Military Textiles

Shaima Islam
Assistant Professor
DTE
 Introduction

❑ Protection of military personnel differs significantly in

many respects from protection of civilians. Civilians

usually face involuntary accidental situations in the
workplace which require protective clothing, whereas
military personnel in war face many complex hazards
which are deliberately aimed at maiming or killing
them.
 Introduction
❑ Technical textiles offer invaluable properties for
military land forces in particular, who are required to
move, live, survive and fight in hostile environments.
❑The life-critical requirements for protecting individuals
from both environmental and battlefield threats have
ensured that the major nations of the world expend
significant resources in developing and providing the
most advanced technical textiles for military use.
 What is Military Textiles?

Military Textile is a branch

of Protech which is
especially designed for
the safety against all the
threats and hazards faced
by the Military personnel
in their work field as well
as and to enhance their
performance.
 Designing Military Uniforms

❑ Understanding types of hazards or threats is the critical

first step in developing systems for protection and
enhancing safety of the military personnel.

❑ The approach starts with understanding the user need,

determining requirements, evaluation of alternatives for
material selection, and ultimately verification of the
design, as well as the individual materials.
 Designing Military Uniforms
Assessing Hazards/threats faced by Military personnel
General Requirements for Military
Protective Textiles
Physical requirements for military textiles
 General Requirements for Military
Protective Textiles
Environment requirements
 General Requirements for Military
Protective Textiles
Camouflage, concealment and deception requirements
 General Requirements for Military
Protective Textiles
Requirements for flame, heat and flash protection
 General Requirements for Military
Protective Textiles
Specific battlefield hazards
 General Requirements for Military
Protective Textiles
Economic considerations
Incompatibilities in Military Clothing systems
 Features of the state of the art
Military uniforms
1. Physiological Monitoring.

2. Thermal Management.
i) Hot and cold environments
ii) Passive and active management

3. Signature Management.
i) Visual
ii) UV
iii) Infrared
iv) Olfactory
v) Auditory
 Features of the state of the art
Military uniforms
4. Chemical and Biological.

5. Flame resistance.

6. Environmental.

7. Body Armor.
i) Soft Armor
ii) Hard Armor
 Physiological Monitoring
An integral part of the soldier’s uniform
might be a ‘wear-and-forget’ Physiological
Status Monitoring (PSM) system to provide
with remote health status for improved
medical treatment and planning for combat
casualty care.

Remote physiological monitoring could

determine the readiness level of a soldier:
whether
• they are well rested or not,
• are adequately hydrated or dehydrated,
or
• which soldier needs to be rescued first
on the battlefield.
Physiological Monitoring
 Cont…

 This baseline system monitors heart rate, body

pressure, activity level, and skin temperature and
then transmits the data wirelessly to a remote
display.
 Thermal Management

Thermal Management:

 Passive Thermal Management (hot and cold

environment)
 Active Thermal Management (hot and cold
environment)
Passive Thermal Management
(Hot Environment)

 Evaporative cooling is a key in a hot environment. The

ideal fabric worn next to the body allows sweat from
the body to be wicked to the outside of the fabric
where it spreads rapidly over the surface resulting in
evaporative cooling.
Passive Thermal Management (Hot Environment)
The US military uses Polartec®
Power Dry as a next-to-skin
material because it is
manufactured using a bi-
component construction that
increases wicking of sweat
from the skin and moves at
least 30% more moisture away
from the skin than single
component fabrics. The fibre
content of the Polartec®
Power Dry® varies depending
on the style.
Thermal Management
 Thermal Management (Cold Environment)
❑ Insulation is important for a
protective clothing system in a
cold environment.
❑ The objective is to trap warm air
around the body.
❑ A fabric with low weight, low
volume, and that is highly
insulated would be ideal.
❑ Classic insulation is based upon
fibre batting technology which
creates a thick product, but it is
Thermal Management in Cold weather
not state-of-the-art.
Thermal Management (Cold Environment)
US Army uses new Generation III Extended Cold
Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) of seven
layers. The layers include:
1) Light-weight moisture wicking undershirt &
briefs;
2) mid-weight moisture wicking shirt & briefs;
3) A Polartec® Thermal Pro® fleece jacket;
4) A nylon/spandex wind jacket;
5) A soft shell jacket and trousers
6) Wet weather jacket and trousers; and
7) An insulated loft parka and trousers for
extreme cold weather conditions.
Extended Cold Weather
Clothing System
 Cont..

 Each piece fits and functions either alone or together

as a system to maximize the options available to the
soldier. The system protects troops from temperature
extremes, ranging from -51˚C to 4˚C.
Light-weight moisture wicking
undershirt & briefs

 Polartec Power Dry

Silkweight Material
 Highly Breathable, Fast
Drying Next-to-Skin Level
 Insulates and Stays Dry in
Cool Weather
 Color: Desert Sand
 Weight 0.65 lb
mid-weight moisture wicking shirt
& briefs
 Polartec Power Dry Grid
Material
 Highly Breathable, Fast Drying
Next-to-Skin Level
 Provides Extra Warmth and
Stays Dry in Cool Weather
 Moisture Wicking for
Evaporative Cooling in Mild
Climates
 Color: Desert Sand or Brown
 Weight 1.3 lb
A Polartec® Thermal Pro® fleece
jacket
 Material Traps Air and Retains
Body Heat
 Nylon Reinforcements at the
Collar, Shoulders and Elbows
 Stretch-Grid Fleece Side Panels
adds Comfort and Breathability
 Elastic Sleeve Cuffs
 VELCRO® fasteners
 Color: Foliage Green
 Weight 1.05 lb
 A nylon/spandex wind jacket;
 Low Volume Shell Layer
 Moisture Wicking
 Designed to be Worn with Body
Armour
 Constructed of Stretchable 98%
Nylon, 2% Spandex
 Water Resistant Finish
 Low Weight and Bulk
 Velcro Closure Sleeve Pockets
 Elastic Cuffed Sleeves
 Lightweight, Easy to Pack
 Weight 0.75 lb
 A soft shell jacket and trousers
•Constructed of Stretchable and Breathable
Water Resistant Materials
•45% Nomex, 32% LenzingFR, 17%Nylon, 6%
Kevlar
•Used in Moderate to Cold Weather Conditions
•Flame Resistant
•Elastic Cord to Tighten Hood
•Elastic Cuffed Sleeves
•Hidden I.R. Tabs on Sleeves
•Velcro Insignia and Rank on Sleeve Pockets
•Weight 0.85 lb
Wet weather jacket and trouserss
 Constructed with 2-layer
GORE-TEX® fabric
 Completely waterproof,
windproof and breathable
 Light-Weight 50% less bulk
than previous systems
 Near Infrared Textile
Technology (NIR)
 Weight 1.3 lb
 An insulated loft parka and trousers for
extreme cold weather conditions.

 Water resistant outer shell and

PrimaLoft® Sport, thermal
bonded, high-loft insulation
 Highly durable and breathable
 Maintains warmth even when
wet
 Nylon reinforced knees
 Full length side zips
 Elastic waist with suspender
loops
 Weight 4.4 lb
Active Thermal Management (Hot Environment)

The MCG is a light-weight, comfortable,

breathable, tube-type undergarment worn
against the skin.

The MCU circulates a coolant fluid to remove

up to 180 watts of body heat from the torso.
 Signature Management

 Soldiers do not want to give their presence away to

the enemy ‘sees’ them and then mask all the
elements that make the soldier stand out.
 Signature Management (Visual)
 Visual spectrum: wave length or frequency-400nm-
750nm. Detection by eye.
 In this range attempt is taken to mimic or artificial
backgrounds (woodland, desert, arctic, etc.) not just
in terms of colour but also patterns, gloss and
texture.
 In practice each military nation has adopted its own
visual colours and patterns. Colours often include
khaki, green, brown, black .
 Signature Management (uv
range)
 UV spectrum: wave length or frequency-200nm-
400nm. Match optical properties of snow and ice.
Detect by using UV detectors or eye.
 Only in snow covered environment UV observation of
military is important. The threat is mainly from
photographic system which is quartz optics and
blue/UV sensitive film emulsion.
 The detection problem occurs with white textile of
coatings as TiO2 pigment is commonly use as low cost
widely available for visual white but has low
reflectance in the UV. So they are easily detectable by
UV ray.
 The reflectance of snow is between 80% to 98% in the
UV and visible light. So other pigment such as barium
sulphate (BaSO4) is suitable & can be incorporated in
to textile coating which have reflectance near to 100%
and suitable for military cloth in that range for
effective camouflage.
Signature Management (Near Infrared)

The military camouflage

threat is posed by imaging
device called image intensifier
which amplifies low level of
light including moonlight and
starlight.

The attribute which is

required by camouflage to
degrade the threat is related
to the reflectance spectrum
of leaves, bark, branches and
Near Infra Red Camouflage
grasses in the NIR.
 Match reflectance of background when viewed by image
intensifiers, IR photography.
 NIR wave band: 750-2000nm

 At NIR a dramatic rise in reflectance between .7 &.8 micro

m. this chlorophyll rise or edge has to be matched by dyes
and pigment used in the camouflage textile.

 Cellulosic fibre and its blends have been successfully dyed

with selected range of vat dyes having large conjugated
system of aromatic rings. Other fibres like wool and
synthetic has been proved more difficult as these fibres
dyed with dyes of small molecules which have either little
or no absorption & thus high reflectance in the NIR region.
Signature Management (Far infra red /Thermal
camouflage)
Far infrared wave band:2600-
5000nm and 8000-14000nm
These camouflage minimize heat
signature from humans or hot
equipment.
Objects are detected by heat and
energy, they emit or reflect. With
human target the thermal
signature can be lowered by
wearing more insulated clothing,
putting covers or increasing the
external surface using fur or pile
structure.
Thermal Infrared Camouflage
Signature Management (Olfactory)
Another target indicator to locate the soldier is using the sense of smell. The
olfactory target indicator will not identify exactly where the soldier is, only that
they are in the area.
Fabrics with antimicrobial properties can be used to reduce the body odor of the
soldier. Metallic compounds based upon metals such as silver and copper have
also been shown to exhibit antimicrobial behavior.
X-Static is a silver coated textile fibre that provides permanent anti-odor and
antimicrobial properties.
 Signature Management (Auditory)
It is important to reduce the auditory
(sound) signature of the soldier. Unnatural
sounds will give away the presence of a
soldier to the enemy.

Metal-on-metal sounds (like a traditional

snap) or Hook and loop fasteners such as
Velcro® also produce an unnatural sound.
Plastic buttons may be used instead.

Laminated fabrics have a crisp ‘swishing’

sound. so fabrics with a finish might be used
Auditory Camouflage instead.
Chemical and Biological Defense
Management
A chemical and biological defense
(CBD) system needs to protect against
chemical liquids, vapors, and bio
aerosols.
Because of extremely high adsorptive
properties, activated carbon is widely
used in CBD systems to adsorb
chemical vapors as well as odors.
In case of butyl rubber which is
impermeable is not suitable due to
breathing is hamper & soldier could
overheat.
Chemical and Biological Defense
Management

 A CBD system is typically worn either as a next-to-skin

garment or an over garment. LANX Fabric SystemsTM
(USA) manufactures the Chemical Protective
Undergarment (CPU), and it provides vapor and
aerosol protection.
 Chemical and Biological Defense
Management
The Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST) CBD
protective clothing system is one of the most highly used CBD protective
system for the US military.
The Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology or JSLIST consists of
a two piece garment designed to replace the Navy's existing Chemical
Protection Overgarment (CPO). The JSLIST garment offers a number of
advantages over the Navy' s current CPO.
The JSLIST garment features state-of-the-art chemical protective lining
technology which provides increased chemical protection while allowing more
mobility for the wearer, and can be laundered up to three times. The CPO suit
contains a charcoal impregnated lining. During wear, this lining is leached
onto the wearer causing inner garments to become coated with charcoal dust.
The CPO suit would disintegrate if laundered.
 Flame Resistance Management
There is a significant burn risk associated with
wearing some synthetic fibres such as polyester or
nylon, as they melt and fuse to the skin when
exposed to extreme heat and flames.

Some commercial flame-resistant fibres are:

Modacrylic (e.g. Protex MTM), Carbon
(polyacrylonitrile, e.g. CarbonX), Melamine (e.g.
Basofil®), Oxidized acrylic (e.g. Panox® ), Novoloid
(e.g. Kynol®), and Polybenzimidazole (PBI). Also
included are flame-retardant treated (FRT) cotton,
FRT cotton/nylon, FRT lyocell (Tenecel®), and FR
rayon.

US Army tankers and aviators of all military services

are required to wear flame-resistant clothing made
Figure: A soldier surrounded by
from NOMEX® and Kevlar fibre blends, while the flame
infantry wear a nylon/cotton blend fabric.
 Environmental Defense
Soldiers need to be protected from the wind, rain,
and snow when they are outdoors. Therefore,
ideally they need a garment that is windproof,
waterproof, and breathable.

Typical technologies for imparting resistance to

water and wind include: finish, coating, laminated
film, and fibre encapsulation. A durable, water-
repellent finish is added to the surface of a fabric
and does not typically penetrate the yarn.

The latest technology to impart environmental

protection is a micro-thin coating that encapsulates
the fibres of the fabric.

The EPICTM fabrics are more supple than the

laminated fabrics and typically do not have a
‘swishing’ sound.
 Body Armor
➢ Body armor is arguably the most critical protective
clothing item that the soldier has to wear.
➢ Armor needs to protect from bullets, fragmentation,
knives, armor piercing threats, and more.
➢ No armor is bullet proof, it is bullet resistant.
➢ The soldier also needs protection from impacts and
blunt force trauma.
➢ Armor needs to be flexible enough to enable the
soldiers to be mobile and to fire their weapons; they
must also be comfortable.
➢ Modularity is another desired feature for body armor.
 Body Armor
 Body armor is a critical safety piece of safety equipment
that has saved the lives of thousands of people. The
NIJ(National Institute of Justice, Washington, DC) classifies
body armor into 5 different threat levels: Level IIA, Level II,
Level IIIA, Level III and Level IV; based on their ability to stop
specified rounds at specified velocities.
 Soft body armour is generally rated to stop ballistics from
small arms and is not able to defend against higher caliber
shots like those from a rifle.
 Hard Body Armour Plates composed of steel, ceramics, or
composite materials form the foundation of hard body
armour.
 Soft Body Armor
➢ Soft body armor usually has a shell covering
the ballistic filler.
➢ Depending upon the requirements, some
military shells are made using meta-aramid
(e.g. NOMEX® ) while others may use a
rugged nylon shell.
➢ Ballistic filler in soft body armor is typically
manufactured from fibres such as para-
aramid (e.g. Kevlar®, Twaron®) and
ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene
(e.g. Spectra®, Dyneema®).
➢ For soft body armor to be effective, the
ballistic filler is manufactured using
Figure: Interceptor Body Armor
numerous layers to protect from threats.
 When a bullet hits a woven ballistic
fabric, thousands of individual fibers
engage the projectile to catch it and
disperse its energy throughout the
area. The points where the fibres
cross over each other in the weave
absorb the most energy.
 A round penetrator like an awl, ice
pick or nail has an extremely small tip
so it does not have to break fibres-it
simply pushes them apart and slips
through to penetrate the body.
 Hard Body Armor
➢ To protect the soldier from armor piercing
threats, hard body armor is necessary.
➢ Lightweight hard armor plates typically
consist of a ceramic face supported by a
fiber-reinforced composite.
➢ Composite backing materials are
characteristically manufactured using
para-aramid, ultrahigh molecular weight
polyethylene, and fibre glass.
➢ As the weaving process can damage high
strength yarns, Honeywell (USA)
developed Spectra Shield® by lining up
Figure: Spectra Shield® developed by the fibres parallel to one another, then
Honeywell (USA) binding them together with a resin. A
second layer is created in the same
manner.
 Ceramic plates is hard enough to ensure that a bullet
or other weapon is deflated, meaning the armor
material pushes out on the bullet with nearly the
same force with which the bullet pushes in, thus
preventing the armor from being penetrated. Ex
boron carbide, silicon, alumina, etc.
 References

1. A R Horrocks and S C Anand, “Handbook of technical

textiles” Woodhead Publishing Limited (UK), 2000.
2. Eugene Wilusz, “Military textiles”, Woodhead
Publishing Limited (UK), 2008.
3. Richard A. Scott, “Textiles for protection”, Woodhead
Publishing Limited (UK), 2005.
4. E. Sparks, “Advances in military textiles and personal
equipment”, Woodhead Publishing Limited (UK), 2012.
5. www.zephyr-technology.com
6. www.polartec.com
7. defense-update.com/products/g/ghost.htm
8. www51.honeywell.com/sm/afc/