New Developments in the Design and Evaluation of Flame Retardant Clothing for Protection Against Molten Aluminum Splash Hazards

Alcoa produces and handles millions of pounds of molten aluminum every day. Protecting employees against burns and setting their clothing on fire is a major responsibility. A number of years ago, Alcoa set out to find secondary protective clothing to prevent these potentially serious injuries. To date, many fabrics and coatings have been tested by splashing with molten aluminum and bath on the sample; After all the testing, Alcoa has decided to use a fabric where the warp is treated with a flame retardant chemical before the weaving. The fill is 100% untreated cotton. This fabric has been field tested and has performed very well. In addition, al employees that have tested the clothing have stated the clothinj is comfortable.