Abstract: The potential hazards of fire-retardant fabrics for heat storage in hot environments have gradually attracted the attention of scholars. In this paper, the standard test method, apparatus and indices for stored heat energy in flame-retardant fabric exposed to different heat sources were firstly analyzed. The research progress of fabric heat storage formation mechanism was reviewed from the aspects of fabric properties,moisture, air layer and heat exposure level. And then, heat damage to the skin caused by heat storage release was explained in the views of the amount and rate of the release as well as ambient temperature. On the basis of that, the paper proposed that future related research can be carried out from the research and development of standard equipment that can cover more evaluation conditions, and researched more about heat storage and release mechanism based on the multi-factors and related interactions study, providing a theoretical basis for the comprehensive and accurate evaluation of the thermal protection performance of fabrics and products performance prediction.

Key words: flame-retardant fabric; heat storage performance; impact mechanism; evaluation method