Effect of Para-Aramid on Performance of Firefighting Clothing

DuPont™ Nomex® fibres are used with multiple layers of fabric to help optimise the performance of fabric for firefighting clothing.

In an internal DuPont quality assessment project, tests were carried out to test how the content of para-aramid fibres in a flame and heat-resistant fabric may impact the fabric’s performance.

A number of fabrics with varying contents of para-aramid fibres were subjected to a series of tests including:

• Contact heat test according to ISO 12127-1:2007
• Heat transmission behaviour according to ISO 17492
• Tear resistance according to ISO 13937-2:2000
• Abrasion resistance according to ISO 13937-2:2000
• Air permeability according to ISO 9237

It can be concluded from the results that too high a content of para-aramid may negatively impact the performance of flame and heat-resistant fabrics. For instance, fabrics with a para-aramid content of between 5 and 23% achieved better values in terms of thermal protection (heat penetration resistance), abrasion resistance and UV resistance as well as washing behaviour than fabrics with a 60% content of para-aramid.

Read a more detailed report of the quality assessment project “Too much para-aramid may reduce protection performance of firefighting clothing”