Functional clothing

Barker, R.L., 2008. Multilevel approach to evaluating the comfort of functional clothing. J. Fiber Bioeng. Inf. 1 (3), 173-176. 

Waterproof fabric, which is laminated or coated with micro-porous or hydrophilic films, is frequently used in the design of functional clothing for the weather of low temperature, wind, rain, and even more extreme situations. With waterproof fabric, the elothing can effectively protect the body from the wind and water as well as reduce the heat loss from the body to the environment. These functions of waterproof fabric, scientifically, are achieved by signifieantly affecting the processes of heat and moisture transfer through the textile products. 

In membranes with pore sizes of >2nm, the separation is based on size exclusion, and thus, these membranes are suited for separation of components with sufficient size difference, for example, in dialysis, waste water treatment, and functional clothing. " For separation of components with comparable sizes or the separation of ions from water, solution-diffusion membranes are used. ... 

Initial evaluations of chemicals produced for screening are performed by smelling them from paper blotters. However, more information is necessary given the time and expense required to commercialize a new chemical. No matter how pleasant or desirable a potential odorant appears to be, its performance must be studied and compared with available ingredients in experimental fragrances. A material may fail to Hve up to the promise of its initial odor evaluation for a number of reasons. It is not at all uncommon to have a chemical disappear in a formulation or skew the overall odor in an undesirable way. Some materials are found to be hard to work with in that their odors stick out and caimot be blended weU. Because perfumery is an individuaHstic art, it is important to have more than one perfumer work with a material of interest and to have it tried in several different fragrance types. Aroma chemicals must be stable in use if their desirable odor properties are to reach the consumer. Therefore, testing in functional product appHcations is an important part of the evaluation process. Other properties that can be important for new aroma chemicals are substantivity on skin and cloth, and the abiHty to mask certain malodors. 

Wool, as a keratin, is a highly cross-linked, insoluble proteinaceous fiber, and few animals have developed the specialized digestive systems that aUow them to derive nutrition from the potential protein resource. In nature, these few keratin-digesting animals, principally the larvae of clothes moths and carpet beetles, perform a useful function in scavenging the keratinous parts of dead animals and animal debris (fur, skin, beak, claw, feathers) that ate inaccessible to other animals. It is only when these keratin-digesting animals attack processed wool goods that they are classified as pests. Very often they enter domestic or industrial huildings from natural habitats such as birds nests. 

NFPA 1993 Standard on Support Function Protective Clothing for Flazardous Chemical Operations, 1994 edition. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. 

The filter ratio for baghouses, also called the gas to cloth ratio, varies from 0.6 to 1.5 m of gas per minute per square meter of fabric. The pressure drop across the fabric is a function of the filter ratio it ranges from about... 

The PMV index can be used to check whether a given thermal environment complies with specified comfort criteria and to establish requirements for different levels of acceptability. By setting PMV = 0, an equation is established that predicts combinations of activity, clothing, and environmental parameters that will provide a thermally neutral sensation. Figure 6.1 shows the optimal operative temperature as a function of activity and clothing for different levels of acceptability. 

TABLE 6.9 Required Sweat Rate Index SW q W/m, and Wettedness (w q) as a Function of Clothing, Temperature, Air Speed, and Humidity at an Activity Level M Equal to 70 W/m ... 

At a later stage in the design process, when more detailed information is available, the following parameters should be described as a function of time for each worker breathing zone position, activity level, and clothing value. 

It would take us too far out of our way to explore the territory opened up by this way of looking at Polya s Theorem, but we can take a quick look at the view and pick out some of the salient features. The cycle index, in its new clothes, is expressible in terms of -functions conversely, an 5-function can be regarded as a sort of cycle index. The 5-function for a partition can be defined by... 

Laundry detergent may also contain polyethylene glycol, a polymer that prevents dirt from redepositing on the clothes. This function used to be the job of phosphates. Another polymer used for this purpose is carboxy methyl cellulose, which is derived from natural cellulose but is very soluble in water. 

Quality systems require that facilities and equipment should be appropriate to the activities undertaken. Surfaces that are easy to clean and maintain in hygienic condition are a requirement in many situations. For example, cloth-backed chairs would not be acceptable in a laboratory that handled potentially biohazardous materials. Equipment should be checked at installation to demonstrate that it can perform its desired function. This is frequently done using an Installation Qualification, Operational Qualification and Performance Qualification (IQ /OQ/PQ) commissioning process. Routine maintenance and calibration programmes are then required to ensure that equipment continues to deliver the specified performance. 

Hepatic Effects. Normal serum liver function tests (unspecified) were observed in a 35-year-old agricultural pilot approximately 8 hours after a 45-minute dermal exposure (with presumed concurrent inhalation exposure) when his clothing became soaked in endosulfan and methomyl (Cable and Doherty 1999). 

Leather is the material made from animal skin by the process of tanning, which entails chemically altering the composition of the skin so as to make it durable and resistant to decay. Leather is therefore not a protein but a protein derivative. Although the tanning process alters the composition of skin, leather retains the fibrous structure and utilitarian functionality that make skin suitable for multifarious applications. Shelter, clothing, and decorative objects made from leather are, unlike skin or hide, stable to physical, chemical, and biological decay under dry or wet conditions (O Flaherty et al. 1965 ... 

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