About Sports Textiles

• Technology is developed in the manufacturing of fabric used in sports purpose to ensure incorporation of special characteristics demanded by the athletics & the leisure activities for their better performance in the sports.
• Garments manufactured from sports textiles fabrics, keeps the normal stability of body comfort, because these fabrics are
  1. Ultra-breathable,
  2. Fast drying and possess outstanding moisture managing properties, which rapidly wick moisture away from the body.
• These garments are also very less in weight & feature elasticity properties, which provides immense comfort and independence of movement.
• It also provides superior strength and durability.
• The technical textile products covered under Sports textiles are as give below:-

• Sports means
  

Olympic(athletics) Football Cricket

Indoor games Outdoor games Fashion clothes

• In sports, previously a traditional apparel textile was used. For that the player has to face so many problem like
  1. Sweating – which stick the fabric with body
  2. Feeling hot during run
  3. Improper stretch ability
  4. Extra weight of the fabric
  5. Give protection to body skin during fall on the ground
  6. Inadequate fabric for fluid resistance for swimmer
  7. Windproof, waterproof fabric for sailor
  8. Light weight shoe with proper strength & air circulation
  9. High tenacity & resistance to abrasion for the skiwear uniform
  10. Improper gripping of the shoes during run etc
• Therefore, technology has to develop for the above shortcomings. And for that the research activity took place & the country who were in the foremost are:
  1. Japan
  2. Spain
  3. Sweden
  4. U.S
• Some research centre as well as the manufacturer who are leading in the sports textiles s are:
  
  1. DuPont
  2. Kanebo ltd (trade name – killatN)
  3. Teijin
  4. Toyboo Co Ltd
  5. Triangle research development corp.
  6. Unitika limited
  7. W.L.GORE
• The strong growth in the consumption of other sporting goods is driven by a combination of demographic and sociological factors, including:
1. Increased leisure time
2. An ageing population showing interest in health-related activities
3. Increased female participation in sports
4. Increased accessibility and availability of sports such as skiing, golf and sailing
5. The growth of sports facilities
6. The advent of new sports such as snowboarding and roller-blading
• In many cases, the increased sports participation is also driven by higher performing, lighter, safer and ultimately cheaper, sports equipment and clothing.
• Final consumption of sports goods is currently highest in developed economies such as the US where participation rates are high and mostly still growing. However, both the production and consumption of sports textiles is expected to grow most quickly in the medium to long term in developing countries where living standards and lifestyles are changing fastest.

Application of sports textiles:

1. Keeping skin dry by moisture managing:

By using special chemicals & by changing the cross sections of the fibre or filaments fabrics are made highly effecting in moisture management & thus they can wick the moisture as known as sweat away from the body & keeps body dry.

2. Anti-static performances:

Sports textiles fabrics have a very high electrical conductivity, so they can permit the effectual dissipation of electrical charge.

3. Thermodynamic:

As this sports fabric has a special property well known as heat conductivity make possible to feel the user cooler in summer & warmer in winter.

4. Antimicrobial performances:

Keeping a normal level of bacteria on the skin offers a high level of comfort and personal
hygiene, especially during athletic activities.

5. Ultraviolet protection:

Sports textiles fabrics remove UVA and UVB rays that are dangerous to the skin, and guarantees an improved level of defense compared to the majority general natural and man-made fibres.

New polymers for sports wear:

1. Phase change material (PCM)

Phase change stuff produce microcapsules full of paraffin. When the capsules are heated, the paraffin liquidifies & heat energy is stored. When the environment cools, the paraffin crystallizes again, releasing heat. The paraffin, which is available in different recipes with various melting points, is referred to the phase change material or PCM. Because the paraffin can be formulated with different melting points, the microcapsules can be designed to keep the wearer either warm or cool.

2. Shape memory polymers:

This material can remember & retain its shape or return to a previous form. A garment made from these shape memory polymers is able to sense changes in the surroundings environment & can evaluate intelligently & control its response to ensure the highest level of comfort. This polymer is also unique as the temperature at which micro-Brownian motion begins can be freely specified. This means that the activation point can be set to match the environmental conditions in which a garment is likely to be worn.

Some trade name of sportswear:

1. FIBRES
   1. Hygra
   2. Lumiace
   3. Dryarn
   4. Killat N
   5. Triactor
2. YARNS
   1. Dri-release
3. FABRICS
1. Naiva
2. Field sensor
3. Water magic
4. Gore-tex
5. Entrant G H
6. SYPMPATEX
7. ISOFIX –super
8. Sportwool
9. Coolmax