[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: 16CFR1630.4]
[Page 697-699]
TITLE 16--COMMERCIAL PRACTICES
CHAPTER II--CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
PART 1630_STANDARD FOR THE SURFACE FLAMMABILITY OF CARPETS AND RUGS
(FF 1-70)--Table of Contents
Subpart A_The Standard
Sec. 1630.4 Test procedure.
(a) Apparatus--(1) Test chamber. The test chamber shall consist of
an open top hollow cube made of noncombustible material \1\ with inside
dimensions 30.48 x 40.48 x 30.48 cm. (12 x 12 x 12 in.) and a minimum of
6.35 (\1/4\ in.) wall thickness. The flat bottom of the box shall be
made of the same material as the sides and shall be easily removable.
The sides shall be fastened together with screws or brackets and taped
to prevent air leakage into the box during use.
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\1\ 6.35 mm (\1/4\ in.) cement asbestos board is a suitable
material.
Note: A minimum of two chambers and two extra bottoms is suggested
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for efficient operation.
(2) Flattening frame. A steel plate, 22.86 x 22.86 cm. (9 x 9 in.),
6.35 mm. (\1/4\ in.) thick with a 20.32 cm. (8 in.) diameter hole in its
center is required to hold the carpet or rug flat during the course of
the test. It is recommended that one be provided for each test chamber.
(3) Standard igniting source. No. 1588 methenamine timed burning
tablet or an equal tablet. These tablets shall be stored in a desiccator
over a desiccant for 24 hours prior to use. (Small quantities of
absorbed water may cause the tablets to fracture when first ignited. If
a major fracture occurs, any results from that test shall be ignored,
and it shall be repeated.)
(4) Test specimens. Each test specimen shall be a 22.86 x 22.86 cm.
(9 x 9 in.) section of the carpet or rug to be tested. Eight specimens
are required.
(5) Circulating air oven. A forced circulation drying oven capable
of removing the moisture from the specimens when maintained at 105
[deg]C. (221 [deg]F.) for 2 hours. \2\
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\2\ Option 1 of ASTM D 2654-67T, ``Methods of Test for Amount of
Moisture in Textile Materials,'' describes a satisfactory oven. (``1969
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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(6) Desiccating cabinet. An airtight and moisture tight cabinet
capable of holding the floor covering specimens horizontally without
contacting each other during the cooling period following drying, and
containing silica gel desiccant.
(7) Gloves. Nonhygroscopic gloves (such as rubber polyethylene) for
handling the sample after drying, and raising the pile on specimens
prior to testing.
(8) Hood. A hood capable of being closed and having its draft turned
off during each test and capable of rapidly removing the products of
combustion following each test. The front or sides of the hood should be
transparent to permit observation of the tests in progress.
[[Page 698]]
(9) Mirror. A small mirror mounted above each test chamber at an
angle to permit observation of the specimen from outside of the hood.
(10) Vacuum cleaner. A vacuum cleaner to remove all loose material
from each specimen prior to conditioning. All surfaces of the vacuum
cleaner contacting the specimen shall be flat and smooth.
(b) Sampling--(1)(i) Selection of samples. Select a sample of the
material representative of the lot and large enough to permit cutting
eight test specimens 22.86 x 22.86 cm. (9 x 9 in.), free from creases,
fold marks, delaminations, or other distortions. The test specimens
should contain the most flammable parts of the traffic surface at their
centers. The most flammable area may be determined on the basis of
experience or through pretesting.
(ii) If the carpet or rug has had a fire-retardant treatment, or is
made of fibers which have had a fire-retardant treatment, the selected
sample or over-sized specimens thereof shall be washed, prior to cutting
of test specimens after they have been washed and dried either 10 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,'' 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, and drying shall be performed in accordance with section
8.3.1(A) of that test method, Tumble Dry, maximum load 3.64 Kg (8
pounds), 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; or
such number of times by another washing and drying procedure which the
Consumer Product Safety Commission has determined to be equivalent of
AATCC Test Method 124-1996. Alternatively, the selected sample or
oversized specimens thereof may be washed, drycleaned, or shampooed 10
times, prior to cutting of test specimens, in such manner as the
manufacturer or other interested party shall previously have established
to the satisfaction of the Consumer Product Safety Commission is
normally used for that type of carpet or rug in service.
(iii) AATCC Test Method 124-1996 ``Appearance of Fabrics after
Repeated Home Laundering,'' is found in 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 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.
(2) Cutting. Cut eight 22.860.64 cm. (9\1/4\ in.) square specimens of each carpet or rug to be
tested to comply with paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(c) Conditioning. (1) Clean each specimen with the vacuum cleaner
until it is free of all loose ends left during the manufacturing process
and from any material that may have been worked into the pile during
handling. Care must be exercised to avoid ``fuzzing'' of the pile yarn.
(2) Place the specimens in the drying oven in a manner that will
permit free circulation of the air at 105 [deg]C. (221 [deg]F.) around
them for 2 hours. \3\ Remove the specimens from the oven with gloved
hands and place them horizontally in the desiccator with traffic surface
up and free from contact with each other
[[Page 699]]
until cooled to room temperature, but in no instance less than 1 hour.
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\3\ If the specimens are moist when received, permit them to air-dry
at 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.'' (``1969 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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(d) Testing. (1) Place the test chamber in the draft-protected
environment (hood with draft off) with its bottom in place. Wearing
gloves, remove a test specimen from the desiccator and brush its surface
with a gloved hand in such a manner as to raise its pile. Place the
specimen on the center of the floor of the test chamber, traffic surface
up, exercising care that the specimen is horizontal and flat. Place the
flattening frame on the specimen and position a methenamine tablet on
one of its flat sides in the center of the 20.32 cm. (8 in.) hole.
(2) Ignite the tablet by touching a lighted match or an equivalent
igniting source carefully to its top. If more than 2 minutes elapse
between the removal of the specimen from the desiccator and the ignition
of the tablet, the conditioning must be repeated.
(3) Continue each test until one of the following conditions occurs:
(i) The last vestige of flame or glow disappears. (This is
frequently accompanied by a final puff of smoke.)
(ii) The flaming or smoldering has approached within 2.54 cm. (1.0
in.) of the edge of the hole in the flattening frame at any point.
(4) When all combustion has ceased, ventilate the hood and measure
the shortest distance between the edge of the hole in the flattening
frame and the charred area. Record the distance measured for each
specimen.
(5) Remove the specimen from the chamber and remove any burn residue
from the floor of the chamber. Before proceeding to the next test, the
floor must be cooled to normal room temperature or replaced with one
that is at normal room temperature.
(e) Report. The number of specimens of the eight tested in which the
charred area does not extend to within 2.54 cm. (1.0 in.) of the edge of
the hole in the flattening frame shall be reported.
(f) Interpretation of results. If the charred area does not extend
to within 2.54 cm. (1.0 in.) of the edge of the hole in the flattening
frame at any point for at least seven of the eight specimens, the carpet
or rug meets the acceptance criterion.
[40 FR 59931, Dec. 30, 1975, as amended at 65 FR 12932, Mar. 10, 2000]