This presentation discusses protective textiles and their uses in various applications such as protective clothing. Protective textiles are made from specialty fibers that provide protection against heat, radiation, molten metals, bullets, and chemicals. They are often used to manufacture personal protective equipment for applications like firefighting clothing, welding protection, bulletproof vests, and chemical protective gear. The presentation discusses the criteria for different types of protective textiles and clothing used in military and industrial settings to provide insulation, waterproofing, flame resistance, ballistic protection, and protection against biological and chemical threats.
4. Protech or Protex/ Protective textiles
⢠Used in the manufacturing of protective clothing of
different types.
⢠Protection against heat & radiation for fire
fighter clothing,
⢠Against molten metals for welders,
⢠For bullet proof jackets, or
⢠For chemical protective clothing.
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5. Protech or Protex/ Protective textiles
⢠Protective textiles are made with the help of
specialty fibers such as aramid fiber used in
making of bullet proof jackets, glass fibers used on
fire proof jackets etc.
⢠Sometimes the protective textiles is also coated with
special chemicals, for e.g., when used in
manufacturing astronauts suits.
⢠The main target of the technical protective fabric is
to improve people safety in their workplaces.
⢠Most of them are mainly used to manufacture PPE
(Personal Protective Equipment).
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6. Nowadays, it can be found in the market,
technical fabrics which protect of:
ď§ High temperature (insulating, fire fighters)
ď§ Burns (Flame, connective & radiant heat, fire fighters)
ď§ Electric arc flash discharge (Plasma explosion, electric
companies)
ď§ Molten metal impacts (foundries)
ď§ Metal Sparks (Welding)
ď§ Acid environment (Petrochemical, gas, refineries,
chemicals)
ď§ Bullet impact (military, security)
ď§ Cut resistant (gloves, glass industry)
ď§ Astronautâs suits
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11. 1. Physical requirements:
i. Light weight & low bulk
ii. High durability & dimensional stability
iii. Cleanable
iv. Good handle & drape
v. Low noise emission
vi. Antistatic
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12. 2. Environment requirements:
i. Water-repellent, waterproof, windproof & snow-
shedding
ii. Thermally insulating
iii. Water vapour permeable
iv. Rot-resistant
v. UV light resistant
vi. Air permeable
vii.Biodegradable
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13. 3. Camouflage, concealment &
deception requirements:
i. Visual spectrum
ii. Ultraviolet
iii. Near infrared
iv. Acoustic emissions
v. Radar spectrum
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14. 4. Requirements for flame, heat &
flash protection:
i. Flame retardance
ii. Heat resistance
iii. Melt resistance
iv. Low smoke emission
v. Low toxicity
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15. 5. Specific Battlefield Hazards:
ď§ Ballistic fragments (from bombs, grenades, shells,
warheads)
ď§ Low velocity bullets (from hand guns, pistols, etc.)
ď§ High velocity bullets (from small-arms rifled weapons
from 5.56mm up to 12.7mm calibre)
ď§ Flechettes (small, sharp, needle shaped projectiles)
ď§ Chemical warfare agents (including blood agents,
nerve agents, vessicants)
ď§ Biological agents (bacteria, toxins, viruses)
ď§ Nuclear radiation (alpha, beta & gamma radiation)
ď§ Directed energy weapons (DEW) (includes laser
rangefinders & target designators)
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16. 6. Economic considerations
i. Easy-care
ii. Minimal maintenance
iii. Long storage life
iv. Repairable
v. Decontaminable or disposable
vi. Readily available
vii.Minimal cost
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17. Chemical Protection
⢠Protective clothing cannot be made generic for all
chemical applications, since chemicals vary in most
cases.
⢠Important considerations in designing chemical
protective clothing are:
â The amount of chemical permeation.
â Breakthrough time for penetration.
â Liquid repellency.
â Physical properties of the CPC in specific chemical conditions.
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18. Requirements
⢠Chemical Protective Clothing Should Resist :
Permeation , Degradation, Penetration.
⢠Durability
⢠Flexibility
⢠Temperature Resistance
⢠Service Life
⢠Clean Ability
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20. 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 20
21. 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 &
doesnât reach the
earth
Radiation Protection
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25. Optimum properties required of fabric intended for protection
against heat & flame::
1. High level of flame retardance: must not contribute to wearers injury.
2. Fabric integrity: maintains a barrier to prevent direct exposure
to the hazard.
3. Low shrinkage: maintains insulating air layer
4. Good thermal insulation: reduces heat transfer to give
adequate time for escape before burn damage occurs.
5. Easy cleanability & fastness of flame resistance: elimination
of flammable contamination (e.g. oily soil) without adverse
effect on flame retardance & garment properties.
6. Wearer acceptance: lightweight & comfortable.
7. Oil repellecy: protection from flammable contamination, such
as oils & solvents.
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Use Of Textile In Several Military
Application
1. THERMAL INSULATION
2. WATER VAPOUR PERMEABLE/WATERPROOF MATERIALS
3. FLAME-RETARDANT, HEAT PROTECTIVE TEXTILES
4. BALLISTIC PROTECTIVE MATERIALS
5. BIOLOGICALAND CHEMICAL WARFARE PROTECTION
6. MILITARY CAMOUFLAGE
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THERMAL INSULATION
We have to make clothing material light weight and bulky that gives
high insulation property and thermal comfort.
ďThe cold/wet regions tend to cause the most severe problems, as it is necessary
to provide and maintain dry thermal insulation materials.
ďThe cold/dry areas, including the arctic, Antarctic, and mountainous regions
require the carriage and use of clothing, sleeping bags, and other personal
equipment which possess high levels of thermal insulation.
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COLD ENVIRONMENTS
ď Insulation is important.
ď A ideal fabric should be low weight, low volume and highly insulative.
ď An efďŹcient insulator will be composed of about 10â20% of ďŹbre and 80â
90% of air.
ď US Armyâs new Generation III Extended Cold Weather Clothing System
(ECWCS) seven-layer,
ď A PolartecÂŽ Thermal ProÂŽ ďŹeece jacket; a nylon/spandex wind jacket; a
soft shell jacket and trousers using NextecÂŽ fabric; an extended
polytetra-ďŹuoroethylene (e-PTFE) membrane, Gore-TexÂŽ wet weather
jacket and trousers; and a PrimaloftÂŽ insulated loft parka and trousers
29. Water Vapour Permeable/Waterproof Materials
⢠One of the basic incompatibilities in technical textiles is that
associated with providing waterproof materials which allow free
passage of water vapor (PERSPIRATION).
⢠Without this facility, physiological problems can occur when
impermeable clothing is worn by highly active soldiers, marines, &
special forces.
⢠In the most extreme war operations individuals cannot choose either
the climatic conditions or the intensity of their activities. This can
result in injury or death due to hypothermia or hyperthermia.
⢠The use of polymer & textiles such as woven, coated or laminated
fabrics which are waterproof & water vapor permeable can solve
the problems.
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30. Table: Effects of wearing impermeable clothing in
different conditions
Conditions Activity Consequences
1. Cold/Wet climate Medium activity Discomfort
2. cold/Wet climate in
sweat-wetted clothing
High activity
followed by low
activity
Hypothermia (Cold
Stress)
3. Hot/Moist climate
& wearing protective
clothing
High activity Hyperthermia (Heat
Stress)
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31. Types of water vapour permeable barrier fabrics:
There are 3 main categories of materials of this type:
1. High density woven fabrics: Are typiďŹed by Ventile cotton fabric.
2. Microporous coatings & films:
â membranes having microporous voids of pore sizes from
0.1â5mm.
â Example, Gore-TexÂŽ, utilises a microporous
polytetraďŹuoroethylene (PTFE) membrane.
3. Hydrophilic solid coatings & films:
â the hydrophilic products are continuous pore/free solid ďŹlms.
â Diffusion of water vapour is achieved by the incorporation of
hydrophilic functional groups into the polymer such as -O-, CO-,
-OH, or -NHâ in a block copolymer.
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BALLISTIC PROTECTION
Ballistic-resistant materials for military purposes presently fall into
three general categories:
1. garments, such as vests.
2. helmets.
3. vehicle and structural reinforcement.
ďRequires high modulus textile fibers i.e. very high strength & low
elasticity.
ďWoven textiles are most commonly used, but non woven felts are
also available.
Fibers used:
Spiders silk (genetically engineered)
Aliphatic nylon 6.6 (ballistic nylon)
Para aramids (Kevlar, Twaron)
UHMPE (ultra high modulus PE)
GSPE (Gel Spun PE) (Dyneema, Spectra) etc.
35. Fabric Types & Composition:
ď§ Majority of ballistic fabrics are of a coarse
loose plain-woven construction.
ď§ Many layers, typically between 5 and 20, to
produce a ballistic pack which will perform
adequately.
ď§ Each body armour layer is allowed to move
independently, the pack is secured by stitching
quilting lines or squares to maintain a degree
of flexibility.
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BODY ARMOUR
ďArmour needs to protect from bullets, fragmentation, knives,
armour piercing threats, and more.
ďThe soldier also needs protection from impacts and blunt
force trauma.
ďarmour needs to be ďŹexible enough to enable the soldiers to
be mobile and to ďŹre their weapons.
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ďMethod of crypsis (hiding).
ďUsed to overcome the contrast of an object and its surroundings.
ďPattern are designed to mimic woodland and desert backgrounds
MILITARY CAMOUFLAGE
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By incorporating
different types of
coating layer
By modifying the
weave of the textile
By using different
print pattern or dye
By using
themochromic
/photochromic
colorants
Approaches in
making
Camouflage
Textile
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NIR Camouflage:
ďObjects are seen by their reflections
ďvarious metal oxides together with a mixture of N,N`-bis(2-aminoethyl )perylene
tetracarboxylic acid diimide and/or (5,5`-dichloro)indigo to obtain NIR camouflage
patterns.
ďMany vat dyes based on an anthraquinone-benzanthrone-acridine polycyclic ring
system.
IR Camouflage:
ďThe IR reflectance is increased by titanium white, decreased by carbon black, and
affected in various ways by dyes, pigments, finishing, and after-treatments.
ďWhite and yellow pigments and organic reds have excellent Infrared Reflecting Power
(IRP) while most blue and black pigments have very poor IRP due to traces of iron.
40. CAMOUFLAGE GARMENTS
⢠The word camouflage was first introduced by the French
during World War I to define the concealment of objects
and people by the imitation of their physical
surroundings, in order to survive.
⢠In essence, effective camouflage must break up the
objectâs contours, & minimise contrasts between the
object & the environment.
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41. Chameleonic camouflage
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⢠Development efforts are also underway to make next-
to-skin garments from electronic textiles which can
determine a soldierâs physiological status including
heartbeat, blood pressure, respiration and body
temperature.
42. TEXTILES FOR CAMOUFLAGE,CONCEALMENT &
DECEPTION
-Under UV band:
Titanium dioxide pigment as a
coating
-Under visible band:
Khaki, brown, black and green
colours used for uniforms.
Light weight polyurethane or acrylic
coated nylon.
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-Under visible band:
Khaki, brown, black and green
colours used for uniforms.
Light weight polyurethane or acrylic
coated nylon
44. BIOLOGICALAND CHEMICAL WARFARE
PROTECTION
⢠Biological and chemical warfare is a constant world
threat.
⢠The toxic agents used are relatively easy to produce
and their effects are emotionally and lethally horrific
to the general population.
⢠They are weapons of mass destruction e.g syria.
⢠The fact that they have not been used in recent
conflicts may be due, in part, to the difficulty of
delivering and disseminating such weapons onto
specific chosen targets
⢠It has been suggested that such weapons have been
used in Syria in the recent crisis
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45. BIOLOGICALAND CHEMICAL WARFARE
PROTECTION
⢠Most current clothing systems use activated carbon on a
textile substrate to absorb the agent vapour.
⢠Activated carbon can be used in the form of a finely
divided powder coating, small beads, or in carbon fiber
fabric form.
⢠This form of carbon has a highly developed pore
structure and a high surface area, enabling the adsorption
of a wide spectrum of toxic gases.
⢠Those with boiling points greater than 60oC are readily
physically adsorbed on the charcoal, but vapours boiling
at lower temperatures must be chemically removed by
impregnants supported on the carbon.
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for a protective clothing system in a cold environment. The objective is to trap warm air around the body. The efďŹciency of the ďŹbrous insulator depends up on the ratio of ďŹbre to air, and the way in which the ďŹbres are arranged in the system. multi-layering system