Good morning All.
Bonzai Bell, well said... Some people also think of everything.
Please remember that you have to take care of Nomex. Look at
http://www.dpp-europe.com/plugins/fcked ... 002%20.pdf.
The important question is, can the Flame Retardant properties be removed?
No. NOMEX® is inherently flame resistant. This property cannot be degraded or diminished by processing. However, it is critical to remove greases, oily soils, and other flammable contaminants as they can burn independently and overwhelm the FR properties of the fabric. If home laundering does not provide adequate cleaning, professional care may be required.
NOMEX® Wash and Care guidelines
I Temperature and duration of washing and drying cycles:
• Fabrics made from 100% Nomex® brand fibre can be washed up to 95 degrees C.
• It is adequate to wash Nomex® garments at 60 degrees C. Using a higher temperature may not bring any benefit, and indeed may simply contribute to overall energy consumption. In addition, extended periods of physical agitation can cause fabric shrinkage, because the individual yarns
and fibres can become interlocked.
• The garment manufacturer may recommend washing at 40-60 degrees C due to other accessories such as reflective stripes, moisture membranes, etc.
• The washing cycle need not exceed 1 hour.
• Always include a rinse cycle that adequately removes residual soaps and detergents.
• At the end of the wash cycle, the alkaline pH environment is neutralized by addition of a dilute acid such as acetic acid.
• Drying can be done in either a tumble drier or a tunnel finisher.
• For tumble drying, outlet temperatures from the drum can be set up to 100C. The important factor in drying is not to over-dry. It is better to give the garments a shorter drying cycle and remove them while still slightly damp (up to 10% humidity by weight), than to remove them bone-dry. Again, this is because excessive agitation can cause localized damage such as abrasion and, in extreme cases, garment shrinkage.
• For tunnel finishing, air temperature should be set at 155C with an operating time of minimum 4 minutes. The load is considered to be dry when the load temperature (ie garment surface temperature) is 135-140C.
II pH of soaps and detergents:
• Avoid pH lower than 2 or higher than 12.
• The Nomex(R) brand fibre itself is resistant to all but the strongest acids and bases, with the rate of physical degradation being a function of concentration, temperature and duration of exposure to that extreme acidic or basic environment.
• Normally, avoidance of low pH agents is not an issue.
• High pH agents (range 10-12) may have an impact on the color of the garment, depending on the temperature/duration of exposure in this environment.
• Nomex® garments should never be subjected to strong oxidizing agents such as peroxides, hypochlorites or other chlorine-based bleaches. These can harm the physical strength of the Nomex® garments.
NOMEX® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Greetings and fly safe.
Braam Hechter
