listed for selected hardness ranges from 20 to 600 Newtons.

Compression Set

Compression Set is determined by compressing a 25mm thick sample for 22 hours at 70ºC and measuring the percentage thickness lost following the compression cycle

Density

The mass of a foam piece measured in kg and divided by its volume in cubic metre.

Elongation

Elongation is measured together with tensile strength. It is the percentage extension of the test piece at the point of maximum stretch, before breaking.

Hardness (IFD)

Hardness is expressed and measured as indentation force deflection, l.F.D. for short.  This is the force in Newtons required to compress a test sample or a cushion by 25%, 40% and 65% of its initial thickness using a 2OOmm diameter standard indentor. The reference hardness is the 40% indentation force deflection value. The sample sizes (according to STD) are (W)380x(L)380x(T)50 mm.

IFD 25% Recovery

The measure of elasticity or hysteresis of a foam sample. A high ratio of 25% recovery, such as 75% - 80% indicates good recovery properties of a given foam during the loading/unloading cycles.

Indentation Factor

This property is one of the indicators of foam comfort. Higher indentation or "sag" factor figures mean softer "initial feel" coupled with good base support. Generally in the 1.6 to 2.6 range for 5Omm test pieces.

Resilience

Measured as ball rebound, it is an indication of 'springiness' or bounce of the material. Generally in the 40% to 60% ranges for seating foams and less than 30% for impact absorbing grades.

Tear Resistance

A measure of the resistance of the foam piece to tear propagation, tested on a small sample and expressed in Newtons / metre.

Tensile Strength

A measure of the force, expressed in kilopascals(kPa), required to stretch a test piece of standard thickness until it breaks. The elongation at break is measured as the percentage extension of the piece at the point of break - see also elongation.