Comparison between french and portuguese sensory evaluation applied on wool light fabrics

In the frame of bilateral collaboration, the same samples made of wool and dedicated to men suits (light fabrics) have been tested through sensory evaluation panel that has been developed in France (Mulhouse) and Portugal (Guimarães). In this paper, the obtained results have been analyzed, discussed, simulated and differences obtained have been statistically analyzed. It is appeared that for some samples the two panels have highlighted the same marking or the same trends and for others the evaluations have been really different. An analysis, attribute per attribute, have been carried out and it has been shown that some attributes have not been evaluated in the same manner depending on the nationality of the panelists.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

The Influence of the Sterilisation Process on certain Thermal Properties

Surgical clothing and sheets have to meet all the requirements set in the healthcare industry regarding body comfort, absorption capacity and general recognition of physiological safety and sterilisation capacity. The disposable surgical gown market is growing and demand will increase in all product groups and market sectors, where the healthcare industry is the most dynamic growth area. The aim of this study was to analyse some of the thermal properties of disposable surgical gowns before and after different sterilisation methods and therefore the influence of the sterilisation process on their thermal comfort

Non-tissés de nanofibres de PA-6 en structure multicouches obtenus par electrofilage

Les non-tissés de nanofibres ont un intérêt majeur pour un grand nombre d'applications. Un grand nombre d'études en explorent les caractéristiques morphologiques. Ce travail fait suite aux travaux précédents portant sur la caractérisation mécanique des non-tissés de PA-6. L'objet de cette étude est l'observation morphologique des faciès de rupture des non-tissés, suite aux tests de traction et en fatigue. Cette investigation révèle une structure originale formée en multicouches jusqu'ici non observée

Nonwovens markets

French and Portuguese universities have been involved in an extensive study within these two countries relating a survey of the use of surgical clothing in the hospitals. National enquiries have been carried out about the use of disposable versus reusable products and concluded that private hospitals use more disposable independently of the ratio price/quality. Some results of the survey will be presented and the analysis show that a significant agreement of the consumption of these products exist in both countries

Adaptive bra designs for the individuals with special needs

Nowadays the numbers of disabled and elderly people is increasing, and the development of adaptive clothing for these people is in demand. The purpose of this study is to add features in bra design, to make it "Easy on, Easy off", to encourage the hemiplegic females to begin to dress themselves and to make dressing easier and more protective for them. This adaptive bra design will offer benefits to the wearer that include independence, conformity to culture, concealment of the disability, comfort, psychological contentment, safety, and durability. Our adaptive bra will promote harmony between functionality and aesthetics. Our e-bra enables continuous, real-time monitoring to identify any pathophysiological changes by monitoring blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory rate, oxygen consumption, some neural activity

Characterization of Fabric-to-Fabric Friction: Application to Medical Compression Bandages

Fabric-to-fabric friction is involved in the action mechanism of medical compression devices such as compression bandages or lumbar belts. To better understand the action of such devices, it is essential to characterize, in their use conditions (mainly pressure and stretch), the frictional properties of the fabrics they are composed of. A characterization method of fabric-to-fabric friction was developed. This method was based on the customization of the fourth instrument of the Kawabata Evaluation System, initially designed for fabric roughness and friction characterization. A friction contactor was developed so that the stretch of the fabric and the applied load can vary to replicate the use conditions. This methodology was implemented to measure the friction coefficient of several medical compression bandages. In the ranges of pressure and bandage stretch investigated in the study, bandage-to-bandage friction coefficient showed very little variation. This simple and reliable method, which was tested for commercially available medical compression bandages, could be used for other medical compression fabrics