Advances in protective fabrics
Written by: <Authors><Author><Id>210</Id><Name>Hariharan. S</Name><FriendlyName>hariharan-s</FriendlyName></Author><Author><Id>178</Id><Name>P. Ganesan</Name><FriendlyName>p-ganesan</FriendlyName></Author><Author><Id>178</Id><Name>P. Ganesan</Name><FriendlyName>p-ganesan</FriendlyName></Author></Authors>
shariharan108@gmail.com & ganeshg007@rediffmail.com
Abstract
Current trends in protective textiles and smart fabrics tryto find a symbiosis of protection and clothing. Textiles for protection is thefruit of a diverse body of talents, drawing together scientific and technicalexpertise from around the world, to produce an important source of currentknowledge on textile materials & clothing, and their use in the protectionof humans in hostile environments. This paper describes the idea of a smoothcombination of the two worlds of protection and clothing.
Significant technological advances are occurring in theprotective clothing industry in search for improved means for the protection ofhuman beings. Ongoing concern for worker safety, protection from life threateningand disabling injuries and illness, and protection for personnel from fire,chemical agents etc, has resulted in the continued improvement in theprotective clothing industry. Changes have affected the structure of theindustry; various endures have placed demands on better performing products. Theseadvances in technology, such as new materials and manufacturing processes foradvanced textiles, have created greatly improved protective fabrics.
Nowadays, most of the advances are taking place in the fieldof defence, sports, fire protection, radiation protection etc. This paper dealswith some of the recent advances in the protective textiles and their field ofapplications.
INTRODUCTION
Safety and protective textiles refer to garments and otherfabric-related items designed to protect the wearer from harsh environmentaleffects that may result in injury or death. Textiles are no more limited foruse as apparels clothing is just are but not the only purpose of textiles withthe rapid changes in the social economic structure of our society. Similarly,textiles enhancing the quality of human life trough protection against varioushazards as well as protection of environment are todays priorities werescientist all around the world are breaking their heads.The environment isconsider to have the highest priority where protection of individual isconsidered as in the defence application such as rain, snow, fog, wind, lighting,sun light, dust and also it should have to survive the intense heat, cold,wetness, UV light, wind-chill and other discomforts on land, sea and in theair.
ADVANCES IN PROTECTIVE FABRICS
The protective clothing industry is undergoing significantchange as a direct result of rapid advances in technology and manufacturingprocesses. These advances in technology, such as new materials andmanufacturing processes for advanced textiles, have created greatly improvedprotective fabrics. A number of current research and development programs areleading to commercialization of new technologies on a international scale.
Some of the advances in protective fabrics are:
Active protection system
Aluminized fabrics
Protective flex
Thermal sensitivity fabrics
Protection against biological and chemical threats
Complete armour protection system
Advanced soldier ballistic protection
ACTIVE PROTECTION SYSTEM
APS is anintelligent fabric that consists of three dimensional spacer textile treatedwith specially formulated, responsive silicone coating. It remains soft andflexible under normal conditions, but when stressed under high impact force,the material instantly becomes rigid, and then immediately returns to aflexible state .The technology behind APS consists of a soft, malleable andformable dilatant silicone, which is impregnated into a three dimensionalspacer textile support. The silicone composition consists of polymers that showtransient bonding to a cross linking component. Under normal conditions, thepolymers are bonded to the cross linker so that the bonds open when subjectedto a long period deformation force, which allow the material to flow. When thisforce is removed, the bonds easily reform again, returning the silicone to itsoriginal soft state.
ADVANTAGES
Fully integrated active safety that can be stitched directly
into garments.
Material customization and versatility that allow many
creative design possibilities.
Breathable, Flexible and light weight construction for
outstanding comfort and freedom of movement.
Washable for easy care and maintenance.
FIELD OF APPLICATIONS
Motorcycle garments
Military and civil defense
Medical applications
High performance protective and apparel
Life sciences
BEATING THE HEAT WITH ALUMINIZED FABRICS
Aluminized fabrics
Combining materials expertise and innovation,
these aluminized fabrics enhance human performance. Firefighters and industrial
workers, when wrestling with a blazing inferno or standing for hours in front
of a 1200-degree furnace, constantly face the threat of radiant heat the
first heat to engulf a person in close proximity to fire. These fabrics help
people withstand extreme temperatures. Aluminized fabrics are specifically
designed to provide the ultimate protection from extreme heat, molten metal or
high-pressure steam.
PROTECTIVE FLEX
The new smart response fiber is proving to enhance
passenger safety because of its unique energy-management properties. Securus
is the first in a new category of polyester copolymer fibers being developed
for managed-load applications. It combines polyethylene terephthalate (PET),
which provides restraining properties, and polycaprolactone (PCL), which
provides flexibility and cushioning.During a collision, Securus fiber seat
belts protect the passenger in a three-step process: holding the passenger
securely in place; elongating and cushioning the body as it absorbs the energy
of its forward motion; and restraining and limiting that motion.
THERMAL SENSITIVITY
SmartSkin hydrogel is a new technology involving a
hydrophilic/hydrophobic copolymer, which is embedded in an open-cell foam layer
bonded to the inside of a closed-cell neoprene layer in a composite wet suit
fabric with nylon or nylon/Lycra outer and inner layers.
SmartSkin absorbs cold water that has flushed into the suit
and expands to close openings at the hands, feet and neck, preventing more
water from entering. Water trapped inside the suit heats up upon body contact.
If the water warms up past a transition temperature determined by the
proportion of hydrophilic to hydrophobic components, the hydrogel releases
water and contracts, allowing more water to flush through the suit. This
passive system constantly regulates the internal temperature no batteries or
mechanical action are needed.
PROTECTING AGAINST CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL
THREATS:
Protection against biological and chemical threats
Chemical and biological weapons, once
considered only a battlefield threat, now intrude into our everyday lives.
Weapons of mass destruction are now, and will continue to be, a threat to all.
These fabrics are helpful in chemical and biological protection.
COMPLETE ARMOR PROTECTION SYSTEM
CAPS (Complete Armor Protection System) are flexible body
armor for law enforcement and military personnel. CAPS body armor can be
configured to address specific threats, including knife, slash, spike,
fragmentation, ballistic, and stab. It is a multiple threat body armor system
that can be configured with these protective layers:
Soft round - composite fabric backing with Ballistic fiber > 25g/d
Knife
- flexible Metal Flex Armor (MFA) mosaic solid element panel
Hard round - (military) component layers
Fragmentation - balanced system
ADVANTAGES:
Maximum protection through the combination of high
concealment and low bulk
System is custom configured to meet specific threat
assessments
Flexibility of MFA panel allows for extremity system designs
vs. traditional system of trauma plates or chain mail
MFA Interaction with Knives
MFA tends to grab and hold knife tip after penetration
MFA damages the knife tip and knife edge
Reduced threat in multiple strike attacks
Thin light blades are likely to be broken by MFA
FIELD OF APPLICATIONS:
Mainly in defence applications
ADVANCED SOLDIER BALLISTIC PROTECTION:
The main objective of these fabrics is to develop or insert
advances in materials technology to improve protection and performance
of armor systems against conventional and emerging ballistic threats while minimizing
penalties associated with the increased levels of protection.
ADVANTAGES:
Light weight personnel armor with significant increase in ballistic
protection
Better protection and lighter weight equates to improved survivability
and tactical mobility for the individual
Enhanced analytical tools for body armor development, test
and evaluation and acquisition/ fielding
More realistic survivability assessment
CONCLUSION
The technical textile market is respective to innovative new
products. There is opportunity and need for functional, cost-effective
materials. But the market is fragmented and complex. Development and lead times
are often long and expensive. The market is quite small but exhibits moderately
strong growth and produces are generally of high unit values. Due to increasing
health and safety issues at work this may be an increasingly attractive
segment. Good products are needed and they must work well. It is a market that
offers opportunity, but also one that demands that much development and testing
be done prior to adopting new products. There may be long lead times much
resistance to things new products to market.
REFERENCES
International fibre journal, April 2006
Manmade textiles in India, May 2006
Wellington sears Handbook of Industrial
textiles
A C Horrocks Handbook of technical textiles
www.gentexcorp.com
www.textiles.edu
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