Smart textile composites

Tao, X., 2001. Smart textile composites integrated with fibre optic sensors. In Xiaoming, T. (Ed.), Smart Fibres, Fabrics Clothing. Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, pp. 174—199. 

The third part contains five chapters, with a focus on integrating processes and integrated structures. Chapter 10 provides an overview of the developments and key issues in fibre-optic smart textile composites. Chapter 11 presents hollow fibre membranes for gas separation. Chapter 12 describes embroidery as one way of integrating fibre-formed components into textile structures. Chapters 13 and 14 are on wearable electronic and photonic technologies. Chapter 13 provides insights on adaptive and responsive textile structures (ARTS). Chapter 14 describes the development of an intelligent snowmobile suit. 

Smart textile composites integrated with fibre optic sensors... 

This chapter provides a review of various types of fibre optic sensors, major issues of smart textile composites integrated with fibre Bragg grating sensors, that is temperature and strain coupling, sensitivity, multiaxial strain measurement, measurement effectiveness and reliability issues, as well as various measurement systems for smart textile composites integrated with fibre optic sensors. 

Tao X M, Integration of fibre optic sensors in smart textile composites - design and fabrication , J. Text. Inst., 2000, 91, Part 1 No.2. 

Commercially available organic microcapsuies or composites represent an excellent building block for smart textiles aimed towards delivering reasonably simple medical devices that can be used to monitor patients body temperature. Although the example... 

One further and final area of possible development will be in the smart textile field where there is a desire for fibres which may have a heat-sensing property which may then enable them to either alert the wearer (in protective clothing, for instance) or transfer electronic or other signals when embedded in a composite should a potential fire threat arise. This latter will be of increasing importance as the continued increase in use of textile and fibre-reinforced composites replaces conventional materials in the transport sectors, for example. 

Volume 2 - Technical Textile Applications offers an indispensable guide to established and developing areas in the use of technical textiles. The areas covered include textiles for personal protection and welfare, such as those designed for ballistic protection, personal thermal and fire protection, and medical applications textiles for industrial, transport and engineering applications, including composite reinforcement and filtration, and the growing area of smart textiles. 

Some textile materials which have direct contact with the skin could induce, depending on its chemical composition, an irritation condition characteristic of sensitive skins. This fact, which could be a problem, has allowed the forthcoming of an irmovative development in the textile sector. The smart textiles besides promoting the classical function of covering the skin, could be the appropriate substrates to progressively and continuously deliver some >ecific compounds, previously applied on the textile, to protect and rcMorce the barrier function of the skin. Therefore, the sensitive skin cases detected by the dermatologists or declared by the consumer may be decreased. 

Endruweit A, Long A, Johnson M. Textile composites with integrated optical fibres quantification of the influence of single and multiple fibre bends on the light transmission using a Monte Carlo ray-tracing method. Smart Mater. Struct. 2008 17(1) 1—10. 

However, functions of these smart textile stmctures could still be improved and their role optimized. Bringing the textile/microcapsule systems for controlled release of active agents to a higher level demands a multidisciplinary approach. Considering all aspects of the controlled release systems such as active agent formulations, microcapsule polymer wall composition, encapsulation approach, and embedding loaded microcapsules into textile structures could push the limits of smart textiles even further. 

Smart textiles for structural health monitoring of composite structures... 

All polymer electroconductive fibers can be obtained by blending ICPs with common polymers. At our in-house Smart Textile facilities we produced PP/PANI and PP/ PA/PANI composite fibers. Pig. 28.7. The production of these fibers involved two steps compounding and spinning. For fiber spinning, the melt spinning process is the most suitable method. The ICP-based electroconductive fibers we have produced... 

Tibtech. Conductive Yams and Fabrics for Energy Transfer and Heating Devices in SMART Textiles and Composites, http //www.tibtech.com/metal liber composition.php. (accessed 08.09.15). 

A comparable approach focusing on the use of CNT filled fibers was used in order to create sensors, which detect organic solvents in the liquid state [49]. Extrusion melt mixed PLA-MWCNT composites were melt spun to obtain electrically conductive fibers, which are sensitive to different solvents and solvent mixtures (Figure 5.30). These fibers are again very promising candidates as components of smart textiles. 

The textile industry still constitutes one of Europe s most relevant industrial sectors for both the economy and society. The very latest trend in textile and linked industries is to create miscellaneous new products which possess the potential of interacting with the surrounding environment through active feedback. This class of new interactive material is termed intelligent textile structures or smart textiles. In order to make interactive fabrics available at the industrial level it is necessary to apply a multidisciplinary approach. The route to develop and optimise multifunctional material involves in the same way textile engineering and colloid chemistry. The complexity of the production process for modern composite materials is a real challenge to textile engineering but the fundamentals of interfacial and colloid science are indispensable to characterise and control the... 

Du W C, Tao X M, Tam H Y and Choy C L, Optical Bragg grating sensors in smart textile structural composite . Proceeding of the 4th International Conference on Composite Engineering, ICCE/4, Hawaii, USA, 1997, 289-90. 

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