Smoke Suppressants for Latex Foam Rubber –Part 1 – Small-Scale Tests

The smoke production from burning latex foam rubber samples was assessed using a novel conical furnace linked to a penum chamber. The results are interpreted in terms of postulated mechanisms of smoke formation supported by measurement of organic volatiles by gas chromatography. A known explosion hazard was observed and further characterised. Some suppression of smoke was achieved by compounding foams with fillers such as alumina hydrate, strontium carbonate, or aluminium silicate.