Abstract: The shrinkage of fire protective clothing may affect its thermal performance and block body movement. In this paper, by using an instrumented mannequin, flame-test for complete garments is applied to simulate the fire situation. Seals marked on the garment are used to measure the shrinkage distribution of garments during flash fire exposure. The reasons for the shrinkage and its factors are studied. The relationship between shrinkage and the burn injury of manikin skin is preliminarily analyzed. Results show that the sleeves, trousers and the back of the clothing shrink significantly. The variation of the shrinkage results from the heat flux, air gap and other factors. The shrinkage extent is influenced by wearing posture, fire duration, construction size, and fabric density. As a whole, burn injury will be more serious where the shrink is more significant.

Key words: flash fire, fire-fighting suit, flame manikin, shrinkage, air gap