Technical Textiles And Their Applications (2024)

Packaging textiles

Written by: O.L. Shanmugasundaram

Today it's needed to adopt a different approach to textiles;fabrics have to be regarded not only just as a surface, to be interpretedgraphically, but as a material to all intents and purposes, with its ownintrinsic structure and performance. In the sector of technical textiles thereare a large number of niches and products.

Textiles are everywhere in modern society; worn asprotection and self expression on the human body, used as decoration andcomfort elements in homes, offices, hospitals, hotels or public buildings, asinterior components in cars, buses, trains, ships and airplanes, or structuralelements for tents, roofs, bridges, or as reinforcements for roads, and dikesbut also as bags, nets or artificial turf in sports and outdoor activities. Inspite of the fact that normally the textile industry is considered atraditional sector, today it has become one of the main test-beds regardingnew business strategies. The new market standards, achievable with processinnovations, which on one hand reduce costs, whereas on the other hand allowsto distinguish oneself from the other competitors, have become a very importantcompetitive factor. Ever since the mid 80's, the market of textile productsstarted to change radically, and it was divided between: standard productions,identified with a low innovation and technology level, medium to low quality,weak customer service - complex productions identified with a high productinnovation level, with the use of state-of-the art process technologies and productresearch, a strong aesthetic element, as well as certain and high qualitylevels, quick timing addressing requirements, production flexibility andcustomer service. As well as the above, currently there is a new phase in thetextile field in which new materials allow to make dynamic and interactiveproducts, able to offer protection, comfort and performance. The textilematerials are therefore becoming the basis for a completely new range of newapplications.

Innovative and Technical Textiles: A Sector of Niches withHigh Added Value

Today it's needed to adopt a different approach to textiles;fabrics have to be regarded not only just as a surface, to be interpretedgraphically, but as a material to all intents and purposes, with its ownintrinsic structure and performance. In the sector of technical textiles thereare a large number of niches and products, often highly technological and wherethe end user requires specific requirements, and for which the cost is nolonger the only parameter taken into consideration. Regarding innovativetextiles the market is growing rapidly and many developments of new productsand applications are underway. The technological evolution which transversallyintegrates human science, materials and information technology, does allow to foreseepositive perspectives in the approach towards development of new products andapplications.

The general trend is therefore towards high tech, highperformance fabrics designed not just to look attractive, but to offer asignificant added value in terms of functionality.

Application Field of Technical Textiles

In the field of specialized applications, the technological assets are those that provide the highest performance and comfort standards, and ensure a better quality of life. Already there are fabrics capable of reducing risks (e.g. antibacterial, mite-proof, insect proof, odorless, flame retardant, soil-resistant, anti-UV and anti-electromagnetic radiation, etc.). Other fabrics function actively (e.g. heat-regulating, with new visual features, or providing cosmetic-medical effects, and so forth).

Home Textiles

Traditionally textiles have been an important part of theinterior of human habitations, as well as human transportation systems such ascars, buses, passenger trains, cruise ships or airplanes. In that respecttextile served three basic purposes:

• Decoration (carpets, wall coverings, curtains & drapes, table cloths, etc.)
• Comfort (Upholstery, seat covers, mattresses, bed sheets, blankets, carpets etc)
• Safety (Safety belts and nets, airbags)

While the basic functions remain unchanged, increased userand regulatory requirements for textile interiors have already made suchproducts more complex, multifunctional or even "intelligent".

Textile Structures for building

Textiles have in the past been predominantly confined to theinterior decoration; they are now increasingly becoming part of theseconstructions themselves. Thanks to better performance characteristics in termsof their strength-weight ratio, durability, flexibility, insulating andabsorption properties, and fire and heat resistance, they are in a position toreplace more traditional construction materials such as steel and other metals,wood and plastics. Examples of such innovative uses of textiles include:

• Textile-reinforced concrete
• Fibre- and textile-based bridging cables and elements
• Erosion and landslide protection systems
• Textile reinforcement of dykes and other water management systems
• Fibre-based light, flexible and durable piping and canalization

Clothing

The skin is the principal element that separates andprotects the human body from the environment around it. It is also acts as amajor exchange system of energy (e.g. heat) and matter (fluids and gases suchas water, oxygen etc.) between body and environment. Clothing as an artificialsecond skin has always been used by humans to enhance the protective functionof their own skin. However such additional protection often has a negativeeffect upon the exchange functionality of the human skin, in certain cases veryseverely like in the case of full body armour, fire-fighters, uniforms ordiving suits. Functional and smart or intelligent clothing are the innovativeresponse to such limitations. Functional clothing refers to products in whichone or several specific functionalities are emphasised like strong insulation,water or fire resistance, breathability, wear resistance etc. Smart clothingtakes (multi)functionality one step further as it refers to products that canoffer their functions in a more adaptive way in response to stimuli from theenvironment or the wearer. Smart garments can for instance:

• adapt their insulation function according to temperature
• changes,
• detect vital signals of the wearer's body
• change colour or emit light upon defined stimuli
• generate or accumulate electric energy to power medical and other electronic devices

Protection

The term 'protective clothing' covers garments andaccessories intended to protect people against the elements, dangerous orhazardous materials, processes or events during the course of their work orduring leisure activities. It also encompasses garments intended to protectproducts, the workplace or environment against people (as for clean roomgarments), Demand for protective clothing is affected not only by increased levelsof industrialization but also by an increased awareness of, Health & Safetyand hygiene legislation. The rising trend in violent crime, combined withincreased military operations, have led to increases in public spending aimedat reducing injuries to police, civil defence, and the military.

The main end use segments include

Particulate protection (clean room)

Chemical protection

Flame retardant

Cut resistant

Outdoor protection, hi-visibility

Manufacturers of protective clothing are also realizing theneed to supply workers with comfortable garments. In fact although guaranteedhigh levels of performance wiII remain critical for protective garments,increased emphasis is being placed on wearer comfort, and design aesthetics.

Sport

Increasing worldwide interest and participation in activesports and outdoor leisure pursuits have resulted in strong historical growthin the consumption of textile materials in sporting and related goods andequipment.

The continuing pursuit of even higher standards of end-usersafety and performance is now stimulating the use of higher priced, brandedspeciality fibres and other materials, Applications of textiles for sport andleisure are extremely diverse, ranging from sportswear to boat covers, tents orhigh performance composite

Medical Textiles

Textile products are omnipresent in the field of humanhygiene and medical practice. Their use is based on a number of typical basictextile properties like softness and lightness, flexibility, absorption,filtering etc. Traditional applications include wound care products, diapers,braces, protheses and orthoses, wipes, breathing masks, bedding and covers,ropes and belts etc.

Innovative textile products can both add significantly toeffectiveness of medical treatments as well as patient comfort At the sametime, new medical textiles, may contribute to cost containment. Such innovativeproducts:

• Provide new treatment options (textile based implants instead of scarce donor organs; artificial tissues, joints and ligaments),
• Speed up recovery after medical treatment (innovative wound dressings; light, Breathable orthoses/ protheses)
• Enhance quality of life of chronically ill people (functional clothing)

Textiles for Transports

The idea of using textiles to transport humans or goods isnot recent. Textile ropes and sails have been instrumental in powering shipssince the early days of human civilization and the birth of human aviation inthe form of balloons, zeppelins and early airplane prototypes is equally textilelinked.

The modern concept of mobility enabling textiles come in theform of:

• performance fibre-based textiles used in balloons, parachutes, sails, nets and ropes;
• aircraft wing and body structures or boat rumps made of fibre and textile-based composites;
• inflatable components of satellites or other spacecraft;
• flexible reservoirs, containers or bags used for transportation of gases, liquids and bulk goods by road, rail, water or air.
• composites are underway or expected in the near future across all transportation system fields.

Industrial Textiles

Technical textiles keep the wheels of industry turning inmany different ways, separating and purifying industrial products, cleaninggases and effluents, transporting materials between processes, carrying themthrough and turning machines, absorbing dirt and oil, and acting as substratesfor abrasive sheets and other coated products. Industry is an extremely diverseapplication sector in terms of products, functions and enduses ranging fromlightweight nonwoven filters, knitted nets and brushes to heavyweight coatedconveyor belting.

Filtration and cleaning products are the most importantproduct segments;

Agrotextiles

Applications for technical textiles in agriculture includeall activities concerned with the growing and harvesting of crops and animals.The principal function of most agricultural textiles relates to the protectionof either food produce, animals or land. Enduses range from crop production,through forestry and horticulture, to animal and poultry rearing and fishing.The fishing segment is a large consumer of textile materials. Fishing methodsare becoming more industrialized, replacing older small net and line fishingtechniques.

Geotextiles

Geotextiles are defined as all woven, nonwoven and knittedtextile materials used mainly by the civil engineering industry to provide arange of functions such as support, drainage and separation at or below groundlevel. Geotextiles are used in a wide range of applications including the constructionof buildings, bridges, dams, roads, railways and paths as well as embankments,cuttings, dykes and sub-sea coastal engineering projects.

These are now being increasingly widely used for wastecontainment in hazardous waste tips as well as for industrial and municipaleffluent treatment facilities.

Conclusion

At present some 60% of all the textile products made worldwide employ fibers that were not yet being marketed just fifty-sixty years ago,and there are estimates that 30% of the products sold fifty years tram now havenot even been invented yet. The fabrics of the future will be entirely re-conceptualized;researchers all over the world have been quizzed about the products that willbe appearing on the market aver the coming decades, and their belief is thatthere will be materials capable of repairing themselves when damaged, fabricswith built-in digital devices, smart textiles with nano materials and much,much more. With textiles it will be possible offer innovative solutions for globalproblems, such as pollution, health issues, transports, protection,communication, and so on.

About the Author

The authoris Lecturer in Department of Textile Technology at KSR College of Technology,Tiruchengode, Tamilnadu.

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