Thermal Degradation and Ignition Characteristics of Clothes Dryer Lint

Lint, which is a normal by-product of the laundering of clothing, is known to introduce a fire hazard and/or contribute to the fuel load in residential fires. Failure analysis of clothes dryers therefore requires an understanding of how dryer lint behaves at elevated temperatures and how the physical condition of lint can be interpreted when testing for potential failure modes. The purpose of this research is to characterize the behavior of dryer lint at elevated temperatures, including its thermal degradation and ignition.