24.04.

2014 Lecture: 01

AE 181: ENGINEERING
MATERIALS
TOPIC: INTRODUCTION
INNOVATING TO SAVE AN INDUSTRY
• The primary function of clothing has always been fairly simple,
• providing protection and comfort.

• Now the question is “CAN I USE IT FURTHER?”

• Changes are occurring at the most basic level of textile

manufacturing: in the fibres that are wound into yarns that are woven
into fabrics that are dyed and made into clothing.

• “The focus is now on new developments in fibre, fibre style, fibre

components—elements that can give added benefit to the user”.
A pressure-sensitive, textile keypad
integrated into the arm of a
snowboarding jacket controls a
portable music player held in the
jacket’s chest pocket.

Photo supplied by Softswitch.

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF EXTREME TEXTILES
• STRONGER: Includes a prototype space tether made of Zylon;
numerous items made of high-performance carbon fibre and
aramids—high-strength, fire-resistant polyamide fibres—such as
Kevlar for protective clothing; a polyester multifilament yarn bag used
to support an enlarged heart.

• FASTER: Includes a sail made of a moulded laminate of carbon and

aramid fibres; a bicycle wheel made of a variety of woven and press-
moulded carbon fibres; a prosthetic sprinting foot of woven carbon-
fibre epoxy resin.
• LIGHTER: Includes composite parafoils
used for parachutes; a flexible wing suit
(for human flight) made of composite,
non-woven laminate of polyethylene and
Spectra fibre; knotless fishing net of
interconnected twisted polyester threads
with a heat treatment finish.
• SMARTER: Includes a space-suit
glove equipped with pressure-
sensitive textile switches to
control a rover; a vest with a
textile cable switching system
that allows rescue workers to
access communication buttons
with gloved hands; a bandage-
like device made of multi-sensor
conductive textile that collects,
processes, and stores
physiological data.
• SAFER: Includes zippers with
thermoplastic teeth that form
a waterproof seal when
joined; space suits made of a
variety of materials including
Teflon-coated cloth, Dacron,
and Kapton fabrics and films; a
Mars Pathfinder lander airbag
of plain-woven Vectran fabric,
developed to be strong yet
light, impact resistant, and
abrasion resistant, and able to
perform at extreme
temperatures.
NANO-TEX INSIDE
• Nano-Tex, a California company, is adding its labels to popular clothing brands with four
products: Resists Spills, Resists Static, Coolest Comfort, and Repels and Releases Stains.

• By embedding nanowhiskers within traditional materials such as cotton, Nano-Tex can

add new properties to fabrics used in popular clothing brands.

• Eddie Bauer, has begun to offer a jacket with Coolest Comfort, which wicks moisture
away from the wearer, according to Nano-Tex.

• Other clothiers that will have Nano-Tex tags hanging from their products include Gap,
Old Navy, and Nordstrom.

• The Nano-Tex process alters fibres to improve them.

• Using silver nanoparticles added “bumps” to common fibres and achieved a repellent
effect.
• Water and dirt, instead of sticking to the fibres, easily run off.
• And, as a bonus, silver is antibacterial, Brown said, so the treated fibres are odour-resistant, too.
E-TEXTILES (WEARABLE ELECTRONICS)

The LifeShirt, by VivoMetrics, is embedded

with sensors to measure pulmonary function.

Photo by VivoMetrics.
Convenient, wearable, solar-
powered electronics could be on
the way soon, incorporated into
watchbands (as above) or woven
into clothing fibres.
(Credit: American Chemical
Society)