FLAME RETARDANT FINISHING OF NYLON/COTTON BLEND FABRICS FOR MILITARY UNIFORMS

In our previous research, we developed a flame retardant finishing system for cotton based on the combination of a hydroxyl-functional organophosphorus oligomer (HFPO) and a bonding agent, such as dimethyloldihydroxylethyleneurea (DMDHEU). In this research, we found that approximately 40% HFPO is retained on the nylon fabric treated with the combination of HFPO and DMDHEU after 10 home laundering cycles. The data indicated that HFPO and DMDHEU are able to form polymeric crosslinked polymeric network on nylon. We applied the HFPO/DMDHEU system for the flame retardant finishing of two nylon/cotton (50/50) blend military fabrics known as batter dress uniform (BFU) fabrics. The treated BDU fabrics showed high levels of flame retardant performance and excellent laundering durability. The treated fabrics passed the vertical flammability test after 40-50 laundering cycles. HFPO concentration and HFPO/DMDHEU ratio played the most critical roles in determining the performance of the treated fabrics. The fabric treated with HFPO/DMDHEU demonstrated negligible strength loss.