Fire Containment and Clothes Dryers: A revised fire safety standard for clothes dryers creates several design challenges for appliance engineers

摘要

Recently, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) issued an amended version of the safety standard for listing of electric clothes dryers-UL 21.58 Electric Clothes Dryers. This new version of the standard includes aggressive fire tests that all clothes dryers will have to successfully pass by March 20, 2013 to receive the UL listing. This article discusses one interpretation of the rationale behind the new tests, the challenges that these tests pose to the safe design of clothes dryers, and suggested approaches to meeting the design challenges.