Development of protective clothing systems- numerical modelling of textile and biophysical analysis of clothing ensemble

Title:                   Development of protective clothing systems –
numerical modelling of textile and biophysical
analysis of clothing ensemble
Project funding:   Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
Project Leader:     Anica Hursa Šajatović, Ph.D.

Project Summary:

Wide application of textiles in all areas of life, and the progress of modern technologies, from day to day, improve the properties of fabric and range of their application. In addition to the primary purpose for making clothing, fabrics can be used for making special clothing, protective clothing, technical textiles, household textiles, geotextiles, composites, etc. Each of these areas requires specific properties of textiles, which shall be provided in the engineering design of high quality modern fabrics for different purposes. The research area of textile fabrics and clothing is extremely challenging due to the complex and non-uniform structure of the fabric, knitted fabric, nonwovens, and their basic structural units such as yarn and textile fibers. In the mechanical behavior of nonwoven, woven or knitted textiles high nonlinearity appear with respect to structure, raw materials, and structural properties. For the real presentation of the mechanical behavior the impact of mechanical and structural properties of the levels of nano, micro, mezzo and macro structures is very important. In order to predict the behavior of fabric during production processes and usage, it is necessary to know the basic mechanical and physical properties of the basic components of fabrics (fiber and yarn).
The project aim is applying engineering analysis, numerical models and optimization methods to propose and evaluate a mathematical model for textile materials and predict the behavior of materials made from the same raw materials and woven in the same way, and pre-determine the properties of fabrics in the phase of their design. The project aim is also connect the mechanical and physical properties of fabrics with thermal properties of fabrics and clothing with a goal to create and design protective clothing which are of better quality and more comfortable to wear. During the research a numerical model for the fabric and their behavior during of loading that occur in production processes and use of clothing will be found. Investigations of thermal properties and biophysical analysis of fabrics and garments intended for special target groups, such as protective clothing will be carried out. Several models of protective clothing for firefighters applying the principles of comfort, ergonomics and safety will be designed. Based on the measurement of thermal, mechanical and physical properties of fabric, ergonomic study analyses extremist movements and the demands comfort the optimal model of the protective clothing will be selected. Results expected by the end of this project is a numerical model of fabric that will provide truthful data of their mechanical properties based on the basic parameters of fabrics that are already known in the phase of engineering design. Based on studies of thermal properties of fabrics and clothing the comfort of garments can be evaluate, as well as the degree of protection.