Technical textiles for survival

In order for systems to be successful, designers need to work closely with quality assurance and production personnel as well as potential customers and users from the earliest stages of development. The types of protective technical textiles specifically mentioned in the literature include  

The types of occupation and activities for which protective garments and other prod-nets are made and specifically mentioned in the literature include civil emergency (fire, police, security), defence (military, naval, and air), sports (including extreme sports), industrial protective clothing (including commercial transport, fishing, and off-shore), and healthcare applications. 

All clothing and other textile products provide some level of protection to the human body and it is a matter of timescale which decides the degree and type of protection reqnired. Hazards to be survived can be divided into two main categories  

Accident protection includes protection from fire 

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Holmes DA, Horrocks AR, Anand SC. Waterproof breathable fabrics and textiles for survival. In Handbook of technical textiles. Cambridge, England The Textile Institute, Woodhead Publishing Ltd 2000. p. 282-315. 461 89. 

Of great significance when technical textiles are used in contact with the human body are aspects such as moisture transport and breathability, as described in Chapters 2 (waterproof breathable fabrics), 5 (medical textiles), 9 (personal thermal protection) and 10 (survival). Medical textiles (Chapter 5), which has been a particular growth area in recent years, demonstrates the need for novel fibres, fabric structures and treatments that are revolutionising chnical science. 

The example of the textile chain demonstrates (i) how much the techni-cal/aesthetic quality of products and chemicals-related product security are interdependent and (ii) what requirements exist for a quality management system beyond the supply chain level. Only the major brands can take this initiative on a global scale. For cosmetic, medical devices and food products, as well as technical products with high safety requirements (such as aircraft), management systems beyond supply chain level have now become a matter of survival. The same holds true for products that are subject to special waste and design regulations in Europe (such as automotive vehicles and electronic equipment). 

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