Lesson 8 Julie Boyd Consulting Editor: Jenny Ridgwell
Series Editor: Louise T Davies Lesson 8 Folens 2009 New materials and components
Learning ladder You must: identify a range of new materials and components and describe the differencebetween the various categories. compare new materials and components with traditional ones. You should: contribute to a team research product. be able to present information to a group. You could : be able to predict future developments. Folens 2009 Introduction Can you identify the specialist textiles materials that are used in these images? Folens 2009 New materials and components
New and emerging technologies are being developed all the time. Many are developed by groups such as NASA or the army for high performance use. This means they can be used in unusual and extreme conditions but many of the new technologies often find their way onto the high street eventually. Many new materials have been engineered to behave in a particular way, which means they have been designed by man to have particular high end performance properties. Folens 2009 Industrial and technical textiles
The way modern textiles materials are used has changed a lot and in many cases they can now compete with traditional materials. New textiles materials are regularly used in industrial and technical situations because their flexibility, weight and strength are superior to those of traditional materials. Examples of industrial textiles include those used to build roads and railways, insulation, tyres, filters, temporary buildings structures, banners, packaging materials. Folens 2009 Aramid fibres Kevlar Aramid is the name given to new textiles fibres in the nylon family.These are made from petrochemicals in the same way as nylon but they are engineered to have high performance properties. Kevlar is five times stronger than steel. It also has the advantage of being lightweight as well as flame and chemical resistant. It is used for a variety of industrial and technical uses, e.g. bullet proof vests, tyres, cables, skis, aircraft petrol tank linings. Source: www2.dupont.com/Kevlar/en_US/index.html Folens 2009 Source: www2.dupont.com/Nomex/en_US/
Aramid fibres Nomex Nomex is highly fire and chemical retardant as well as being lightweight, strong and good for electrical insulation. Its main uses are industrial and technical, e.g. fire-fighters clothing, racing drivers suits, transport furnishings (especially aircraft) and high specification performance wear. Source: www2.dupont.com/Nomex/en_US/ Folens 2009 Carbon fibre (1) Carbon fibre is an industrial and technical fibre made from carbon that is usually used as a composite material.This means it begins as a soft material but is coated with epoxy resin which turns it into a hard material that can compete with metals. It is very strong but also very lightweight and has a high resistance to fire and chemicals. Folens 2009 Carbon fibre (2) The original fabric can be woven or stitch bonded depending on the end use. One of its advantages over metals is that it can be cut and moulded into shape easily before it is hardened. Carbon fibre is very expensive to use. As a soft fabric it can be used for protective clothing and transport upholstery and as a composite it is used for tennis rackets, F1 car bodies, rocket motors. Folens 2009 Glass fibre (1) Glass fibre is an industrial and technical fibre made from glass and is often used as a composite material. This means it begins as soft material and is coated with epoxy resin turning it into a hard material. Glass fibre is strong, shatterproof, resists heat and cold, resistschemicals, and has good electrical properties. The original fabric can be woven or stitch bonded depending on theend use. One of its advantages over metals is that it can be cut andmoulded into shape easily before it is hardened. Folens 2009 Glass fibre (2) As a soft fabric it can be used for protective clothing and building insulation. As a composite it is used for roof coverings, car bodies. Thin fibres of glass can be made into fibre optics. These allowimages and information to be transmitted down the fibre over longdistances with limited reduction in the brightness. They are used incommunications systems. Folens 2009 Reflective textiles (1)
Minute glass beads can be embedded into fabrics, yarns, dyes and coatings to make them reflective. When bright lights are shone on them the fabrics reflect light back into the viewers eye, especially in darker conditions. Light can be reflected up to a 100m and the effect also works under water. Folens 2009 Reflective textiles (2)
Morphex is a new multi-layered fibre that copies the structure of a butterflys wing and reflects light. Prismatic, Scotchlite, Retroglo and Reflec are brand names for high visibility fabrics and films. Reflective fabrics are used a lot for protective clothing and sportswear. Note that reflective textiles are not smart materials as they do not change in any way. Source: Folens 2009 Medical textiles New textiles materials are now being used regularly in medicine. Many are naturally anti-bacterial and are more easily accepted by the body than traditional materials. Knitting is often used to produce arteries, veins, implants and other medical textiles products. Industrial embroidery machines are also often used to produce medical textiles. Folens 2009 Medical textiles and silver
Silver is naturally anti-bacterial and promotes healing. It also helps regulate body temperature and is cool when the wearer is warm and vice versa. Silver yarns can be knitted or woven into fabrics to enhance their anti-bacterial properties. These fabrics can be made into pyjamas, bedding, clothing, curtains and so on, for use in hospitals or where there are possible infections. X-static is a fibre made from silver that has been bonded ontoa core fibre. Sources: Folens 2009 Other uses of textiles in medicine
Medicines micro-encapsulated into fabrics Anti-bacterial fabrics and finishes Chitosan and Chitopoly fabric made from crushed shrimps and crabs that soothes eczema Electronics built into clothes to measure heart rate Smart dyes that indicate changes in body heat Barrier fabrics used for uniforms Biodegradable fabrics for stitches and implants Calcium alginate fibre, extracted from seaweed, is used to make highly absorbent dressings that absorb 20 times their weight in moisture and dont stick to the wound. Source: Folens 2009 Microfibres (1) Microfibres are made from nylon or Polyester but can be combined with other fibres. They are engineered to be 60 times finer than a human hair. This means these fibres can mimic the properties of natural fibres and breathability properties are also added. They are often used for underwear and sportswear. Folens 2009 Microfibres (2) Microfibre fabrics are naturally lightweight and are closely knitted or woven and have as many as 200,000 fibres per square. This makes them drape well and they are often used for clothing. Microfibres fabrics can be used for home cleaning products that can clean without chemicals.The microfibres make the cloths super absorbent and their static properties attract dirt. Folens 2009 Tactel Tactel is the name of an Aramid microfibre known for its outstanding softness (its name comes from the Latin word for I touch). It is also known for being extremely lightweight, breathable and waterproof. The fibres have the highest strength to weight ratio of any artificial or natural fibre. Initially Tactel was used for ski wear and quickly became the dominant fibre used in this area but now there are many Tactel fibres that can be used for a wide range of uses. Tactel Aquator is knitted as a two-sided construction with cotton on the outside and Tactel inside. It is used for sportswear and underwear. Source: Folens 2009 Smart/intelligent textiles
Many new materials and components are considered smart or intelligent. This means they can react to the environment around them, e.g. change colour with heat or light, react to sound, release smells, change their shape or properties. Look at Unit 7 on Fabric finishes for information on smart fabric finishes such as micro-encapsulation. Folens 2009 Memory foam Memory foam is a smart material that istemperature sensitive. It is made frommillions of microscopic memory pocketsthat slowly react to body heat and weight.It yields slowly under compression andmoulds to the body shape evenlydistributing a load. When the load isremoved the foam recovers slowly. Memory foam was developed forastronauts and is now used by hospitalsfor its abilities or relieve pressure sores,improve circulation and give the correctalignment of the spine when lying down. Folens 2009 Thermochromic and photochromic dyes
These are smart dyes that react to heat (thermochromic) or UV light (photochromic) by changing colour. They are used for fun fashion products and can also be used medically to indicate temperature changes or as a sun warning in childrens clothing. The dyes can be used on fabrics, in sewing threads and in beads. Folens 2009 Thermochromic liquid crystal fabric
This is a black fabric that has minute capsules of liquid crystal ink that change colour with heat. It can be used as a simple health check to enable body temperature to be seen. Folens 2009 Phosphorescent dyes Jellyfish, glow worms and fireflies have natural phosphorescence and use this to attract a mate. In textiles phosphorescence is a smart pigment that soaks up invisible forms of energy and transforms them into visible light. The pigment can be made into dyes and coatings for fabrics and threads. Used in a range of clothing and novelty products, e.g. t-shirts, bedding, footwear. Folens 2009 Electronic textiles Electronic textiles are smart as they have fibres that conduct electricity or small micro-electronic modules incorporated into a product. These modules can be linked to sound, light or other electronic functions. These products are often called wearable electronics or e-fabrics/e-garments and they often use soft-switches that are electronic control switches that are integrated into the fabric. Folens 2009 Breathable fabrics (1) Breathable fabrics are smart asthey react to temperature. When the temperature rises thefibre expands, which allows air inand moisture out. This process is called wicking. When the temperature falls thefibres close up so the body stayswarm. Folens 2009 Breathable fabrics (2) When we get hot we sweat and ourclothing soaks up the moisture. The wetfabric often sticks to our skin and thisreduces evaporation and makes us feeluncomfortable. Natural fibres are allbreathable but dont allow the bodymoisture to evaporate quickly enough.Synthetic breathable fabrics have theadded advantage that as well as beingbreathable they are also waterproof Breathable fabrics are often used inunderwear, sportswear and footweartomake products feel more comfortable towear. Folens 2009 Different ways of producing breathable fabrics
Tightly woven/knitted microfibre fabricscreate breathable fabrics. Use of a micro-porous membrane (a layer offilm thinner than cling film full of tiny holes)such as GORE-TEX. The holes are tinyenough to allow body moisture to evaporatebut too small to allow rain molecules throughthe fabric. A disadvantage of this system isthat the pores can get blocked with dirt andthe membrane becomes less effective. Use of membranes such as SympaTex andPermatex which have no pores but which usea chemical reaction to diffuse the moistureaway from the body. Note GORE-TEX, SympaTex and Permatex are not fabric finishes. The membrane is usually laminated or transfer coated between layers of fabric. Folens 2009 Breathable fabrics www.gore-tex.co.uk www.sympatex.com
Folens 2009 Another breathable fabric CoolMax
CoolMax is a high performance polyester fabric that is smart and breathable. It is engineered to have fibres that have micro channels that move sweat away from the body to the outer layer of the fabric, where it dries faster than any other fabric (completely dry in 30 minutes). It is used for sportswear, underwear and so on. Folens 2009 Laminating fabrics (1) GORE-TEX and SympaTex membranes are laminated between layers of fabric and are not used on their own. Laminated fabrics are made up from two or more layers of different fabrics and are often used to combine fabrics of different properties. Folens 2009 Laminating fabrics (2) Fabrics are held together by glue or by the thermoplastic qualities of one or both of the materials. Transfer coating can also be used where the membrane or fabric is applied to paper first and then heat transferred. Another example is a wipe-clean table cloth made from PVC, laminated onto a cotton backing. Folens 2009 Biomimetics Speedo Fastskin
Biomimetics literally means imitating a living bio-system. It is the science of studying how natureworks, e.g. how pine cones respond to heat, howbirds use feathers to keep warm. Speedo Fastskin is a knitted swimsuit/wetsuit fabricfirst used at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Thefabric is based on the skin of a shark and copies theway the surface of the skin allows water to travelover it aerodynamically. The garment is also designed to apply pressure onmuscle groups to help the wearer save energy andgive a maximum performance. Both the garment design and fabric for SpeedoFastskin are smart. Folens 2009 Biomimetics Stomatex
Stomatex is a smart neoprene fabric that mimics the way a plant passes water vapour from inside a leaf into the atmosphere. Trapped vapour molecules are removed from next to the skin by the flexing of the dome shapes on the fabric which have a small hole in the centre from where perspiration is released. This removes perspiration and keeps the body at an even temperature. The fabric can be used for wetsuits, sportswear, medical supports. Folens 2009 Other new fibres biofibres
Biofibres are fibres engineered from agricultural crops such as corn, sugar, wheat, seaweed, and so on. As they are grown, they are from a renewable and sustainable source and are biodegradable. The disadvantage is that some fibres have a short life span. Also some people feel that foodstuffs should not be used for fibres because there are people for whom food is in limited supply. Folens 2009 Other new fibres bamboo & spacer fabric
Bamboo is a quick growing plant that doesntneed pesticides and fertilizers, and it improvesthe quality of the soil as it grows. As a fibre it isvery soft, very absorbent, naturallyanti- bacterial, breathable and biodegradable. Spacer fabrics are double-layered 3D fabricswith a cushion of air and spring-like yarnsbetween the two sides. They are knitted in onecontinuous operation so that the layers cant beseparated. The fabrics are shock absorbing,breathable and washable, and are used inhealthcare, cars, fashion, footwear andfurnishings. Folens 2009 Cushion with electronic push button light
Task 3: design and make Use a range of technical and smart materials and components to design and make a product that could be sold in a gift shop. Cushion with electronic push button light Door hanger with electronic sound module and smart puff dye (design also includes use of transfer paper, reflective tape and CAM embroidery) Folens 2009 Nanotechnology (1) Nanotechnology is the science of the tiny and it was pioneered by the aerospace industry where size and weight are very important. It is the ability to manipulate materials and systems on a nanoscale (1/100,000th of the width of a human hair). Nano fibres are tiny molecules one billionth of a metre in size. They cant be seen by an ordinary microscope and specialist tools have to be used to manipulate them. An area of fabric the size of a football pitch can be folded into something the size of a sugar cube. Nanotechnology enables us to make things on a very small scale making it easier to make products smaller, lighter, faster and more efficient. Folens 2009 Nanotechnology (2) In particular, nanotechnology has been used in textiles to develop breathable membranes for sports clothing, industrial filters and to increase the stain and water repellence of a fabric as well as improve its crease resistance where tiny molecules permanently attach themselves to fibres without clogging the weave. Folens 2009