Performance Evaluation of Knitted Fire-Retardant Mattress Cover Fabrics Manufactured on Circular Knitting Machine

Recently, the demand for fire-retardant mattress covers is rising due to increasing safety regulations and growing consumer awareness. This study introduces a cost-effective and scalable approach to manufacturing fire-retardant knitted fabrics using circular knitting technology. Unlike the conventional core-spun yarn technique, which involves complex and expensive manufacturing steps, this research presents a simplified method by directly incorporating modacrylic ring-spun yarn and continuous filament fibreglass yarn into the knitting machine. Three fabric variants with varying GSM (220, 240, and 260) were developed and tested for structural integrity, air and water permeability, flame resistance, tensile and bursting strength, stretch and stretch recovery. Results demonstrate that higher GSM fabrics exhibit improved flame retardancy, mechanical strength, and recovery properties, although with reduced air and water permeability. This method offers a viable, efficient alternative for producing flame-retardant textiles suitable for home furnishing applications.