Dr. V. K.

Kothari Department of Textile Technology, IIT, Delhi

Schematic of classifications of Protective Textiles

Flame retardant
o o o o

Kermel and Kermel / Viscose fabrics for flight suits, station wear and turnout gear. Nomex for military applications Molten Aluminum splash protective fabric. Electrical Arc p Aramid woven fabric for hard and soft ballistic applications Continuous filament polyester / carbon fabrics Systemic and non systemic antibacterial and antistatic fabrics for surgeons gowns, scrubs and warm up jackets. Liquid chemical protective fabrics Fabrics that offer a UPF rating for the wearer. Component fabrics for chain saw protection freezer suits waterproof clothing Uniforms Parachutes

Ballistic protection
o

Lint free antistatic

o

Medical textiles
o

Chemical protection
o

UV protection
o

Industrial work wear

o o o

Military textiles
o o

Materials & Technologies

Processing technologies for specific protective clothing are different, the main processes generally include: Material manufacturing or selection; Producing fabrics and other related items; Finishing, and Clothing engineering.

Schematic of materials and technologies for manufacturing protective textiles

Steps in selection of protective clothing materials

Step 1: Assess hazards Type of hazard(s) Severity of the hazard Step 2: Identify relevant standards, specifications, or guidelines With well defined performance requirements Not well defined performance requirements

Steps in selection of protective clothing materials

Step 3 Screen materials based on protection performance of fabrics, e.g.

Cold climate protection performance Chemical protection performance Biological protection performance Flame and thermal protection performance Mechanical protection performance

Step 4 Select materials based on other major factors

Job performance Comfort Cost Durability Use, care & maintenance

AGENDA
Look at some aspects related to: Extreme old protection Chemical & Biological protection Radiation protection Electrical protection Heat & Flame protection Mechanical protection High visibility Protection

EXTREME COLD PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

Hazards of Extreme Cold Climate

Increased incidence of Arthritis, Rheumatism and Bronchitis Cold metal injury Hypothermia - one of the serious hazards of cold exposure Frostbite

Comfort & Survival Factors in Cold Protective Clothing

1. Physiological Factors
Metabolic heat output

Perspiration rate

2. Environmental Factors
Wind Chill

Relative Humidity or Dampness of the Environment

3. Fabric Factors
Thermal insulation

Air permeability Moisture vapour permeability

4. Design of the Fabric Assembly

The human heat balance equation Appropriate protection against cold is provided when the human body is in heat balance at acceptable levels of body temperatures (for example skin and core temperatures). This implies that heat losses are equal to metabolic heat production. The following equation describes the heat balance.

where S is the rate of change in body heat content, M is the metabolic heat production, C is the convective heat exchange, R is the radiative heat exchange, E is the evaporative heat exchange, and RES is the respirative/airway heat loss, all in W/m2.

Measurements of clothing performance

Thermal insulation

Evaporative resistance Wind resistance Water resistance

Category of Fibres which provides Thermal Insulation A. Heat Insulating

- to entrap as much air as possible. - Low compressibility and high resilience - Conventional fibres, hollow fibres & high bulk fibres

B. Heat Absorbing
- to maintain the microclimate inside the clothing - Solar radiation absorbing fibre and fibres containing ceramic particles to absorb IR radiation

C. Heat Storing
- Phase change materials

Types of Layer- Combination

Outer layer should provide adequate resistance to wind penetration & should be water vapour permeable Next-to-skin layer of the garment should wick the liquid sweat away from the body rapidly Middle layer(s) should provide the main insulation. Body heat should be reflected back using a inner reflective layer.

Structural Model of a Cold Weather Protective Clothing

Laminates with Aluminum Film

Engineered Fibres
An unique polyester fibre such as Primaloft Air pockets increases the thermal resistance and help it to resist the passage of water while allowing body moisture in form of water vapour to escape

Insulation through Incorporation of Integrated Heating Panels

Light weight, washable heating panels powered by batteries are laminated in the fabric

Smart Polymeric Membranes

Laminated fabrics made from monolithic breathable membrane which react to build up of heat and moisture As the microclimate temperature rises, the openings between the polymer molecules in the membrane expand, thereby increasing the fabric moisture permeability. As the temperature drops the pores in the fabric close thereby trapping heat

Chemical Protection

Chemical Hazard
Affects human based on its characteristics and mode of entry Chemicals present a variety of hazards such as toxicity, corrosiveness, flammability, reactivity, and oxygen deficiency Routes of chemical entry into the human body are oral, respiratory, and dermal Dermal exposure considered primary mechanism of chemical entry through human body

Chemical Resistant Clothing It provides an effective barrier between the chemicals used & area of the body to be protected No single material will protect against all chemicals

Appropriate chemical resistant clothing must demonstrate:

No penetration No significant degradation Low permeation rate

Chemical and biological protection Chemical/Biological (CB) warfare agents and their effects
To design and to fabricate effective CB protective clothing, it is necessary to have an understanding of the hazardous threats that must be prevented from reaching the wearer. CWAs are defined as natural or synthesized chemical substances, whether gaseous, liquid or solid, which might be employed because of their direct toxic effects on man, animals and plants. BWAs are microorganisms (viruses and bacteria) or toxins derived from living organisms. They are used to produce death, or incapacitation in humans, animals, or plants. Typical effects of selected CWAs are listed in Table given in the next slide.

Typical effects of toxic chemicals, microorganisms, and toxins

Different types of protective materials

There are basically four different types of CB Protective Materials. Figure illustrates the differences in their protective capabilities.

Examples of Chemical Protective Clothing

z

Three layers outer fabric, sorptive layer and inner layer

Layers of Protective Clothing

Outer shell is water repellent layer protecting from liquid chemicals Sorptive layer is soul of protective clothing absorbing liquid & air borne chemicals Inner layer provides comfort to the wearer

Development of Chemical Protective Clothing

Polyester fabric Cotton Nonwoven Activated carbon Cotton Nonwoven Cotton fabric

Formed by five layers

Outer shell made of polyester as it has low absorption of 2% & provides good strength to the fabric and polyester has a good resistance to lab grade chemicals Inner layer is made up of cotton fabric as it gives good absorbency and comfort Middle layer comprises of activated carbon sandwiched in cotton nonwoven

Chemical Protective Clothing

CPC Garment materials

Textiles Unsupported rubber or plastics Microporous film basics Adsorbent-based fabrics Coated fabrics Plastic laminates Combinations

Clothing system designs The use of excellent protective materials, effective closures, and ergonomic survival equipment for an individual will be meaningless and unproductive without proper garment designs. There are different garment designs given as follows: Coverall or one-piece garments Two-piece garments Undergarments Multilayered garments Closure system, components, and systems

UV exposure and human skin Effect of UV rays on different types of skin

Radiation Protection Radiation Protection

Ultraviolet radiation band

UVA (320 to 400 nm)

UVB (290 to 320 nm)

UVC (200 to 290 nm)

Causes little visible reaction on skin but decrease immunological response of skin cells

Responsible for development of skin cancers

Totally absorbed by atmosphere & doesnt reach the earth

Textiles as protection from ultraviolet radiation

Fabric's ability to block UVR dependent on several parameters:
Principal Parameters

Fiber Chemistry

Fabric Construction

Moisture content

Wet Processing History

Porosity

Thickness

Weight

Dye Concentration

Fluorescent Whitening Agents

UV-absorbers

Schematic representation of a textile as a barrier to UV radiation

Electrostatic Protection
The term `electrostatic' or `static electricity' refers to the phenomenon associated with the build up of electrical charges generated, for example, by contact and/or rubbing of two objects. Static electricity is generated by unbalancing the molecular configuration of relatively non-conductive materials.

Discharge of static electricity In principle, there are three methods for neutralizing charges on insulators: conductance through the bulk of the material conductance along the surface of the material the attraction of oppositely charged ions from the air

Measurement techniques
There have been two main approaches to assessing the electrostatic propensity of textile materials. One is to measure the charge built up on a clothed person or the electrical capacitance of a body (humanbody model) The second is to measure some electrostatic characteristics of textiles (e.g., surface resistivity, charge decay rate, peak potential, etc.) in small-scale tests.

The most common way to confer antistatic properties on a fabric is to incorporate conductive fibres/yarns. Common conductive elements used in fabrics include carbon, copper, silver, stainless steel or metallic salts. The choice of conductive product will partly depend on the end use and the required level of static protection.

Modern ESD-textiles Many ESD-garments are made of heterogenous composite fabrics where a grid or stripes of conductive threads are present inside an insulating matrix of cotton, polyester or mixtures of these materials. The conductive threads are more and more frequently made by composites, i.e. by a mixture of conductive and insulating fibres. There are several variations in both fabric and thread structures.

Gore-tex: Antistatic

Source: AVANTEX 2000