Fire Protection Research Foundation report: "Development of Permeation Test Method for Zippers and Other Closures" (PDF, 710 KB)
Author: R. Bryan Ormond, Ph.D., Textile Protection and Comfort Center, North Carolina State University
Date of issue: May 2014
Introduction
The NFPA Technical Committee on Hazardous Materials Protective Clothing and Equipment has identified a number of deficiencies in the current permeation tests used to characterize barrier layers in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for CBRN (Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear) events. One of the issues is the design of the current test cell, which does not accommodate seams, zippers and other closures. This project supports the initial steps necessary to develop a test cell that complies with the requirements of the evolving permeation test method, but which provides robust closure technologies that can accommodate the irregular geometries inherent for seams, closures and zippers.