Environmental Cycling of Cellulosic Thermal Insulation and Its Influence on Fire Performance.

Published

August 1, 1984

Author(s)

James R. Lawson

Abstract

A study was conducted on climatological data for eleven cities located throughout the United States. Findings from this environmental study were used to develop conditioning cycles for a research project on the influence of environments on the fire performance of loose-fill cellulosic thermal insulation. Six cellulosic insulation materials containing 25 percent by weight of fire retardant chemical add-on of different compositions were specially manufactured for this study. These materials were tested to establish a baseline. After the materials were exposed to the various environmental cycles, they were tested for fire performance. Results from these tests show that environmental exposure can have a significant effect on the fire performance of cellulosic insulation materials and indicates that long term fire protection provided by fire retardant compounds may be limited.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) -

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

climate, cellulose, environments, fire retardants, thermal insulation

Citation

Lawson, J. (1984), Environmental Cycling of Cellulosic Thermal Insulation and Its Influence on Fire Performance., NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=100708 (Accessed October 24, 2025)