Sergio Antonio Salvi, Laminar Flexible Materials (lecture extract)

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE MATERIALS
Sergio Antonio Salvi
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT
AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
“LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS”
CLASSIFICATION
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
As “laminar flexible materials” in this conference can be meant
those semifinished materials who present the “dimension Z”
(namely the thickness) estremely reduced, so that they are very
flexible, so flexible to be considered “functional materials”, since
they are not properly “structural” ones; because of their main
characteristic, they are mostly used as coating and for containing.
Hence in this class can be mentioned the following:
■ leather;
■ fabrics;
■ “non-woven” fabrics;
■ polymeric films and correlated “multilayer” films.

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS :
LEATHER: definition,
importance in the
past and criticity of
contemporary
application
Semifinished materials of “leather industry”, related to the so
called “leather goods” sector, “furs” included, are tecnically all
defined “leather”.
In this conference, even if the importance of leather in the human
history and evolution it is recognized, this raw material, and its
derivatives, is not eligible as “reference material”, considering
the consequences that the use of leather determines in terms of
“sensitive” animal sacrifice; this point of view has been widely
discussed in the contexts of “animalist” and “ecosofy” cultures
(cf., among others, the writings of Singer and Naess respectively).
Because of the above mentioned notes, leather in this conference is
not treated.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
classification
Textile fibers are foundamental to produce fabrics, “non-woven”
fabrics and sometimes “reinforced” polymeric films.
Generally, they can be classified into four great categories,
depending on their origin, who can be:
■ animal;
■ vegetal;
■ mineral;
■ artificial and synthetical.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
ANIMAL ORIGIN
fibers
Animal origin textile fibers principally are wool and silk. As known
the former is got by the animals fur, especially ovines (from a
point of view, this production origin is the same of the leather one),
and the latter is derived by the silkworm.
These fibers, in spite of the concurrency of the vegetal ones as well
as the advent of synthetic, preserve a certain market. Surely their
production strongly depends on the breeding of the animals who
generate them (think of the mullberry tree colture, whose leaves is
the nutrition of silkworm, so flourishing in north Italy until the middle
of the last century).
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
ANIMAL ORIGIN
fibers
The silkworm at the
larval state and its
cocoon
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
VEGETAL ORIGIN
fibers
Industrially used vegetal origin fibers are much many than the
animal origin ones. Their raw materials are pratically extracted by
any vegetal organism. The most common are cotton (got by its
pod), flax (bark), hemp (bark), jute (bark), raffia (leaves), ramié
(bark), nettle (bark), hibiscus (bark), broom (bark), manila
(leaves), sisal (leaves), coconut tree (fruit), rubber tree (latex) and
others are plants coltivated for the purpose.
Also vegetal origin fibers suffer from synthetic ones concurrency,
anyway their market is much more wide. It is important to note that
their production concerns the soil exploiting and strongly
depends on their coltures, so that they compete with other
productions, often related to the human feeding...
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
VEGETAL ORIGIN
fibers
a cotton field

Mineral origin textile fibers are basically the ones who can be
derived by metals (aluminium, silver, gold), glass –and silicates–,
carbon –graphite included– etc. Asbestos fiber, due to its toxicity,
is unused.
Metals, glass and carbon, together with their similar, by means of
special “spinning” procedures can be reduced into “threads”.
These fibers are used in special applications, like in the
“composite materials” field where both glass and carbon fibers
are far important.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
MINERAL ORIGIN
fibers

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
MINERAL ORIGIN
fibers
a glass fiber “strand”

These textile fibers are divided into two categories: the artificial
origin fibers are those “chemically” transformed by “natural”
polymers (already existing in nature; for example viscose, derived
by cellulose as well as many other of either animal proteins or
vegetal proteins origin); the synthetic origin fibers instead are
based on the chemistry of polymeric materials (the typologies are
uncountable and coincide with the polymers families: PET, PA, PP,
PUR etc. in the various trademarks like, respectively, Terital, Nylon,
Meraklon, Elastane etc.).
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
ARTIFICIAL AND
SYNTHETIC ORIGIN
fibers
1/2

Polymers for their nature are macromolecules who can have a
very high molecular weight –such as “length”– so that they can be
“molecular fibers”. While considering the historical role of the
artificial fibers, synthetic ones present the enormous advantage to
be designed at molecular scale, furthermore in their fiber
“section” (like in “hollow fibers”); the result is the adaptability to
many applications; moreover they do not need any dyeing (they
are coloured “in mass”) and can be modified with infinit additives;
because of that potential the so called “technical suits” are almost
always made by means of synthetic fibers; in the future “nano-
fibers” could allow amazing characteristics.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
ARTIFICIAL AND
SYNTHETIC ORIGIN
fibers
2/2

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TEXTILE FIBERS:
ARTIFICIAL AND
SYNTHETIC ORIGIN
fibers
experimental
polymeric “hollow
nano-fibers"

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: fabrics
classification
There are many ways to classify fabrics, anyway the most used is
that based on the shape of thread “intersections”, that is the
result of either the weaving machine “weave”, or the particular
production technique type; therefore the following main fabrics
can be distinguished:
■ fabrics with rectilinear threads, also known as “woven warp
loom” (e. g. the so called “denim”);
■ fabrics with rectilinear “fabrics work” threads, also known as
“Jacquard” (e. g. the “damask”);
■ fabrics with curvilinear threads, also known as “knitted fabrics”
(e. g. the “jersey”);
■ fabrics with knotted threads, (e. g. the “nets”).
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

Fabrics with rectilinear threads are also known as “woven warp
loom”, because they are produced by means of the classic
weaving machine. In this machine the “heddles” are fundamental
organs whose aim is the separation of the different “warps”, so that
the “weft” can be inserted. They are constructed with at least two
“sets” of threads –”weft” and “warp”– and present simple
“patterns”; examples among these semifinished materials are
represented by the “canvas”, the “denim” –the fabric of jeans–, and
the “pied de poule”.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: fabrics
with rectilinear
threads (“woven
warp loom”)

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: fabrics
with rectilinear
threads (“woven
warp loom”)
“denim”

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: fabrics
with rectilinear
threads (“woven
warp loom”)
“pied de poule”

Fabrics with rectilinear “fabrics work” threads are also known as
“Jacquard”, from the name of the inventor of the special weaving
machine with which they are produced: they are fabrics in which the
weave pattern presents a certain complexity (e. g. the “damask”);
in these weaving machines each thread of warp is controlled by a
single “mesh” of heddle, sometimes driven by the hole of a
punched card who houses the correlated counterweight; these
fabrics often are constructed onto a simple canvas, who is the
base of the fabric structure.
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TESSUTI: fabrics
with rectilinear
“fabrics work”
threads (“Jaquard”)
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TESSUTI: fabrics
with rectilinear
“fabrics work”
threads (“Jaquard”)
“damask”

The fabrics with curvilinear threads are the so called “knitted
fabrics”: they are constructed with special machines (they are
called “knitting machines”), even with a single thread row. Often
the production plants are dedicated to a single kind of final
product , as it happens for example with socks production.
Depending on the process flow direction, it is used to classify knitted
fabric into two types: “weft knitting” and “warp knitting” (these
terms come from the traditional weaving technology, since in this
process “weft” and “warp” are not defined). An example among
these products is the “jersey”.
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: fabrics
with curvilinear
threads (“knitted
fabrics”)
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: fabrics
with curvilinear
threads (“knitted
fabrics”)
artisanal production of
a sock
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: fabrics
with curvilinear
threads (“knitted
fabrics”)
“jersey”
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

Fabrics with knotted threads are produced by means of special
machines, and can be got even with a single row of thread: to
these category belong any kind of “net”, whose applications are
numberless, often extended to technical fields.
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: fabrics
with knotted threads
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: weaving
machine weaving
A fabric produced by means of a weaving machine is the weaving
product of a fiber who is previously subject to “carding” and
“spinning”, if necessary; the former is mainly the orientation of the
fiber; the latter is the reduction of it either to “yarn” or “thread”; the
goal of those operations is to create a thread intersection who is
called “weave”. In the geometric configuration produced by the
weaving machine, the threads aligned alongside the weaving flow
are called “warp”, while the ones (if necessary just in one “set”)
aligned orthogonally are called “weft”. The semi finished fabric can
be subjected to “dyeing” (in case either the yarn or the thread
would have not been already coloured in mass) or “printing”, and
sometimes they can be “laminated” and “coupled” with other
flexible semi finished materials, mostly polymeric. In the
classification of weaving machined fabrics it is important to indicate
the “type of weave”.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: “weave”
scheme of a fabric
made by means of
weaving machine
(rectilinear thread
fabrics); the “weave”
is always got by the
intersection of
“warp” and “weft”
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: “weave”
scheme of a
“knitted” fabric
(curvilinear thread
fabrics); the thread (if
necessary just in one
“set”) is connected
by means of
“meshes”
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: weaving
machine for artisanal
weaving
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: weaving
machine scheme for
artisanal weaving
with “canvas weave”
(note that the
industrial machine is
based on the same
kinematic principles)
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: weaving
machines for
industrial production
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: the
concept of the fabric
weave itself can
determine the
creative effect
(Missoni)
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: type of
weaves of weaving
machined fabrics
(rectilinear threads
fabrics)
“Rectilinear threads” fabrics can be produced creating different kinds
of “weaves”. The fundamental weaves are three: “canvas weave”,
“twill weave” (also known as “diagonal”), “satin weave”; from
these weaves others like “gauze”, “panama”, “hedgehog” etc. are
derived. As already said, when it is necessary to design complex
patterns, special weaves, so called “Jacquard” are prepared.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: CANVAS
weave of a fabric
It is the simplest
weave: weft and warp
alternate each other;
threads can assume
both different colour
and shape, even
grouped, creating very
simple textures, like
“checkered”
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: TWILL
weave (also known
as DIAGONAL) of a
fabric
It is very common:
weft thread passes
over two, maximum
four, warp threads,
creating the
characteristic
“diagonal texture”;
“denim” (jeans) and
“pied de poule” are
made with this weave
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TESSUTI:
HEDGEHOG weave
of a fabric
This important weave
can be based both on
the canvas weave
and twill one: it is
added a weft thread
that, extracted in
shape of rings, can
be used this way
(woven “sponge”
effect) or, in case
these “rings” were
opened, either a “fur
effect” is reached
(“peluche”) or “velvet”
is got.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
TESSUTI: JAQUARD
weave of a fabric
Complex textures –
better to say “art
work”– need to be
prepared with
dedicated weaving
machines, in which
even each single
thread can be
controlled along the
weaving process
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: special
fabrics
Glass fiber fabric for
composite materials
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: special
fabrics
Fire proof gloves with
wrist and back made in
aramidic fiber
(Kevlar) fabric,
aluminium coated, with
palm in PBI polymer
fiber fabric

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: special
fabrics
Carbon fiber fabric
“impregnated” by resin
in composite material
products

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
FABRICS: special
fabrics
Three-dimensional
fabric with structural
properties for
assembly purpose

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
“NON-WOVEN”
FABRICS: definition
and characteristics
A “non-woven” fabric, that is a “non-fabric”, is a semi finished flexible
laminar material similar to a fabric but got by means of different
intersection techniques in which thread is almost always
discontinuous and randomly worked. The peculiar characteristic
of these materials is that the “third dimension”, that is the thickness,
is not depending on the thickness of the thread, so that it can be
remarkable; this is possible because the cohesion of the fibers
does not depend on the intersection itself (like in the fabrics
weaves) but is correlated to other principles (simple adhesion,
thermal processes, adhesive substances etc.). Felt, wadding,
fiberglass mat, many glass fiber semi finished materials for
composites are example of this typology. Often they are used in
combination with fabrics and polymeric films.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
“NON-WOVEN”
FABRICS: felt
This ancient material is
produced by means of
the so called “felting”
process, where the
main cause of the
fibers cohesion is the
friction induced by
the animal fur hair
scales (“adhesion”)
TECNOLOGIA DELLA
PRODUZIONE
Arch. Sergio Antonio Salvi
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
“NON-WOVEN”
FABRICS : cotton
wadding
It is a widely used non-
woven material,
especially applied in
the health sector
(above all cotton wool)
and for paddings
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
“NON-WOVEN”
FABRICS : non-
woven polypropylen
fiber
These semi finished
materials
characteristics are
related to their
polymers
TECNOLOGIA DELLA
PRODUZIONE
Arch. Sergio Antonio Salvi
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
“NON-WOVEN”
FABRICS : glass fiber
strand mat”
These semi finished
materials are
fundamental for
composite materials
production
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
“NON-WOVEN”
FABRICS : glass fiber
strand mat”
“Dar” armchair with
seat and backrest
made of glass fiber
reinforced polyester
(des. Eams, prod.
Herman Miller
Collection, USA 1948)
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
POLYMERIC FILMS
AND “MULTILAYER”
FILMS: production
sector and
characteristics
Polymeric films, above all “multi-layers”, are among the most
important products of the plastic materials industry.
Thermoplastic materials can be easily reduced into films and,
thanks to their phisical peculiarity, present the possibility to be
coupled in layers to every laminar flexible material (fabric, non-
woven, metal thin sheet, wood veneer etc.). In multilayers the
fundamental technological concept is that the functionality of
the semi finished material is the sum of the single layer
function (s). Polymeric based multi-layers are applied in almost all
industrial sectors, such as: building and civil works; boating;
furnishing; technical suits; footwear; toys; food and drinks
packaging; packaging in general etc.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
POLYMERIC FILMS
FILMS:
thermoplastics
calendering
This technology one of
the most important
process to get thick
multilayers
Scheme of the
process

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
POLYMERIC FILMS
FILMS: film extrusion
Film extrusion is one
of the most important
process to get thin
multilayer films
Plant scheme and
detail of extrusion
die

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
POLYMERIC FILMS
FILMS: products
examples
“Dune” (Mandarina
Duck) and “Relife”
(Superga)

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
POLYMERIC FILMS
FILMS: products
examples
“Inflatable” raft and
technical membrane

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
POLYMERIC FILMS
FILMS: products
examples
Matress “Transformer”,
who can be “shaped”
by means of a hand
operated vacuum
pump, and seat
“Torso”, inflatable by
means of a vacuum
cleaner whose flow
must be inverted
(respectively: des.
Arad, prod. One Off,
1983; des. Deganello,
prod. Cassina, 1982)

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
POLYMERIC FILMS
FILMS: products
examples
Multilayers made of
aramidic fibers
(Kevlar) and polymeric
films aimed to get
flexible composite
materials

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
POLYMERIC FILMS
FILMS: products
examples
Thermochromic
multilayer

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT AND
MANUFACTURING
TECHNOLOGIES
LAMINAR FLEXIBLE
MATERIALS:
POLYMERIC FILMS
FILMS: products
examples
Electroluminescent
multilayers
“Foglia” (leaf) designed
by Branzi

Sergio Antonio Salvi, Laminar Flexible Materials (lecture extract)

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