Development of a clothing iron safety device

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Pediatric Safety
• Thermal Engineering

Background:

• Contact burns from clothing irons are a frequent pediatric injury, often occurring when toddlers reach unattended, upright irons.
• Previous research indicated irons require up to 90 minutes to cool below the epidermal injury threshold of 49°C.
• Existing safety measures are insufficient to prevent burns from cooling irons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an innovative 'iron shoe' device designed to mitigate burn risks from cooling clothing irons.
• To assess the thermal performance of the 'iron shoe' in shielding the iron's surface and edges.
• To provide a protective solution for children against burns from hot irons.

Main Methods:

• An 'iron shoe' was fabricated from silicone polymer, stable up to 370°C, featuring sidewalls for edge protection.
• Thermal analysis involved heating inexpensive and expensive irons to maximum temperature, placing them in the shoe, and measuring cooling curves with thermocouples.
• Temperature differences between the iron's surface/edge and the shoe's interior/sidewalls were recorded.

Main Results:

• The silicone 'iron shoe' effectively shielded both iron surfaces and edges, reducing temperatures significantly.
• Temperatures beneath the shoe approached the 49°C epidermal injury threshold (max 60°C for expensive iron).
• While the expensive iron's underside exceeded 49°C, the shoe's design positions the hot surface away from children.

Conclusions:

• The prototype 'iron shoe' demonstrates effectiveness in protecting children's hands from contact with cooling irons.
• The device offers a promising solution to a common household hazard, reducing burn injury risk.
• Further design modifications are planned to optimize cost-effectiveness without compromising safety performance.