Investigation on the effect of flame retardant finishing on denim fabric properties

The aim of this study is to produce flame retardant denim fabric without losing the performance feature. For this purpose, 8 different fabric samples with 4 different pretreatment processes were produced. The flame retardant property was obtained according to the method of treating the fabric with chemical that provides flame retardancy. In addition, 5 repetitive rins washing was applied to the finished fabrics. The results were evaluated by performing limited flame spread test, air permeability test, tear strength test and stiffness tests. According to the results obtained no flaming, glowing or hole formation was observed in the samples with flame retardant finishing. In general, it was observed that finishing and repeated washing processes slightly decreased the air permeability values, but there was no change in some samples according to the pretreatment processes. Tear strength values after flame retardant finishing and repeated washing were found above the limit values determined according to TS 2791. In all samples, softness decreased a little after flame retardant finishing, and fabrics became stiff. However, this decrease was more than the others in the samples that were applied only singeing in pretreatment. After washing the finished fabrics, an increase was observed in the softness values in general.