Thermoplastic silicone fibres

Rothmaier et al. (2008) describe a textile pressure sensor based on flexible POFs. The approach is based on thermoplastic silicone fibres, which can be integrated into woven textiles. When pressure is applied on the textile, the cross-section of the sensing optical fibre will change and therefore transmit less light. The variation in light intensity is detected and relates to the applied pressure. 

Rubber consumption is dominated by tyre production. In these, conveyor belts, and pressure hoses, thin layers of either steel wire or polymeric fibre reinforcement take the main mechanical loads. These layers, with rubber interlayers, allow flexibility in bending, whereas the reinforcement limits the in-plane stretching of the product. The applications are dominated by natural rubber and styrene butadiene copolymer rubber (SBR). Other rubbers have specialised properties butyl rubbers have low air permeability, nitrile rubbers have good oil resistance, while silicone rubbers have high and low temperature resistance. Rubbers play a relatively small role in this book, but the rubbery behaviour of the amorphous phase in semi-crystalline thermoplastics is important. 

Natural fibres such as flax, hemp, silk, jute, sisal, kenaf, cotton, etc are being used to reinforce matrices mainly thermoplastics and thermosets by many researchers. The principal synthetic fibres in commercial use are various types of glass, carbon, or aramid although other fibres, such as boron, silicon carbide, and aluminium oxide, are used in limited quantities. All these fibres can be incorporated into a matrix either in continuous lengths or in discontinuous (short) lengths. Both these fibres have some advantages and disadvantages. 

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