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HIGH PERFORMANCE TEXTILES

Conference Paper · September 2012

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 Proceedings of the 6th International Mechanical Engineering Conference &
14th Annual Paper Meet (6IMEC&14APM) 28-29 September 2012, Dhaka, Bangladesh

IMEC&APM-IE-22

HIGH PERFORMANCE TEXTILES

Dr. Engr. Md. Humaun Kabir1, Md. Kamrul Hasan2 and S. M. Farhana Iqbal3
1
Principal, National Institute of Textile Training Research and Design,
2
Lecturer, National Institute of Textile Training Research and Design.
3
Lecturer, Bangladesh University of Textiles

ABSTRACT
Textiles are no longer just the stuff of clothing, carpets and furniture covering. Made of high-tech threads,
they can also be found in lifesaving medical devices, construction – building and roofing, the bodies of
racing cars, aerospace; and many so on. Materiality is at the heart of contemporary design, but textiles are
frequently overlooked as high-performing materials with varied structural capabilities. Attempts are made
in this article to have a tour towards textile innovations in terms of their high-performance characteristics:
Stronger, Lighter, Faster, Smarter, and Safer. The paper also highlights the most current advancements in
textile design and engineering from structural support for buildings to bio-implantable materials for
surgery.

Keywords: Medical Textiles, Construction-Building and Roofing, High Performance Characteristics.

1. INTRODUCTION revolutionary engineered textiles [1].

In the last fifty years, new fibers, such as aramid and
carbon fibers, have caused engineers and designers to
re-examine the structural capabilities of traditional
textile structures like weaving, knitting, braiding and
embroidery. This paper will explore the history and
development of these innovative fibers and structures,
some based on ancient techniques, some inspired by
nature, many unimaginable a century ago. Each
combines the lightweight, flexible qualities of textiles
with outstanding performance characteristics and
represents the most dynamic and vital examples of
contemporary design.
2. “EXTREME TEXTILES” COME OF AGE
2.1 Medical Textiles
A brief journey inside the body will look at textiles as
they are used to replace or enhance human tissue. Knitted
and woven polyester tubes have been used since the
1950s to replace human arteries in bypass surgeries. A
simple nylon sock can be used to prevent enlargement of
the heart in patients with congestive heart failure. The
flexibility of machine embroidery may allow customized
replacement ligaments to be produced in a matter of
minutes. Fibrous breast implants are being suggested as
a safe replacement for silicone in reconstructive surgery.
Currently, there is intense interest in the study of
nanotechnology, which may provide the solution for
tissue engineering. The process of electrospinning will
be elucidated, with its vast potential for serious
advancements in the creation of living, responsive tissue
[3]
.

Fig 1: Polymer Skin Fig 2: Arterial graft, Boston Scientific Inc. [3]
A process called electrospinning produces one of the

© IMEC & APM 2012 IE-22

Table 1: Extracorporeal devices [2] heparin to prevent blood clot formation and an outer
biocompatible layer of collagen with the tube itself
Product Fibre type Function
providing strength [2-5].
application
Artificial kidney Hollow viscose, Remove 2.2 Fireproof Clothing
[8]
hollow polyester waste In the late 1950s, chemist Carl Marvel was studying
products high-temperature stable polymers for the U.S. Air Force
from patients when he first synthesized Polybenzimidazole (PBI), a
blood synthetic fiber with an exceptionally high melting point.
Artificial liver Hollow viscose Separate and PBI's outstanding thermal and chemical stability meant
dispose that it did not readily catch fire, unlike many other fiber
patients materials. In 1963, NASA and the Air Force Materials
plasma, and Laboratory sponsored a number of studies on PBI, as
supply fresh they recognized the potential applications in the
plasma aerospace and defense industries.
Mechanical lung Hollow Remove NASA contracted with Celanese Corp., a producer of
polypropylene, carbon chemicals and advanced materials founded in New York,
hollow silicone, dioxide from to develop a line of heat- and flame-resistant PBI textiles
silicone membrane patients that could be used in space suits and vehicles. The stiff
blood and fibers had virtually no melting point, and could retain
supply fresh both strength and flexibility after exposure to flame. The
blood fabric was also resistant to mildew, abrasions and
chemicals.
During the 1970s and 1980s, PBI was instrumental to
NASA's spaceflight program, and the material was used
extensively on Apollo, Skylab and numerous space
shuttle missions. PBI fibers were used in astronaut flight
suits, clothing and other gear that required extreme
thermal tolerance and durability.
In 1977, Carl Marvel was awarded the National
Medal of Science by President Ronald Reagan. In 1978,
the textile was incorporated into fire service in the U.S.,
and in 1983, PBI fibers were made commercially
available.
PBI fabrics have since found countless military and
civilian uses: lightweight, flame-resistant PBI fabrics
provide protection for firefighters and U.S. Army troops
in Afghanistan and Iraq. PBI fibers were also introduced
for use in automotive braking systems and provide a
fire-blocking layer in aircraft seats.
The fire retardant material is still widely used in the
aerospace industry, but PBI is also finding uses in new
fields that demand stability at high temperatures.
Interestingly, the polymer that made its debut in space
during the Apollo program was under consideration for
use as insulation material in the motors of the Ares I and
Ares V rockets.

3. HIGH-PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS
Textiles can be assessed in terms of their
high-performance characteristics: Stronger, Lighter,
Faster, Smarter, and Safer.

Fig 3: Vascular prosthesis [2]
Artificial heart valves, which are caged ball valves
with metal struts, are covered with polyester (e.g.
Dacron) fabrics in order to provide a means of suturing
the valve to the surrounding tissue [2-4].
Artificial blood vessels with an inner diameter of
1.5mm have been developed using porous PTFE tubes.
The tube consists of an inner layer of collagen and
3.1 Stronger
Incredible strength is one surprising advantage of the
new textile fibers. A flexible, soft polyester sling can do
the lifting of a steel chain five times its weight. Airbags
can be slipped deflated under collapsed structures, then
inflated to lift hundreds of tons. Inflatable braided Air
beams serve as structural support for temporary shelters
such as airplane hangars and field hospitals [3].

© IMEC &APM 2012 IE-22

 Fig 5: Carbon Tower: Testa Architects/Design [3]

Fig 4: Air beam inflatable support beam, US Army and

Vertigo Inc. [3]

3.2 Lighter
The quality of lightness is always a focus of design for
space and aeronautics, where the cost of transporting
materials is extraordinarily high. From the Wright
Brothers’ 1902 glider to the next generation of Mars
rovers—large inflatable balls called Tumbleweeds—will
present solutions to the problem of flight, and the
numerous ways those solutions have been adapted for
other purposes. Deployable, rigidizable trusses for space
arrays will be compared with a carbon-fiber pedestrian
bridge added to an existing bridge that could not support Fig 6: Carbon Tower: Testa Architects/Design [3]
the weight of a traditional cement structure. Peter Testa’s
Carbon Fiber Tower project looks at the possibility of a Carbon Tower: Peter Testa, an architect in Santa
future architecture that is entirely textile and can be Monica, Calif., has designed a 40-story skyscraper that
fabricated on-site. A textile concrete reinforcement is would do away with steel for the structure. Instead, Mr.
suggested by the Universitat Kaiserlautern as a
Testa's "woven building," shown in a model above,
lightweight replacement for steel reinforcements in
traditional concrete architecture [3]. would be held up by a crosshatched lattice made of
carbon fiber, which is several times stronger than steel.
The main goal of the U.S. Army’s Objective Force The building's interior would be completely open except
Warrior Program is to reduce the soldier’s load from for the elevator shafts [1].
over 100 to fewer than 40 pounds, which has led to
unique collaborations with an eclectic group of 3.3 Faster
non-military designers, who proposed everything Textile foundations impart a high performance edge
from integrated antennas to nanofiber membranes to to all types of sporting equipment: sailboats, racing
protect against biochemical hazards [3]. sculls, skis, skates, surfboards and bicycles have all
benefited from the combination of strength, rigidity and
light weight attained in carbon fiber composites. Figure
shows a small high-performance racing sailboat which is

© IMEC &APM 2012 IE-22

almost entirely textile, from its carbon-fiber hull and
braided mast to its composite sail with unique fiber
placement. Sailing has been closely linked to cloth from
its beginnings, and sailboat designers have proved real
leaders in the development of textile-based composites.
Faster may also be interpreted as rapid deployment, as in
the case of refugee shelters or oil-spill containment
booms, which can be easily stored and quickly
transported in emergency situations [3].
Fig 7: A high performance racing sailboat
3.4 Smarter
Because of the intimate contact of people with textiles
in their apparel and in their home environments, textiles
seem to be the natural choice for seamlessly integrated
computing and telecommunications technologies.
Imagine a mug or plate or desk with built-in memory.
Everything you touch and interact with could be smart.
Curtains could remember if you like them being up or
down. A chair could learn from the backsides of its
occupants and rejig its shape, depending on weight and
distribution… Smart textiles include carpeting with
sensors, which could form the foundation of any sort of
smart home or responsive home environment [3].
Fig 8: Memory-storing e-textiles
© IMEC &APM 2012
NASA develops memory-storing e-textile material [6].
Two NASA nanotechnologists from the Ames Research
Center in California have devised a method of weaving
non-volatile computer memory into garments of
clothing, or “e-textiles”. The capacity of an e-garment
could be measured in gigabytes or terabytes. In terms of
performance and volatility, NASA’s copper oxide-based
memory is surprisingly tenacious: this early prototype
should be able to store data for over 115 days (and the
bits can always be refreshed before they die!) — and data
can be read and written with a 60 microsecond (60
millionths of a second) pulse. From a tailoring
perspective, in case you were wondering, the “weave” of
the wires make this memory an ideal base for other
threads, such as cotton or synthetics — and it also makes
the memory flexible, a key point when discussing smart
fabrics and wearable electronics [6].
Fig 9: Memory-storing e-textiles
The concept of "smart" clothing, carpeting or wall
covering is nearing practicality. Infineon Technologies
AG, a German chipmaker, has made a snowboarding
jacket that plays MP3's and a carpet that can report the
footsteps of an intruder or the heat of a fire. ILC Dover
Inc. of Frederica, Del., has developed technology for
NASA that allows the outside of a spacesuit to act like a
mouse pad for controlling computer functions. The
electrical signals flow along metal-containing polymers
in the suit's fabric, not metal wires [1].
3.5 Safer
In the area of protective apparel, textiles have been
used against a startling array of hazards. Unique
combinations of high performance fibers and structures
make them cut, abrasion, or puncture-resistant,
bullet-proof, protective against extreme cold and heat,
chemical or biological hazards, radiation, or high
voltages. Alternately, shielding fabrics provide
protection for sensitive equipment from electromagnetic
smog. The combination of textiles used in the Mars
landing airbag provided protection from both mechanical
and electrical damage for Pathfinder [3].
IE-22
 Outlast Technologies Inc. incorporates
microencapsulated phase change materials (mPCMs)
into all of its products, including automobile seat covers,
bedding products, and a full line of apparel for both
ordinary and extreme conditions. These mPCMs provide
greater comfort by trapping and then releasing stored
heat as needed [7].

4. CONCLUSION
This paper reveals the extraordinary innovations in
textiles designed and engineered for ultimate
performances in extreme circumstances. Technical
Textiles are fundamental yet often disguised components
in the environment around us: our landscape, our
buildings, our vehicles, as well as in our bodies. Focusing
on dozens of realized products or projects, this paper
unveils the unexpected and remarkable achievements of
textiles in a wide range of areas including architecture,
product design, apparel, medicine, transportation,
industry, and the environment.

Fig 10: Mars Lander Airbag, NASA and ILC Dover [3] REFERENCES

1. Chang, Kenneth, April 12, 2005, “'Extreme Textiles'

Phase Change Fabrics Control Temperature. Phase
Come of Age”. New York : New York Times.
change materials (PCMs) control temperature swings in
textiles using passive control strategies. These PCMs
2. Anand, S. C. and Horrocks, A. R. [ed.], 2000,
change state at different temperatures, such as when wax
melts and reforms as it heats up and cools off [7]. Handbook of Technical Textiles. Cambridge :
Woodhead Publishing Limited,.

3. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum,

Smithsonian Institution, “Extreme Textiles: Designing
for High Performance”, April 8, 2005 – January 15,
2006.

4. Hoffman, A. S., Fibre Science, [ed.] M Lewin.

Applied Polymer Symposium 31. New York : John
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5. Hongu T., and Phillips G. O., New Fibres. Uk : Ellis

Horwood, 1990, p. 125.

6. Anthony, Sebastian, September 27, 2011 at 09:04 am,

“Wearable electronics: NASA develops memory-storing
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http://www.extremetech.com/computing/97387-wearabl
e-electronics-nasa-develops-memory-storing-e-textile-m
aterial#disqus_thread.

7. www.nasa.gov.

8. Denise Chow, Date: 24 January 2011 Time: 01:49 PM

ET, “Everyday Tech from Space: Out of NASA Tragedy,
Better Fireproof Clothes”, s.l. : www. SPACE.com,

Figure 11 Products of Outlast Technologies Inc. with

mPCMs [7]

© IMEC &APM 2012 IE-22

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