I'm an instructor for the DOE and am attempting to introduce FR clothing layering into my presentation, but am getting some pushback.

What are some credible resources for layering information. I am using references from Tyndale at this time, but am looking for other resources to substantiate the addition the existing lectures.

I get questions from my students at every presentation on this subject and don't believe that no answer is a responsible approach.

Is there a source for ASTM F1959 test data?

Thanks for any assistance that can be provided!

Layering is very vendor specific. The vendor will test various clothing layers and produce a chart showing the combinations of their clothing along with the cal/cm2 rating for that specific combination.

We have tested different combinations of fabrics together for both layering purposes but also when used together as a clothing system. They air gap which is create between layers offers a substantial increase in the amount of energy it blocks. While we do not have complete data on our website you can view the chart at the bottom of this page; its a system for a lined jacket. http://benchmarkfr.com/flame-resistant-clothing/outerwear/ at the bottom you will see a graph which graphically represents the increase in thermal protection.

This graphical representation shows two twill fabrics (6.3 & 13.2 cal) which if simply added together would equal 19.5 cal, however when tested together they achieved a 32 cal rating.

The only way to determine the arc thermal protective value from multiple layers is to actually test the layers together. It is important to note there is an anomaly called ablation or "double hump" which must be considered when testing fabrics which are not the same weight. If we reversed the layers and tested the lighter layer toward the outside it would have created a different ATPV for the system.

ArcWear does testing for all the manufacturers. Be careful on other reports on two layers. We have seen several errors on EU reports.

Kinetics and ArcWear data is online for free (http://www.arcwear.com/resources/arc-fl ... g-data.php) when the manufacturers are mixed if allowed by the company paying for the testing. When you use two manufacturers you will need to get your own data or have it provided by the garment sales company.



This data is provided by ArcWear free of charge from testing performed by utilities and those willing to share the data with the industry.

Thanks for the feedback! After further discussion with the department manager we are going to not offer any information on PPE layering due to possible legal culpability.