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Applications of Technology
Published in Roger Timings, Basic Manufacturing, 2006
One of the earliest was Mackintosh rubber used for rainwear. It consisted of a cotton or satin fabric coated with latex rubber. Unfortunately it tended to perish and had only a limited life. As well as being impervious to rain, the rubber lining was also impervious to perspiration so, on a hot day, they could become uncomfortable to wear. Nowadays rainwear fabrics make use of synthetic rubbers such as neoprene and coatings in the form of silicone waxes. An interesting fabric that is impervious to rain, yet comfortable to wear and provides heat insulation in cold environments is Gore-tex WindStopper®.
Technical textiles for military applications
Published in The Journal of The Textile Institute, 2020
R. G Revaiah, T. M. Kotresh, Balasubramanian Kandasubramanian
Troupes working in extreme cold weather environment cannot wear multiple layers of clothing to protect themselves, as their movement in a combat situation is restricted. Therefore, an ensemble known as Extreme Cold Weather Clothing (ECWC) has been developed to reduce the cumbersome weight of the older cold weather clothing systems while maintaining required cold protection below –20 °C. This clothing ensemble has distinct layers, each with defined purpose. The outer garment will be generally fleece fabric (such as windstopper®), which provides protection against wind chill. The middle layer provides insulation by trapping air (such as Thinsulate® from 3M, Comfortmax® from DuPont, Hollofil, PolarTec, PolarFleece, and PrimaLoft, etc., and not limited to these companies alone), which provides more protection against cold than the conventional insulating materials. The extremely thin microfibers present in this layer help trap air and reduce radiant heat loss from the wearer. These synthetic insulations are available in various finishes such as plain, inherently flame resistant, water resistant, antimicrobial, etc. The innermost garment should ensure ‘sweat wicking’, to wick the moisture away from the body (which sometimes may form due to enhanced physical work even in such cold environment).