Enhancing heat protection performance of firefighters’ protective clothing: A comparative analysis of fabric and knit structure in the lining of multi-layered construction

A firefighting protective clothing item is an important piece of equipment that can protect firefighters from the risk of burns during firefighting and rescue activities. In this study, a method to improve the heat protection performance of firefighter protective clothing lining was proposed, while consulting with textile experts. The protective performance effects of flame and radiant heat were investigated according to the quilting spacing (25.4, 50.8, and 76.2 mm) of the lining and weaving method (fabric or knitted) used for the multi-layered structure of the protective clothing. The experiments conducted to evaluate the impact of different weaving methods on the protective performance of firefighter clothing against flame, radiant heat, and combined flame/radiant heat revealed that the knitted lining exhibited excellent protection performance. Specifically, the knitted lining demonstrated a delayed effect in temperature increase, with maximum delays ranging from approximately 2.2–4.0 s for flame protection experiments, and 5.7–7.4 s for radiant heat protection experiments. For knitted lining, one thread is woven in an interlocking manner; thus, the heat resistance is higher and thermal conductivity is lower owing to the formation of a space compared that for a fabric lining. The results suggest that the weaving method affects the heat transfer according to the formation of space and change in the thickness of the clothing. The findings of this study could be useful for many purposes, such as cost effective and quick analysis of the expected performance of a design or weaving method.