Presentazione

The course has the aim to give an overview of technical textiles. Materials and technologies will be described with particular emphasis to the latest advances in different fields, such as composites, sportswear and protective textiles.

By completing this course, the student will be able to identify materials and technologies for specific technical applications of textiles.

By completing this course, the student will be able to identify materials and technologies for specific technical applications of textiles.

Definition and scope of technical textiles. Milestones in the development of technical textiles. Market overview: worldwide consumption of technical textiles by product type and by application.
High performance fibers.
Summary of mechanical properties of textiles: linear density, tensile strength, tenacity, elongation, yield points, modulus, elastic recovery.
- Meta-aramid fibers: structure, polymerization, spinning, post-spinning processes, properties, applications for heat and flame protection.
- Liquid crystal polymers: lyotropic and thermotropic liquid crystals. Dry-jet wet spinning of high-strength fibres.
Para-aramids. Liquid crystal heterocyclic fibres (PBO Zylon, PBT). Liquid crystals aromatic copolyester (Vectran).
Applications of para-aramids and other liquid crystal polymers in the field of balistic protection.
- High strength- high modulus polyethylene (Dyneema). Gel spinning. Superdrawing.
- Carbon fibres: PAN-based carbon fibre production and properties. Pitch-based carbon fibres: isotropic pitch and mesophase. Rayon-based carbon fibres. Vapour grown carbon fibres. Application of carbon fibres in composites manufacturing.
- Glass fibres: Time-temperature transformation curves. Fibre glass compositions. Optical fibres.
Composite: use of fibres in composites, mechanical properties of composites: rules of mixtures. Unidirectional fabrics, 0/90°, stitched fabrics, hybrid fabrics. Composites manufacturing technologies: spray lay-up, hand lay-up, resin transfer moulding, vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding, filament winding, pultrusion, prepreg.
Heat and flame protection: inherently flame retardant fibres (Basofil, Kynol, arimid, modacrylics), chemically modified fibres (intumescent systems, FR finishing of cotton, viscose, wool).
Textiles for sportswear: introduction to thermo-physiological comfort. Effect of environment, metabolism and clothing on thermal comfort. Criteria for designing high-performance sportswear: wicking properties and liquid management of fabrics, water vapour permeability, air permeability, thermal resistance. Models for predicting comfort: Fanger model and predictive mean vote. Heat and mass balance across the human body.
Smart textiles: stimuli-responsive polymers for smart textiles, phase-change materials, shape-memory materials. Wearable technologies: electronic textiles, conductive polymers, screen printing technique.
Use of smart and wearable technologies to improve safety and performance at work and during sports activities.

Overview of other applications of technical textiles: transport (automotive, aeronautic and marine applications), building and geotextiles, filtration (dust collection, solid-liquid separation, nanofibers for ultrafine filtration), agriculture and fishing, packaging.

Two visits are foreseen: to a laboratory specialised in flame retardancy tests and to a laboratory specialised in comfort assessment of clothing. One visit in a company for composite manufacturing and protective textiles.

Handbook of technical textiles, edited by A.R.Horrocks and S.C. Anand, Woodhead publishing, 2007
Mc Quaid, Extreme textiles, Designing for high performance, Princeton Architectural Press, 2005
Textile in sports, Woodhead publishing, edited by Shishoo, Woodhead publishing, 2005

Written examination and team-working presentation