Abstract: A process is disclosed for imparting fire retardancy to upholstery fabrics formed principally of polypropylene fibers and involving the use of known fire retardant compositions comprised of a mixture of bromochlorinated paraffin and antimony oxide. The exceptional fire retardancy of the known composition is realized without imparting to the fabric an oily surface characteristic by further incorporating into the mixture a substantial quantity of metal hydrate, such as aluminum oxide trihydrate, in the form of a fine powder. The aluminum oxide trihydrate, in addition to having some fire retardant characteristics of its own, provides an enormous surface area for adsorption of the oily composition forming the primary fire retardant material. This new composition, advantageously in the form of a foam, is applied only to the back surface of the fabric. Two major advantages are realized: First, the oily composition is isolated from the front surface of the fabric.

Abstract: A method for achieving the flame retardancy of polypropylene fiber and for fabrics which include such fibers has been devised which has a low add-on finish. The finish comprises a mixture containing a bromochlorinated paraffin having a high concentration of bromine, up to 80% by weight, but, notwithstanding low add-on, the invention will produce an extremely effective fire retardancy where the bromine and chlorine constituents equal 20% and 40% respecively by weight of the bromochlorinated paraffin. Antimony oxide, preferably a antimony pentoxide is used, having a preferred particulate size in the range of 30-50 millimicrons. The quantity of antimony oxide to be used may be 1/3 mole to 1 mole of bromine. After the bromochlorinated paraffin is combined with emulsifiers to form a stable premix, the premix and antimony pentoxide are preferably combined with a binder consisting of an ethylacrylate latex.