Technical Textiles Flashcards
What are smart materials?
A narrow category of materials which react and change, responding to an external stimulus or changes in the environment without human intervention, e.g. changes in temperature, moisture and light.
What are technical materials?
A broad category of materials which are manufactured for their performance and functional properties rather than for their aesthetic characteristics (“Brain over looks”). They include industrial materials and performance materials but not smart materials.
What are some examples of technical/modern textiles?
Kevlar & Nomex
Reflective textiles
Gore-tex
Geotextiles
Nanofibres
Purista fabrics that protect against bacteria
What are some examples of smart textiles?
Textiles that change colour in response to temperature
Memory foam materials
Materials that can sense and track movement such as Smart Carpet
Maintain a personal micro-climate such as Stomatex
What are thermo chromatic textiles?
Textiles that use thermo chromic dyes that change colour when the temperature changes.
How are thermo chromatic dyes used?
Either with micro-encapsulated inks embedded into the fibres or fabrics.
Liquid crystal inks used or painted onto the surface.
What is photochromatic textiles?
They respond to UV light and sunlight and change colour.
What are hydrochromism textiles?
When something changes colour with moisture. They follow the same techniques as thermo chromatic dyes.
What are impact resistant materials?
Flexible materials that become hard when hit and go back to flexibility afterwards.
They are used for impact professions as they are shock absorbing.
What is an examples of an impact resistant material.
D30
What is PCM?
Phase changing material
What does PCM do?
Paraffin wax capsules change from liquid to solid and vice versa. They are embedded in foam or in micro-capsules and react to changes in temp and pressure.
They store and release energy and heat/
What is PCM used in?
Extreme sportswear, memory foam, mattresses.
What is an example of PCM
Outlast, used for NASA to maintain a personal micro-climate
What is Stomatex?
Smart neoprene fabric that removes perspiration and keeps the body at an even temperature. It does this through dome shaped Vapour chambers with a tiny pore in the centre that control the release of body heat and perspiration during physical activity.
