Waterproof breathable fabrics

Dr Muhammad Mushtaq Mangat www.mushtaqmangat.org

Waterproof breathable fabrics

Such Fabrics which provide protection from: Weather
Wind Rain Provides balance in heat production and

heat removal from human body

Water proof and water repellant

Waterproof fabric complete protection from penetration and absorption of water Water-repellent are showerresistant fabric and delay the penetration of water From long time, water proofing is being done by applying a layer of wax and oils Now synthetic polymers such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyurethane are used. Coated fabrics are considered to be more uncomfortable during wearing, they are stiff and do not allow to escape moisture

Water-repellent fabric is more comfortable to wear but its water-resistant Commonly used for ordinary rain and conditions

Breathable

Breathable fabrics passively allow water vapor to diffuse through them yet still prevent the penetration of liquid water [1] Removal of sweat is must for creating of thermal balance between human body and environment Human body core temperature is around 37 C and skin temperature is between 33-35 C Narrow limit which human can tolerate is 34 C and 42 C Breathable fabric contribute in thermal balance

Sweat production

Sweat production rate

Severity of thermal stress

In US in1982 US fire death statistics show that

only 2.6% were due to burns alone whereas 46.1% were the result of heart attacks due to thermal stress caused by stoppage of sweat evaporation [1] fluid per hour when in proximity to a fire [1]

Firefighters can lose up to 4 liters (4000 g) of

Introduction of breathable fabric

In 1991 Lomax introduced modern breathable waterproof fabrics were being claimed to be capable of transmitting more than 5000 gm-2 day-1 of water vapor transmit up to 10 000 gm-2day-1

Now fabrics are available which can Waterproof breathable fabrics prevent the

penetration of liquid water from outside to inside the clothing yet permit the penetration of water vapor from inside [1]

Breathable Fabric (C&B478) - China Pu Fabric,Coated Fabric

IMAGE SOURCE PAGE: http://dragon688.en.made-inchina.com/product/NoKJjMqxLekP/ China-Breathable-Fabric-C-B478-.html

Types of waterproof breathable fabric

densely woven fabrics membranes coatings.

Densely woven fabrics

First fabric Ventile was introduced in 1940s for US air forces Made by using finest types of long staple cottons Processed into combed yarn, which is then plied Got yarn regularity and ensures that the fibers are as parallel as possible to the yarn axis, and lowest porosity Woven using an Oxford weave, which is a plain weave with two threads acting together in the Warp Minimum crimp in the weft Ensuring that the fibers are as parallel as possible to the surface of the fabric On wetting cotton fibers swell transversely reducing the size of the pores in the fabric and requiring very high pressure for penetration [1]

[1]

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Dense fabric

Pore size is less than 10m in diameter Synthetic fibers can also be used Microfilaments are usually made from polyamide or polyester. Water penetration resistance of the fabric is improved by application of silicone or fluorocarbon finish. Results are not better than cotton due to swelling property of cotton Dense fabric pore size is 10m in dry and 2-3 in wet conditions Traditional fabric pore size is around 50-60 m [1]

http://www.ventile.co.uk/uses.htmlx

Nylon High Density Fabric - China Nylon Fabric,High Density IMAGE SOURCE PAGE: http://weihetex.en.made-inchina.com/product/ mqOQrDeAYMUb/China-NylonHigh-Density-Fabric.html

Membranes
Membranes are extremely thin films made from

polymeric material

Engineered in such a way that they have a very

high resistance to liquid water penetration

Allow the passage of water vapor Membrane is only about 10m thick and,

therefore, is laminated to a conventional textile fabric to provide the necessary mechanical strength [1]

Tensile Membrane Structure Fabric - China pvc coated tent fabric ... IMAGE SOURCE PAGE: http://www.ecvv.com/product/2674052.html

Microporous membranes

Microporous membrane, developed and introduced in 1976 by W Gore, is known as Gore-Tex (http://www.gorefabric.com). This is a thin film of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymer claimed to contain 1.4 billion tiny holes per square centimeter smaller than raindrops [1] Water droplet size is 20 m Water vapor size is around 0.003 m Pore size is 5 m[ http://budagear.com/index.php]

http://budagear.com/index.php

[1]

[1]

Hydrophilic membranes
Hydrophilic membranes are very thin films of

chemically modified polyester or polyurethane containing no holes which, therefore, are sometimes referred to as non-poromeric. through the membrane in relatively large quantities

Water vapour from perspiration is able to diffuse

The polyester or polyurethane polymer is

modified by incorporating up to 40% by weight of poly(ethylene oxide) [1]

http://www.filtsol.com/technology/ super_hydrophilic.shtml

Scanning electron micrograph of hydrophilic membrane.[1]

Methods of incorporating membranes [1]

Coatings
These consist of a layer of polymeric material

applied to one surface of the fabric.

Polyurethane is used as the coating material.

Like membranes, the coatings are of two types:

microporous and hydrophilic. These coatings are much thicker than membranes [1].

Microporous coatings

Microporous coatings have a similar structure to the microporous membranes. interconnected channels, much smaller than the finest raindrop but much larger than a water vapour molecule

The coating contains very fine

Schematic diagram of a microporous coating [1]

Hydrophilic coatings

Hydrophilic coatings use the same basic water vapor permeability mechanism as the hydrophilic membranes. The difference between microporous materials and hydrophilic materials is that with the former, water vapor passes through the permanent air-permeable structure whereas the latter transmit vapor by a molecular mechanism involving adsorptiondiffusion and desorption. These coatings are all based on polyurethane, which has been chemically modified by incorporating polyvinyl alcohols and polyethylene oxides.

Assessment techniques
Resistance to penetration and absorption of

liquid water

Wind resistance Water vapor permeability [1]

Bundesmann rain tester

Diagram of Bundesmann apparatus 1]

Air Permeability Tester Air Permeability Tester Wholesale Supplier ... IMAGE SOURCE PAGE: http://www.hellotrade.com/prism-instruments/air-permeability-tester.html

[1]

References
1. Holmes, D.A., Waterproof breathable

fabrics, in Handbook of Technical Textiles A.R. Horrocks, Anand, S. C., Editor 2000, Woodhead Publishing Ltd Cambridge.