IFR Stage Curtain Factory

Researchers IFR Stage Curtain Factory A&M University, College Station, Texas, are developing eco-friendly intumescent and clay-based nanocoatings that may one day be used to provide flame resistance (FR) to cotton garments and other textiles and polyurethane foam. The coatings, made using chitosan and other renewable materials, have potential applications in such areas as childrenswear, military and protective apparel, mattresses and home furnishings, and aircraft components.Jaime C. Grunlan, Ph.D., an associate professor in Texas A&M’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and director of the research

, had been working on a layer-by-layer assembly technique using a water-based solution to create clay-based nanobrick coatings for gas barrier films and got the idea to use them in FR applications, first trying them on foam. With input from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is partially funding the research, it was found thatthe coated foam didn’t break down, and the weight gain from the coating was less than is typical with other FR coatings.

The coating penetrates the foam, significantly diminishing off gassing and reducing the heat release rate by half. “The outer surface chars, but the inside is undamaged,” Grunlan said.Scanning electron micrographs show the intumescent coating on uncharred fabric (top) andswollen protective foam created on the charred portion (bottom).Meanwhile, Grunlan had been observing intumescent, foamy coatings on steel structural supports. “The coating, which contains phosphorus and nitrogen polymers, swells through the foaming process,” he explained. “The phosphorus attacks the nitrogen, which offgasses

, creating bubbles that provide a thermal shield around the object.”He decided to try a similar coating on cotton. “It totally worked,” he said. Only the surface in direct contact with flame was charred, and the swollen coating protected the fabric structure.To make a biodegradable coating, Grunlan and his research team, including Galina Laufer, Ph.D., replaced man-made polymers with chitosan to provide the nitrogen component and phytic acid to provide the phosphorus. The water-based coating can be crosslinked to improve wash durability, Grunlan said, pointing out that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found that the FR performance is unchanged after 10 washes conducted using an ASTM test method. “I’m very confidentwe can show the same performance after 20 to 30 washes,”

Megosztás a facebookon

IFR stage curtain

 France, was recognized for its Everest Summit Gore-Tex® mountaineering boots.“Our operation is completely global and seamless, and our facility in South Korea is tied into all the discussions,” Klein said.Several apparel and footwear brands have introduced products featuring Aerotherm aerogel insulation; and two of those products received awards at the winter 2013 edition of ISPO Munich, a trade show targeted to the outdoor, ski, action and performance sports sectors. The material by itself is dusty and tacky-feeling, and the encapsulation makes it easier to handle than the raw material and more suitable for incorporation into apparel and footwear. “

That’s what a lot of brands are looking for, in boots as well as garments. The nanoporous materials comprise an amorphous silica gel impregnated into a nonwoven flexible substrate.By Janet Bealer Rodie, Contributing EditorAerogels, developed in the 1930s and first used as insulating materials in industrial and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) applications, now are finding their way into outdoor apparel

, footwear and other outdoor gear.-based Aspen Aerogels using a polyester nonwoven substrate and supplied in rolls to # Aerotherm’s manufacturing facility in SouthKorea, where it is slit, cut into specific pattern panels according to application and encapsulated in a polyurethane membrane. In testing, they have been shown to exhibit the lowest thermal conductivity compared to foams,

fiberglass and IFR stage curtain insulation; and the highest Clo-value per inch compared to polyester down and batting.Aerotherm aerogel insulation panels encapsulated in a polyurethane membrane arecustom-manufactured according to product specifications.S

Megosztás a facebookon