Evaluation and fireproofing treatment of wooden heat-insulating/acoustic absorbing materials

Heat insulating and acoustic absorbing materials were endued with fireproof performance and subjected to quantitative evaluations assuming a variety of uses and situations. Fireproofing was performed by spraying an aqueous solution of flame retardants on raw materials (wood shavings, kenaf bast fibers, and core-sheath-type fibers) during the fiber spreading and mixing step. It was possible to treat the materials homogeneously and without increasing manufacturing workload. Flame retardancy was evaluated using vertical flame testing, horizontal flame testing, the 45° Meckel’s Burner method, and a cone calorimetry method in accordance with UL94, JIS D 1201, JIS L 1091, and JIS A 9521, respectively. It was possible to achieve results that satisfied each of these standards, along with quantifying the relations between treatment conditions and performance.