Listed below are facts about the CarbonX© material and it's protective qualities.

CarbonX® yarns and fabrics will not burn when exposed to intense heat or flame, because the actual fibers will carbonize and then expand, eliminating any oxygen content within the fabric. This performance relative to heat and flame is why CarbonX® outperforms and is superior to any and all FR fibers and fabrics currently available. Temperature and flame retardancy are often confused. Flame retardancy is commonly measured by the LOI, the amount of oxygen needed in the atmosphere to support combustion. Fibers / fabrics with an LOI greater than 25 are said to be flame retardant, meaning there must be at least 25% oxygen present for the fabric to burn. Obviously, the higher the LOI, the more fire retardant the fabric is. The LOI rating for the majority of the FR fabrics on the market is usually achieved by adding a flame retardant finish to the fiber or fabric, which results in deterioration after continued UV exposure and normal laundry care. CarbonX®, on the other hand, is also a manmade fiber but is never treated with any additives or chemicals. UV exposure, laundry and chemicals will not significantly effect the performance properties.

Another relevant rating system that has been used for years is the Thermal Protective Performance, or TPP. This applies to the garment's ability to provide thermal protection when exposed to both direct flame and radiant heat, and the length of time before a person is subject to second-degree burns. After extensive TPP, flammability and shrinkage test comparisons between the leading FR fabrics and CarbonX®, based on the autoracing industry SFI standards, the results show CarbonX is a superior product. At approximately 600° f., the leading FR fabrics burn, begin to shrink while charring, then crack and decompose. This is all in about 10 seconds. Under flammability testing, the FR fabrics will ignite and they often have problems passing the shrinkage test. Under the same conditions, CarbonX® is not effected in any way. It even disburses the heat energy and will take about 60 seconds before the heat will start penetrating the next layer of fabric. CarbonX® will not ignite or burn even when exposed to temperatures exceeding 2600° f. for over 120 seconds. As for material shrinkage, it does not exist with CarbonX®. See testing results.

CarbonX® goes beyond the norm in regards to thermal barrier shielding, radiant heat deflection, minimum heat conductivity and it's incredible ability to not ignite, burn, char, shrink or decompose. CarbonX® also has excellent moisture regain along with minimal moisture retention.


Testing Performance

To better understand the differences between CarbonX® and competitive products such as Nomex, Kevlar, PBI, Proban, and Basofil, among others, one must first understand the technical functions and objectives relating to these products.
The basic concept and definition of a high performance FR fabric is usually considered a man-made fiber with a continuous operating temperature ranging between 375° to 600° f. The fibers are classified as having favorable characteristics in at least one of the following performance properties: operating temperature, the limit of heat transfer, tensile strength when exposed to high temperature, chemical resistance and, Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI). Most of the FR fabrics currently used for FR safety applications perform well in one or more of these areas. CarbonX® performs extremely well in all of these categories. CarbonX® also has the highest LOI rating of any FR fabric available.
"Flame resistance is commonly measured by the highest Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI), the amount of oxygen needed to support combustion. The higher the LOI value, the more flame-resistant the material. CarbonShield (made with CarbonX fabric) has an LOI over 50% higher than Nomex® and 33% higher than PBI/FR/Rayon blends" - PGI Inc. marketing literature.

Obviously, the higher the LOI, the more fire retardant the fabric is. When exposed to intense heat or flame, CarbonX® fibers will carbonize and then expand, eliminating any oxygen content within the fabric. This characteristic enables CarbonX® to outperform any and all FR fibers and fabrics currently available. The LOI rating for the majority of the FR fabrics on the market is often achieved by adding a flame retardant finish to the fiber or fabric. The treatments can deteriorate after continued UV exposure and normal laundry care. CarbonX®, on the other hand is never treated with any additives or chemicals. UV exposure, laundry and chemicals will not significantly affect the performance properties.

Limit of Oxygen Index (LOI)?CERTIFIED LABORATORY TESTING

 

Another relevant rating system that has been used for years is the Thermal Protective Performance system, or TPP. This applies to the garment's ability to provide thermal protection when exposed to both direct flame and radiant heat. The system is designed to calculate how long a given material will protect the wearer from second-degree burns.
After performing TPP testing for a period of 10 seconds at temperatures of approximately 600° f., the leading FR fabrics will burn, shrink, char, crack and decompose. These FR fabrics ignite during flammability testing, and often have problems passing the shrinkage test. Under the same testing conditions, CarbonX® will not ignite, burn or shrink and successfully disburses the heat energy for periods in excess of 60 seconds. Even after exposing CarbonX® to temperatures exceeding 2600° f., for a period exceeding 120 seconds, CarbonX® will not ignite, burn, or shrink. Below are the testing results comparing CarbonX® with the leading FR materials available in the market today. For testing results on individual CarbonX fabrics, see CarbonX Products:

CarbonX® Versus Leading FR Fabric TPP Comparison Testing


When seconds could be the difference between escaping a dangerous situation unscathed or suffering severe burn injury, the added protection of apparel made with CarbonX can make the difference. Thermal manikin tests were conducted to compare the protective capabilities of CarbonX in relation to Nomex®, INDURA® and INDURA Ultra Soft®. Manikin testing is used to compare the relative thermal protective performance of fabrics by exposing full-size garments to laboratory simulations of a flash fire. Results are reported in percentage of body burn. The added protection of apparel made with CarbonX is dramatically illustrated after four seconds of flash flame exposure. In this extreme environment, only 12.4% of the surface area of the manikin suffered the equivalent of 2nd or 3rd degree burns compared to results ranging from 40 percent to over 60 percent burns from INDURA Ultra Soft®, INDURA® and Nomex®. See graph below.

 
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