The influence of textiles on Corona discharge created around a human fingertip

A corona discharge is a visible, electrical discharge observed in gases, which occurs on the surface of charged conductors. In our research, the discharges were generated around human fingertips and recorded in the form of films during the test while a number of people were in contact with different textiles for a short period. The aim of our experiments was the estimation of the possibility of using corona-discharge-films (CDF) for the investigation of the impact of textiles on the CDF of human fingertips. This article describes the investigation, aimed at determining if a test-person short period of contact with textiles, such as knitted acrylic, wool and viscose fabrics, influences the corona discharge of the test-person. The research results confirmed these assumptions

Knitted architecture and wind: Designing loosely fitted architectural textiles for interaction with wind

Utilising the textile’s ability to adapt to external forces such as the wind could lead to the creation of new design expressions and functional features within architecture. Prompted by architectural potentials of textiles deliberately designed to move and flex, this thesis aims to explore and demonstrate how such knitted textiles could contribute to enriched aesthetic expression and improved performance of\ua0architectural elements placed in windy environments. A key part of the research is the interaction of textile and wind, viewing it as a source of energy or force that could be used, diffused, or directed - to enrich and create a more comfortable urban environment. As such, this work is positioned at the intersection of three knowledge areas: architectural design, knitted textile design, and wind engineering. A research by design approach is used to conduct quantitative and qualitative investigations with design prototypes as main vehicles of inquiry. Specifically, a hybrid method of design-based research is applied, involving artistic making and qualitative evaluations of the design prototypes as well as scientific methods featuring quantitative textile performance measurements. Both physical and digital prototypes are utilised to probe the geometric expressions of knitted textiles and investigate the performative features of different knitted textile designs in relation to their wind reduction capacity. The main finding from the quantitative part of the study, encompassing wind tunnel experiments, is that loosely fitted knitted structures efficiently reduce wind velocities and high-energy eddies. Along with this, the qualitative investigations, involving a series of diversely designed knitted architectural prototypes, show that knitted textiles can be applied to design three-dimensional architectural structures that are aesthetically diverse and have a dynamic, ever-changing expression. Finally, the developed framework for designing loosely fitted textiles for interaction with wind seeks to provide architects with guidance concerning important aspects of such design, including the workflows, tools, and evaluation methods

Textile architecture informed by wind

Textiles in architecture is a field of great potential, which are worth to explore further. This thesis aims to show that the flexibility of the textile material could be better included in the architectural design, allowing it to adapt to forces, such as the wind, and viewing motion as a positive design feature. The main methods for this were a literature study and design investigations, using physical as well as digital prototypes, with extra focus on the material flexibility and knitted textiles. The field textile architecture informed by wind is defined through three main components: the textile material, the lightweight structure, and the wind. Textiles are, here, seen as a material with structural and aesthetical flexibility and diversity that can adapt to as well as carry applied loads. Lightweight structures are concepts for material efficiency and structural elegance. And, wind informed architecture is the concept of including the phenomena of wind in the architectural design, as a free source of energy or force that could be used, absorbed, or directed to create beauty and to form a more comfortable environment. The core of the thesis lies in the overlap of these three components. Results from this thesis indicate, firstly, that the field of textile architecture informed by wind is relatively uncharted territory. Knowledge and inspiration can, however, be found outside the field of architecture, such as performing arts, art installations, sailing, and fashion. Secondly, opportunities for supporting the, often complicated, design process of textile architecture are demonstrated through the use of a combination of digital models and physical prototypes, in the presented examples

Characterization and analysis of filled knitted fabric formworks for advanced manufacturing of composite structures

An alternative construction methodology has been raising interest, consisting of employing fabrics as formworks. The implementation of flexible formworks allows the production of highly optimized organic structures, avoiding the use of unnecessary materials and consequently reducing construction loads, costs and waste. This study aims to integrate the experimental characterization of the mechanical behaviour of the knitted textiles used as formworks, the mechanical and deformational behaviour of the formworks while being filled with fresh mortar, and the numerical simulation of the multi-step process leading to the final structure. The integration of these different processes is essential for a sound design of this composite system as a construction strategy. To this end, this investigation identified several aspects, related to either experimental or computational mechanics that are relevant to the topic and should be further investigated, with the aim of a future integrated material and structural design approach.ERDF -European Regional Development Fund(undefined

Employing visualisation techniques and tools for educational purposes in textile studies

Modern textile and clothing manufacturers can today use the entire range of conventional CAD/CAM systems together with new computer graphics and Internet-based technologies in order to strengthen their position on the market, building a completely new electronic-business offer. Graphical presentation of textile products and processing, or visualisation, presents a promising technology that can be treated as a potential enrichment of conventional computer aided technologies used today by the majority of advanced producers of textile fabrics, clothing, and other textile products. The article presents the results of research on designing computer software for visualising the fabric dyeing process. The program package produced enables the effective visualisation of two fabric dyeing processes: a Pad-Batch machine line for dyeing flat textiles in open-width state, and an HT overflow dyeing machine for fabric dyeing in rope form. Graphical applications of both dyeing processes can be used for both industrial and educational purposes. In this article, we focus more on presenting the program structure and functionalities for using the software to support the education of textile students

STEM Approach in Assessment of Microplastic Particles in Textile Wastewater

Multidisciplinary engineering approach as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) approach to characterize microplastic particles in household and industrial effluents was performed. Particles released during production, use, and disposal of plastic products now pose a significant burden on the environment. In addition to the consumption of energy, water and chemicals, the impact of the washing process is increasingly reflected in the environmental impact of microplastic particles shed from textiles. This review addresses the influences of chemistry through detergent composition, technology through the washing process, engineering aspect through hydrodynamic effects and transport phenomena, and finally the application of advanced mathematical analysis. The multivariate analysis is a selected method or proof of concept for the characterization of the washing effluents considering the particle release. The results of the cluster analysis show the importance of the temperature of 40 °C and 80 °C, the increase of the number of washing cycles and the addition of detergent as key parameters for the release of MP particles

Development of Sol-Gel technology for textile surface coating to achieve self-cleaning and antibacterial properties

With advancements in technology and its influence on most industries, the textile industry continues to pursue innovative techniques to create and meet the growing demand for technical textiles. Self-cleaning textiles have become popular due to promising positive impacts on not just the textile industry, but also on global efforts to improve industrial waste and its impact on the environment. Polyfluorinated chemicals are widely known to provide excellent self-cleaning properties to achieve water and oil repellence, mirroring that of the botanical lotus leaf. Due to their toxic effects on consumers and the environment, research focus, in the pursuit to achieve technical textiles, has been to replace these toxic polyfluorinated chemicals with alternative substances capable of achieve functional properties that these fluorinated substances provide. Various technologies utilised to impart functional properties that include the sol-gel technology, have gained popularity in recent years due to its simpler and cost-effective processes. This sol-gel technology utilises silane precursors, modified easily to incorporate various additives that are applied onto textiles through hydrolysis and condensation reactions, in the presence of a catalyst, to produce an extensive functionalised nanoparticle network on the textile surface. Alkoxysilanes and quaternary ammonium compounds modified with long carbon chains were used to develop a sol solution that could be applied onto 100% knitted cotton fabric. To involve the fabric in the building of the sol-gel network, 100% treated cotton was agitated in sol solution for 4 hours at 40°C. The soft feel of the cotton fabric was retained when treated cotton fabrics were padded at high pad pressure. This treatment method resulted in treated cotton fabric demonstrating hydrophobicity with water contact angles of 142° and roll-off angles of 16° for self-cleaning properties. The 3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyloctadecyldimethylammonium chloride silane provided an antibacterial activity of log reduction in CFU/mL of 3 against S.aureus and was seen to influence the hydrophobic property. Prolonged contact between fabric and sol demonstrated better durability of properties for sol-gel treated cotton fabric when tested for its durability to washing. Though acidic medium reduced resistance to abrasion, XIX cotton samples treated in acidic conditions with varying silane content regained abrasion resistance and demonstrated an improvement in burst strength. SEM-EDX and ATR / FT-IR analyses were able to illustrate the presence of sol-gel coating and the siloxane bonding on the treated cotton surface, respectively.SAFEPROTE