Protective textile (protech)

Protective textiles are made from textile-based material to protect the user from various hazard
and critical conditions, which could affect on person life. Mostly used in civil, military,
hospitals and manufacturing industries.
Selection factors for designing
 Clothing configuration of components and options
 Sizes
 Ease of pull on and take off
 Clothing construction
 Space for other selected ensemble equipment
 Comfort and restriction of mobility
 Selection type of protection according to the surrounding.

Fibres used
 Meta-Para aramids for high resistance to tear and tensile strength
 Wool, viscose and polyamide for repellency of molten metal, heat insulation and
transparency.
 Glass fibre for high resistance and insulation.
 Modacrylicfor electric arc flash protection, comfort and flame-resistant. it can also be
used as efficient skin friendly and antistatic fibre.
 Polyamide for extreme resistance and low ageing
 High-performance polyolefin fibre

Types of Protective Textiles

1. Ballistic protection cloth
2. Blunt impact protection cloth
3. Pressure hazard protection cloth
4. Environmental hazard protection
5. Fire hazard protection cloth
6. Chemical and biological hazard protection
7. Electrical hazard protection cloth
8. Industrial gloves
9. High altitude clothing
10. High visibility cloth
11. Flame and fire retardant fabrics for furnishing
 1. Ballistic Protection Garments
 Garments manufactured under this category are under high standards by the different
government authorities on the basis of type and the level of a threat produced by a
projectile.
 Fibres ( aramid and UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene fibers) used
for manufacturing these segment are normally very efficient to protect against penetration
of sharp object. They are able to absorb a high amount of energy due to their high modules;
elasticity; tenacity and low density. Most of the bullet resistant armor uses multiple layers
of woven fabric. A higher number of layers define the degree of protection.
 Hard armor has ceramic or metal plate with polymer backings, which
prevents a body from the force of projectile and brittle fragmentation of
the plate.
 Soft body armor is mainly used for lower ballistic threat or cut resistance
from knives, needles and Sharpe objects. Close weave with film
lamination and abrasive coating are normally used to improve penetration
resistance.
Physical requirements of the fabric
 High durability and dimensional stability
 lightweight and low bulk
 Good handle and drape
 Low noise emission

Properties of Anti Ballistic Fabric

 Strength to weight ratio is more.
 Withstands temperatures upto 450°C to as low as -196°C.
 Self extinguish able.
 5 to 4% elongation.
 Resistant to almost all types of chemicals.
 Negative co-efficient of thermal expansion.
 Abrasion Resistance.
 Poor Cut and Drill.
 Poor Compressive Strength.
 Absorbs Moisture upto 4.3 to 4.5%.
Construction of a anti ballistic protection cloth :

Mechanism of Protection
 The working principles can be broadly divided into two categories
1. absorption of impact energy and
2. redistribution of impact energy.
 A protective material should absorb the energy of a projectile before it completely
penetrates the material. Energy absorption is achieved by stretching, compressing or
destroying the material. In other words, the principle on which body armour operates is
based on the rapid conversion and dispersion of the kinetic energy from a striking bullet
into strain energy within the ballistic body armour.
 The protection provided by body armour is achieved by three different methods namely:
I. The armour decelerates and stops the ballistic projectile by dissipating its
kinetic energy along the plane of the material impacted;
II. The armour completely bounces the projectile, which is very rare; and
III. A possible combination of the above (1) and (2).
 When a bullet strikes a fabric, or a number of layers of fabric, two waves, namely
longitudinal and transverse waves, are propagated from the point of impact on the outer
surface. The longitudinal wave travels in the plane of the fabric and the transverse wave
propagates perpendicular to the fabric.

 The velocities at which the longitudinal and transverse waves are propagated in the
ballistic panel during an impact of a projectile are dependent on the energy absorption
capability of the fabric layers. The major parameters that affect the way in which impact
energy is dissipated are dependent on the tensile strength of the fabrics and yarns, the
fabric structures and the number of layers of fabric. During an impact of a bullet, the fibres
in the fabric absorb and disperse the impact energy, which is transmitted to the armour
from the projectile, causing the bullet to deform. Each successive layer in the vest absorbs
 energy, until the bullet is stopped The energy spreads across the surface of the armour at a
tremendous speed, which can be up to 900 m/s.

3. Blunt Impact Protection Textiles

 Such textiles protect the wearer against injuries produced by blunt impacts.
 For the people involved in corrections and military troops, the protection against blunt
impact threats can be a matter of survival.

 Technical standard for such fabrics are established over the years by government agencies.
A balance is required between protection and functionality to have good flexibility and
mobility for user.
 Good air circulation underneath the PPE suit can protect users against heat stroke or
hyperthermia.
 This includes protection from vehicle accidents, falls, and physical assaults with weapons
like bats and metal bars.
Construction of blunt impact protection cloth

4. Pressure Hazard Protection

 Used for protection against extremely high and low external pressures such as; deep sea
diving, space and fighter aircraft.
 Fully air impermeable suits and can withstand extreme conditions and they have a
dedicated air supply support system.

 Generally, these suits are made using the textile materials such as Nylon tricot knitted
fabric, Spandex, Urethane-coated Nylon, Dacron, Neoprene coated Nylon, Mylar,
Goretex, Kevlar, Nomex.
 5. Environmental Hazard Protection

 Generally used for survival and operation in temperatures below-30 °C. Such garments are
multi-layered and consist of:
 Non-absorbent inner layer
 Middle insulating layer capable of trapping air but permeable to moisture
 An outer layer that is impermeable to wind and water
6. Fire Hazard Protection
 Flame resistance in fabrics are produced using flame resistant materials and fibres such as,
 Nomex
 Polyamide & Polypropylene
 Kevlar
 Carbon
 Glass
 Polyester
 Modacrylic
 Fire Fighter's clothing contains a flame resistant inner layer with moisture and thermal
barrier lining.
 Outer Casing provides flame , thermal and mechanical resistance.
 This layer must be suitable for all climatic conditions. The moisture barrier to keep the
firefighter dry and must prevent water penetration.
 The thermal barrier provides the main protection against heat.
Construction of fire hazard protection cloth :
  Fire fighter suits should be made from three ply fabric. The outer ply fabric should be
flame retardant, middle ply fabric should be vapor barrier and inner ply fabric should
be thermal barrier.
 Outer layer fabric may be made of Aramid fiber, blend of Aramid and novoloid fiber or
FR cotton. As a outer layer fabric all the mentioned three types of fabric becomes
embrittled within 10 seconds in contact to flame but blended fabric of aramid and
novoloid fibers are less brittle in such condition.
 The middle layer fabric protects the user from the vapor and harmful chemicals fume
when engaged in fighting against fire, but later may be sick due to action of self
sweating and vapor .For that reason, European fire fighter suits are made without the
middle layer fabric.
 Three ply woolen fabric may be used. The outer ply fabric may be made of wool serge
which is fine but densely woven. The middle layer fabric is coarse and brushed woolen,
works as heat resistant. The inner layer layer fabric works as lining made of light
weight cotton fabric.
 Fire fighter suit has been tested made from 56 types of fibers for their performance of
fighting against fire. The fabrics are made from cotton, mixture of different cellulosic
fiber, aramid, wool, lather, asbestos, glass, ceramics etc.

7. Chemical and Biological Hazard Protection

 Such protective textiles safeguard the human body from direct contact with hazardous
substances such as bacteria and chemicals.
 These textiles are used in the following instances:
 Emergency chemical and biological hazard response
 Handling of chemical waste
 Acid baths and other treatments in electronics manufacturing
 Equipment leaks or failures
 Handling of liquid chemicals in manufacturing
 Application of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.
 A typical chemical and biological protective textile consist of 3 main components:
 A textile outer layer(woven or non-woven)
 An inner layer of protective material
 Textile liner fabric.
 There are 4 types of protective materials with their different capabilities:
 Air- permeable materials
 Semipermeable materials
 Selectively permeable materials (SPMS) (Protective barrier to chemicals,
allow only moisture from body to flow out)
 Impermeable materials
Structure of Chemical Protective Clothes

 Modern chemical protective Clothes are formed by five layers.

 Outer shell made of polyester as it has low absorption of 2%. It provides good strength to
the fabric and polyester has a good resistance to chemicals.

 Inner layer is made up of cotton fabric as it gives good absorbency and comfort.
 Middle layer comprises of activated carbon sandwiched in cotton nonwoven.

8. Electrical Hazard Protection

 Electrical hazards include:

 Electromagnetic protection
 Electrostatic protection
 Such protective garments shall consist of conductive fibres such as
 carbon fibre,
 synthetic fibres,
 metal fibres with carbon core and
 conductive polymer.
Another method like coating or laminating can be use for manufacturing this kind of fabric.
The fabric with high electrical conductivity materials or application of conductive finish to the
fabric is used.
 9. Industrial gloves

 Industrial hand gloves serve as an item of protective apparel for workers in factories.
 They are classified under Cut-Slash Protection as well as Thermal Protection.
 Gloves are best for protection from rough objects, sparks and heat, and for cushioning
from blows in heavy-duty work requirements.
 Hand gloves are of various types (leather, knitted, nitrile) and sizes (varying gauges).
 The materials that go in the production of hand gloves vary from cotton fabrics and
asbestos to variety of leathers, p-aramid etc. Industrial gloves
 Gloves are widely used in Industry and Defence (Cut-Slash protection).
 The leather, knitted and nitrile gloves are used in industrial applications for protection.
 The rubber/latex gloves are used for surgical purpose.
The typical characteristics of gloves are
 Mild heat resistance
 High abrasion protection
 Better grip with anti slip coating
 Comfortable and durable,
 Protection against cut and hot splash, Industrial gloves
 for gloves made from Aramid (para) –
temperature tolerance ranges from 250 to 750 Centigrade,
 Nitrile gloves
provide chemical splash protection.
 the artificial fibres
used for industrial gloves include: Kevlar (Para-aramid), Spectra, Basofil and
Dyneema.
 10. High altitude clothing

 High altitude clothing are used for protection against extreme weather conditions like
extremely low temperature, high velocity winds, snow fall etc. especially in critical
combat areas like Siachen.
 The clothing at high altitudes needs to meet both functional and comfort properties.
 High altitude clothing is also known as Extreme cold climate clothing (ECC).
 The high altitude clothing consists of jacket, waist coat, trousers, glacier cap, rappelling
gloves and glacier gloves.

11. High visibility clothes

High visibility clothes (also known as Reflective-wear) have become very essential for the
protection of people working in poorly lit environments like mines, highways, airport runways,
cyclist etc. In the dark, the high visibility clothing increases the ability to spot working and
guiding personnel. There are broadly three types of
i. high visibility clothing Reflection materials which shine when struck by light,
ii. Photo luminescent material which give yellow light in dark, Photo
luminescent materials absorb the artificial light and emit green-yellow light in
the darkness.
iii. Fluorescent material which is more visible even during the day
The major market for these products is primarily the Armed Forces and to a lesser extent NBC
Emergency response units (National Disaster Management Authority)/Central Paramilitary
Units/Other Civil Defence units etc.
 12. Flame and fire retardant fabrics for furnishing

 Fire retardant fabrics perform both the task of providing aesthetics to the surroundings and
preventing spread of fire. There are typically two major categories of fire retardant fabrics
which are coated fabric and inherently fire retardant fabric. The fire retardant fabrics are
primarily of two types, 100% cotton fabric with coating of fire retardant chemical,
inherently fire retardant fabric. The cotton fabrics are coated with fire retardant chemical
in a bath which results in a layer of fire retardant getting formed on the cotton surface. The
typical characteristics of the fire retardant fabric are like Very low fume toxicity in fire,
High tear and abrasion resistance, Breathable and comfortable, Anti decay and Anti mould,
Crease resistance, High dimensional stability, No fading and excellent colourtone.