WENAAS ANTI-FLAME Made with Dale Fabric

PRICE

Garments made with Dale Anti-flame are usually less expensive than those made with Nomex IIIA and only slightly more expensive than those made with Indura.

FABRIC STRENGTH

Among FR fabrics made with 100% cotton, Dale Anti-flame is one of the most durable. Our field studies have shown that it often outlasts other FR cotton products by more than 30%.

Admittedly, 100% synthetic fabrics like Nomex* are stronger than 100% cotton fabrics like Dale Anti-flame and Indura. But synthetic fabrics often sacrifice comfort to durability.

TEAR STRENGTH

Purpose: The number of washings and wearing a fabric will stand up to provides one indication of its strength and durability. Another is its susceptibility to tearing. A fabric that wears well but tears easily may not offer good value.

Method: ASTM 1424 (Elmendorf). We subjected Dale Anti-flame, Nomex IIIA and Indura® to a tear strength test. Off -the -shelf fabrics were repeatedly washed at 70 C and dried. After every ten washings and dryings samples of each fabric were torn and the energy required to tear them was recorded.

Conclusions: Unwashed Dale Anti-flame 1033 and 1023 showed themselves less susceptible to tearing than did either unwashed Nomex IIIA or unwashed Indura. Over the course of 50 launderings, Nomex IIIA retained its tear strength slightly better than either Dale Anti-flame did. Throughout the test, Dale Anti-flame 1033 and 1023 significantly outperformed Indura®.

DURABILITY OF FIRE RESISTANCE

Whether a fabric retains its flame resistance after repeated washings and wearing touches on the question of value as much as its does on the question of safety. A fabric that loses its flame resistance but remains otherwise useable cannot be considered a good buy.

Other manufacturers of FR cotton products often claim that the flame resistance of their fabrics will remain intact for the wear life of any garment made from these fabrics. However, manufacturers who treat their fabric with Proban often assume that the garment will receive only 30 - 50 washes during it's wear life. Even the makers of Indura, which is also a Proban treated product, assume that a garment made with their fabric will only receive 60 - 80 washings during its wear life (Westex Technical Brief 9/95). At Dale AS, we recognize that a Dale Anti-flame fabric may receive more than four times that number of launderings, and we have manufactured our product accordingly. As shown in the safety section, we guarantee that Dale Anti-flame fabrics will remain flame resistant for an indefinite number of industrial washings, provided that users follow wash and care instructions.

THE ACID - SOUR RINSE ISSUE

Dale Anti-flame may be dry cleaned or washed at high temperatures. It may be laundered industrially or at home or offshore using any regular detergent or solvent. Like all other FR fabrics, however, Dale Anti-flame should never be cleaned with chlorine bleach. Nor should it be rinsed with acidsour. Acidsour rinse alters the PH level of Dale Anti-flame and may effect its flame resistance. New detergents and cleaning methods render acidsour obsolete. These updated methods will fully protect the flame resistance of our products.

We recognize, however, that some laundries may still use acidsour rinse and that a Dale Anti-flame fabric may be accidentally exposed to this rinse. Tests show that occasional accidental exposure will not harm Dale Anti-flame.

Even after as many as 10 washings in acidsour rinse, Dale Anti-flame remains flame resistant.

Method: FTM 191A, method 5903.1 vertical flame test.

Institute: Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

Reference: 96RT 1194 File# MH 15 309

LAUNDERING AND SHRINKAGE

Made from high quality raw materials subjected to special manufacturing processes, Dale Anti-flame fabrics shrink less than other comparable FR fabrics do. In a test performed by a major international oil and gas company and its laundry connection, Dale Anti-flame garments showed very little shrinkage even after 50 laundry cycles.

Laundry: Glis (Division of Glascar Ltd.) Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

Measurement	New	One Wash	10 Washes	25 Washes	50 Washes
Sleeve Inseam (in)	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.5
Leg Inseam (in)	31.0	31.0	31.0	30	30
Shoulders (in)	24.0	24.0	24.0	23	22.5
Back (in)	41.0	41.0	41.0	40	40