GB2201340A

GB2201340A - Furnishing arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2201340A
Application number: GB08729717A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leslie George Jennings
Original assignee: JENARO Ltd
Current assignee: JENARO Ltd
Priority date: 1986-12-20
Filing date: 1987-12-21
Publication date: 1988-09-01
Also published as: GB8729717D0

Abstract

An article of furnishings or furniture such as upholstered furniture (10), floor coverings (40) and bedding, comprises a resilient substrate material (14, 16, 17, 43) of for example foamed plastics or rubber material with a cover (18, 19, 20, 41) of textile material, leather or the like. Between the substrate material and the cover is a layer (31, 32, 33, 42) of an inflammable textile material such as a non-woven, needled felt of carbon fibres or carbon fibre/wool mixture. Preferably the cover is treated so as to be fire resistant, so that the article can meet current fire resistant and flame test standards. <IMAGE>

Description

FURNISHING ARRANGEMENT This invention relates to the arrangement of furnishings and furniture such as upholstered furniture, floor coverings and bedding.

In recent years there has been increasing concern in respect of the readiness by which many items of furnishings and furniture, in particular floor coverings, upholstered furniture, cushions, bedding and the like, will burn when ignited. The problem has increased considerably since the use of foamed plastics material in such furnishings and furniture. There have been many proposals put forward for suitable fire resistant foamed plastics material, or for suitable treating agents to render the conventional foamed plastics materials and/or their covering sheet materials fire resistant. However, none of such proposals has met with much success, each being either not sufficiently effective or too costly, or both.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a form of construdtion of furnishings or furniture which overcomes, at least to a substantial extent, the disadvantages of the prior proposals.

The invention provides an article of furnishings or furniture comprising a resilient substrate material and a cover of sheet material covering said substrate material, characterised in that a layer of an inflammable textile material is disposed'between said cover and said substrate material thereby to separate said cover and said substrate material over at least a part of the surface of said article.

Said substrate material may be a foamed plasticsmaterial and said cover may be a sheet of textile material, leather or the like.

Said inflammable textile material layer may comprise carbon fibres and may comprise a non-woven layer of said inflammable material. Preferably said layer is a needled felt. Said substrate material may be separated from said cover by said layer over all of the surface of said article, in which case said layer may enclose said substrate material.

Preferably said cover is a treated material whereby it is at least fire resistant.

Embodiments of the invention will now-be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the single figure of which shows in cross-section an amchair 10, and a cushion 11 therefor, standing on a floor covering 40. The chair base 12 and back rest 13 are formed having a resilient foamed plastics substrate material or filling 14 which may or may not be supported by a structural timber or metal framework (not shown). The arm 15 of the chair 10 is formed having a resilient foamed plastics substrate material or filling 16 and-the cushion 11 is formed having a resilient foamed plastics substrate material or filling 17.- The chair base and back rest 12, 13, the arm 15, and the cushion 11 are each provided with a respective cover 18,19,20, and each cover 18,19,20 encloses the respective filling 14,16,17.

The covers 18,19,20 may bye of any suitable material and may be of the same or differing materials. For example the material of the cover 18 may be different in the regions covering the back surface 21 of the back rest 13 and/or the bottom and/or top surfaces 22,23 of the base 12 from the material covering the top 24 and front 25 of the back rest 13, the front 26 of the base -12, from the material covering the inside 27, top 28, outside 29 and front 30 of the arm 15, and/or from the material covering the cushion llc Preferably any such material should be fire resistant or treated to be fire resistant.

Such materials may be cotton or dralon (Registered Trade Mark), PVC, wood or leather, or mixtures -thereof treated to be fire retardant to one or more, as appropriate, of the following standards; FT3 Crib 5; FR3 Ignition 5 and 7; BS 5790 Part 1; FMVSS 3022 DG Ships 5821A: BS 5852 Ignition Sources 0 and 1: BS.3119/3120. Vertical flame test, BS 5438 fabric face direct flame test;~ BS 5852 fabric face cigarette and match test; and Crown Supplies DOE FR Spec 3 Ignition source 5.

The surfaces of the cushion ll, surfaces 24, 25, 23, 26 and 22 of the back rest 13 and base 12 and surfaces 27,28 of the arm 15 are particularly vulnerable to ignition due to cigarettes, matches, domestic fires or the like. In the regions of these vulnerable surfaces at least the respective cover 20, 18 and 19 is separated from the respective filling 17,14 and 16 by a layer of an inflammable material 31,32 and 33 respectively.

Preferably the layers 32,33 extend to enclose the respective fillings 14,16 so as to separate them from the respective covers 18,19 in the regions of the not-so vulnerable surfaces 21 and 29 also.

The chair 10 is shown standing on a floor covering 40, which comprises a carpet or carpet tiles 41 and an underlay 43. The carpet 41 may be of any conventional form and materials, for example woven or tufted wool, nylon or wool/nylon mixture on a hessian or polypropylene backing. The underlay 43 may also be of any conventional form, for example a foamed plastics or synthetic rubber material. Between the carpet 41 and the underlay 43 is a layer 42 of an inflammable material. The carpet 41, layer 42 and underlay 43 may-be separate items or may be constructed as a single item corresponding with conventional "rubber-backed carpet".

The layers 31,32,33 and 42 may be wholly of carbon fibres or may be of a carbon fibre and wool mixture.

The layers 31,32,33 and 42 are preferably a non-woven felt of such fibres since such a layer is thicker and more comfortable than an equivalent weight of woven material, and can be produced at approximately half of the cost of a woven material. In addition a non-woven felt can make use of short fibres which could not be used for a woven material and would therefore be wasted and carbon fibres are difficult to card for the production of a woven fabric. The felt may be a needled felt.

With an arrangement in accordance with the invention, using a fire retardant cover: to the standards quoted above, and foamed plastics substrate material fire blocked by a carbon fibre and wool blend needled felt of weight at least 300 grms/sq. metre, it has been found that an upholstered chair is able to pass the FR Spec 6, BS 5867 Part 2 Type B retention of FR properties in service, BS 476 fabric face flame tests and Crown Suppliers Fire Test Specification Neo. 6. Furnishings or furniture having the construction of the invention will not support combustion or flame travel, the felt layer acting as a fire blocker and preventing a'fire source from penetrating to the foam substrate material.

By this means also toxic or hazardous fumes due- to burning or smouldering of the substrate material are prevented.

Although the invention is described in relation to a floor covering and an.upholstered armchair, any type of upholstered domestic or contract furniture or furnishings may be arranged or constructed in the manner of the present invention. For example pillows, mattresses and duets may be constructed in a similar manner to that of cushion 11 described above. Similarly "cushioned" vinyl floor covering may be constructed in a similar manner to the carpet/layer/underlay "sandwich" 40 described above.

Claims

1. An article of furnishings or furniture comprising a resilient substrate material and a-cover of sheet material covering said' substrate material, characterised in that a layer of an inflammable textile material is disposed between said cover and said substrate material thereby to separate said cover and said substrate material over at least a part of the surface of said article.

2. An article according to claim 1 wherein said substrate material is a foamed plastics material.

3. An article according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said cover is a sheet of textile material.

4. An article according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said cover is a sheet of leather.

5. An article according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said layer comprises carbon fibres.

6. An article according to claim 5 wherein said layer comprises a carbon fibre and wool mixture.

7. An article according tö claim 6 wherein said layer comprises a non-woven layer.

8. An article according to claim 7 wherein said layer comprises a needled felt.

9. An article according to any one of claims 5 to 8 wherein said substrate material has a weight of at least 300 grms'/sq. metre.

10. An article according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein said substrate material is separated from said cover by said layer over all of the surface of said article.

11. An article according to claim-l0 wherein said layer encloses said substrate material.

12. An article according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein said cover is a material treated soyas to be at least fire resistant.