[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 16, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 16CFR1616.5]
[Page 674-685]
TITLE 16--COMMERCIAL PRACTICES
CHAPTER II--CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
PART 1616_STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF CHILDREN'S SLEEPWEAR:
SIZES 7 THROUGH 14 (FF 5-74)--Table of Contents
Subpart A_The Standard
Sec. 1616.5 Test procedure.
(a) Apparatus. The following test apparatus shall be used for the
test. Alternate test apparatus may be used only with prior approval of
the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
(1) Test chamber. The test chamber shall be a steel cabinet with
inside dimensions of 32.9 cm. (12\15/16\ in.) wide, 32.9 cm. (12\15/16\
in.) deep and 76.2 cm. (30 in.) high. It shall have a frame which
permits the suspension of the specimen holder over the center of the
base of the cabinet at such a height that the bottom of the specimen is
1.7 cm. (\3/4\ in.) above the highest point of the barrel of the gas
burner specified in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, Burner and
perpendicular to the front of the cabinet. The front of the cabinet
shall be a close-fitting door with a transparent insert to permit
observation of the entire test. The cabinet floor may be covered with a
piece of asbestos paper, whose length and width are approximately 2.5
cm. (1 in.) less than the cabinet floor dimensions. The cabinet to be
used in this test method is illustrated in Figure 1 and detailed in
Engineering Drawings, Numbers 1 through 7.
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(2) Specimen holder. The specimen holder to be used in this test
method is detailed in Engineering Drawing Number 7. It is designed to
permit suspension of the specimen in a fixed vertical position and to
prevent curling of the specimen when the flame is applied. The specimen
shall be fixed between the plates, which shall be held together with
side clamps.
(3) Burner. The burner shall be the same as that illustrated in
Figure 1 and detailed in Engineering Drawing Number 6. It shall have a
tube of 1.1 cm. (0.43 in.) inside diameter. The input line to the burner
shall be equipped
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with a needle valve. It shall have a variable orifice to adjust the
height of the flame. The barrel of the burner shall be at an angle of 25
degrees from the vertical. The burner may be equipped with an adjustable
stop collar so that it may be positioned quickly under the test
specimen. The burner shall be connected to the gas source by rubber or
other flexible tubing.
(4) Gas supply system. There shall be a pressure regulator to
furnish gas to the burner under a pressure of 103-259 mm. Hg. (2-5 lbs.
per sq. in.) at the burner inlet. (Caution. Precautionary laboratory
practices must be followed to prevent the leakage of methane. Methane is
a flammable gas which can be explosive when mixed with air and exposed
to a source of ignition, and can cause asphyxiation because of the lack
of air.)
(5) Gas. The gas shall be at least 97 percent pure methane.
(6) Hooks and weights. Metal hooks and weights shall be used to
produce a series of loads for char length determinations. Suitable metal
hooks consist of No. 19 gauge steel wire, or equivalent, made from 7.6
cm. (3 in.) lengths of the wire, bent 1.3 cm. (0.5 in.) from one end to
a 45-degree angle hook. The longer end of the wire is fastened around
the neck of the weight to be used and the other in the lower end of each
burned specimen to one side of the burned area. The requisite loads are
given in table 1.
Table 1--Original Fabric Weight \1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loads
Grams per square meter Ounces per square yard -----------------
Grams Pounds
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than 101 Less than 3 54.4 0.12
101 to 207 3 to 6 113.4 .25
207 to 338 6 to 10 226.8 .50
Greater than 338 Greater than 10 340.2 .75
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Weight of the original fabric, containing no seams or trim, is
calculated from the weight of a specimen which has been conditioned
for at least 8 hr at 211.1 [deg]C (702 [deg]F) and 652 pct relative
humidity. Shorter conditioning times may be used if the change in
weight of a specimen in successive weighings made at intervals of not
less than 2 hr does not exceed 0.2 pct of the weight of the specimen.
(7) Stopwatch. A stopwatch or similar timing device shall be used to
measure time to 0.1 second.
(8) Scale. A linear scale graduated in mm. or 0.1-inch divisions
shall be used to measure char length.
(9) Circulating air oven. A forced circulation drying oven capable
of maintaining the specimen at 1052.8 [deg]C.
(2215 [deg]F.), shall be used to dry the specimen
while mounted in the specimen holders. \3\
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\3\ Procedure 1(1.1.1) of ASTM D 2654-71 ``Standard Methods of Test
for moisture content and moisture regain of textile material,''
describes a satisfactory oven (1972 Book of ASTM Standards, part 24,
published by the American Society for Testing and Materials, 1916 Race
Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103).
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(10) Desiccator. An air-tight and moisture-tight desiccating chamber
shall be used for cooling mounted specimens after drying. Anhydrous
silica gel with an indicator shall be used as the desiccant in the
desiccating chamber. Replace or reactivate the desiccant when it becomes
inactive.
(11) Hood. A hood or other suitable enclosure shall be used to
provide a draft-protected environment surrounding the test chamber
without restricting the availability of air. This enclosure shall have a
fan or other suitable means for exhausting smoke and/or toxic gases
produced by testing.
(12) Extinguishing plates. Extinguishing plates shall be used to
extinguish afterglow. The plates shall be metal, approximately 35.6 cm.
x 5.1 cm. (14 x 2 in.) which fit within the opening of the specimen
holder. The bottom plate shall be the thickness of the specimen holder
and the top plate shall be at least 0.32 cm. (\1/8\ in.) thick. A
suitable metal specimen mounting block may be used for the bottom plate.
(b) Mounting and conditioning of specimens. (1) The specimens shall
be placed in specimen holders so that the bottom edge of each specimen
is even with the bottom of the specimen holder. Mount the specimen in as
close to a flat configuration as possible. The sides of the specimen
holder shall cover 1.9 cm. (\3/4\ in.) of the specimen width along each
long edge of the specimen, and thus shall expose 5.1 cm. (2 in.) of the
specimen width. The sides of the specimen holder shall be clamped with a
sufficient number of clamps or shall be taped to prevent the specimen
from being displaced during handling and testing. The specimens may be
taped in the holders if the clamps fail to hold
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them. Place the mounted specimens in the drying oven in a manner that
will permit free circulation of air at 105 [deg]C. (221 [deg]F.) around
them for 30 minutes. \4\
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\4\ If the specimens are moist when received, permit them to air dry
in laboratory conditions prior to placement in the oven. A satisfactory
preconditioning procedure may be found in ASTM D 1776-67, ``Conditioning
Textiles and Textile Products for Testing''. (1972 Book of ASTM
Standards, part 24, published by the American Society for Testing and
Materials, 1916 Race Street, Philadelphia Pennsylvania 19103.)
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(2) Remove the mounted specimens from the oven and place them in the
desiccator for 30 minutes to cool. No more than five specimens shall be
placed in a desiccator at one time. Specimens shall remain in the
desiccator no more than 60 minutes.
(c) Testing--(1) Burner adjustment. With the hood fan turned off,
use the needle valve to adjust the flame height of the burner to 3.8 cm.
(1\1/2\ in.) above the highest point of the barrel of the burner. A
suitable height indicator is shown in Engineering Drawing Number 6 and
Figure 1.
(2) Specimen burning and evaluation. (i) One at a time, the mounted
specimens shall be removed from the desiccator and suspended in the
cabinet for testing. The cabinet door shall be closed and the burner
flame impinged on the bottom edge of the specimen for 3.00.2 seconds. \5\ Flame impingement is accomplished by
moving the burner under the specimen for this length of time, and then
removing it.
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\5\ If more than 30 seconds elapse between removal of a specimen
from the desiccator and the initial flame impingement, that specimen
shall be reconditioned prior to testing.
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(ii) When flaming has ceased, remove the specimen from the cabinet,
except for specimens which exhibit afterglow. If afterglow is evident,
the specimen shall be removed from the cabinet 1 minute after the burner
flame is impinged on the specimen if no flaming exists at that time.
Upon removal from the cabinet, the afterglow shall be promptly
extinguished. The afterglow shall be extinguished by placing the
specimen while still in the specimen holder on the bottom extinguishing
plate and immediately covering it with the top plate until all evidence
of afterglow has ceased. After removing the specimen from the cabinet
and, if appropriate, extinguishing afterglow, remove it from the holder
and place it on a flat clean surface. Fold the specimen lengthwise along
a line through the highest peak of the charred or melted area; crease
the specimen firmly by hand. Unfold the specimen and insert the hook
with the correct weight as shown in table 1 in the specimen on one side
of the charred area 6.4 mm. (\1/4\ in.) from the lower edge. Tear the
specimen by grasping the other lower corner of the fabric and gently
raising the specimen and weight clear of the supporting surface. \6\
Measure the char length as the distance from the end of the tear to the
original lower edge of the specimen exposed to the flame. After testing
each specimen, vent the hood and cabinet to remove the smoke and/or
toxic gases.
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\6\ A figure showing how this is done is given in AATCC Test method
34-1969, ``Fire Resistance of Textile Fabrics,'' Technical Manual of the
American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, Vol. 46, 1970,
published by AATCC, P.O. Box 12215, Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina 27709.
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(3) Report. Report the value of char length, in centimeters (or
inches), for each specimen, as well as the average char length for each
set of five specimens.
(4) Laundering. (i) The procedures described under Sec. Sec. 1616.4
Sampling and acceptance procedures, 1616.5(b) Conditioning and mounting
of specimens, and 1616.5(c) Testing shall be carried out on finished
items (as produced or after one washing and drying) and after they have
been washed and dried 50 times in accordance with sections 8.2.2, 8.2.3,
and 8.3.1(A) of AATCC Test Method 124-1996 ``Appearance of Fabrics after
Repeated Home Laundering,'' Technical Manual of the American Association
of Textile Chemists and Colorists, vol. 73, 1997, which is incorporated
by reference. Copies of this document are available from the American
Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, P.O. Box 12215, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709. This document is also available for
inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-
741-6030, or
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go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal--register/code--of--federal--
regulations/ibr--locations.html. This incorporation by reference was
approved by the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5
U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Items which do not withstand 50
launderings shall be tested at the end of their useful service life with
prior approval of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
(ii) Washing shall be performed in accordance with sections 8.2.2
and 8.2.3 of AATCC Test Method 124-1996, using wash temperature V
(60[deg] 3 [deg]C, 140[deg] 5 [deg]F) specified in Table II of that method, and the
water level, agitator speed, washing time, spin speed and final spin
cycle specified for ``Normal/Cotton Sturdy'' in Table III. A maximum
washer load shall be 3.64 Kg (8 pounds) and may consist of any
combination of test samples and dummy pieces. Drying shall be performed
in accordance with section 8.3.1(A) of that test method, Tumble Dry,
using the exhaust temperature (66[deg] 5 [deg]C,
150[deg] 10 [deg]F) and cool down time of 10
minutes specified in the ``Durable Press'' conditions of Table IV.
Alternatively, a different number of times under another washing and
drying procedure may be specified and used, if that procedure has
previously been found to be equivalent by the Consumer Product Safety
Commission. Such laundering is not required of items which are not
intended to be laundered, as determined by the Consumer Product Safety
Commission.
(iii) Items which are not susceptible to being laundered and are
labeled ``dry-clean only'' shall be dry-cleaned by a procedure which has
previously been found to be acceptable by the Consumer Product Safety
Commission.
(iv) For the purpose of the issuance of a guarantee under section 8
of the act, finished sleepwear garments to be tested according to Sec.
1616.4(c) Garment sampling, need not be laundered or dry-cleaned
provided all fabrics used in making the garments (except trim) have been
guaranteed by the fabric producer to be acceptable when tested according
to Sec. 1616.4(b) Fabric sampling.
[40 FR 59917, Dec. 30, 1975; 41 FR 1061, Jan. 6, 1976, as amended at 46
FR 63252, Dec. 31, 1981; 64 FR 34538, June 28, 1999; 64 FR 61021, Nov.
9, 1999; 65 FR 12928, Mar. 10, 2000]