Technical Textiles

By: Dr. Rotich K.

Gideon (PhD.)
 Norms of the classroom
Switch off your mobile phone
Must be on time
Class participation
Do your assignments on time and no
copying
 Course content
1. Introduction to Technical textiles
2. Filtration
3. Geo-textiles
4. Automotive textiles
5. Sewing threads, cords and ropes
6. Other technical textiles
I. Agro textiles
II. Sport textiles
III. Other technical textiles
1. Introduction to Technical textiles
 Introduction
Natural Coarser vegetable fibers
◦ Cotton, Flax, Jute and Sisal.
Sailing
used to manufacture cloth
◦ heavy canvas-type products,
◦ Sails, Ropes
◦ ropes and twines,
◦ Sacks
Characterized by
◦ Relatively heavy weight,
◦ Limited resistance to water and
microbial/fungal attack
◦ Poor flame retardancy.
Replaced by synthetic fibers
 Tri-cycle
cover

Tri-cycle
seats

Military uniforms EXAMPLES

Tri-cycle tires

Sport uniforms

Fire fighting suits

 Definition
 Technical Textiles are textiles that are primarily used for their
performance or functional properties and not for its appearance
or aesthetics.
 Examples of Technical  Examples of Technical
textiles:- textiles:-
◦ Garments ◦ Firefighters protective gear
 Repel water and do not burn,
◦ Breathable
 Self cleaning
 Recycled or composted
◦ Military uniforms
◦ Sports apparel ◦ Camouflage
 Wicks sweat from your body ◦ Garments that protect
and keeps you cool, against chemical and
biological exposure
2. Classification of Technical
Textiles
 Classification of Technical Textiles
 Classifiedaccording to the end use,
 Divided into 12 different categories.

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 INDUTECH
Also known as Industrial textiles (Indutex)
Used for:
◦ Separating industrial products, cleaning gases
and for products movement
Includes textiles used directly in industrial
processes or incorporated into industrial
products as
◦ filters, conveyor belts and abrasive belts,
◦ Reinforcements for printed circuit boards, seals
and gaskets, and other industrial equipment.
INDUTECH
 CLOTHTECH
 These are the clothing textiles, also known as clothtex.
 Textile products that represent functional, most often hidden
components, of clothing and footwear 
 PROTECH
These are the Protective Textiles ( Protex)
Protection against harsh environmental
conditions
The protective textiles are made with the help
of specialty fibers e.g. Aramid fiber, glass
fibers
 MOBILTECH
These textiles, also known as
Mobiltex,
Transport textiles
Used in transport industry,
◦ Construction of automobiles, Airplane seats
◦ railways
◦ Ships
◦ Aerospace.

Tarpaulins
 MOBILTECH

Carpets Covers
Roof tops Car seats

Tire cords Interior Air bags

decoration
 SPORTTECH
These are the sports
Textiles, also known as
sportex,
used mainly for making
sports wear including
sports shoes and other
sports accessories.
Sport shoes Sport wear
SPORTTECH

Artificial
Field
 MEDTECH
Medical Textiles, also known as Medtex.
Include all the medical fabrics used in health and hygiene
applications in both consumer and medical markets.
Applications are categorized in four groups:-
i. Implantable products:- (Artificial tendon, cartilage, ligament,
joints) Orthopedics implants, Heart valves and Soft tissue implants.
ii. Non implantable:- Wound care including absorbent pad (wound
contract layer, base material viscose, plastic film) & bandages
(elastic/inelastic, orthopedic, plastics, gauges, lint, padding)
iii. Healthcare/Hygiene products:- Include bedding, clothing,
surgical gown clothes, filters bandages, support & protective
materials, surgical suture etc.
iv. Extra corporeal device:- Artificial kidney, Liver & lungs.
MEDTECH
 GEOTECH
Geo-textiles (Geotex) – textiles used mainly for earth/soil support
Either woven, nonwoven and knit fabric
Support drainage and separation at or below ground level

Road construction

Soil erosion
prevention
Soil stabilization
 PACKTECH
 These are the packaging
Textiles, also known as Packtex.
 Textiles have been used for
packaging since ages.
Shopping bag

Gift bags Packaging for textiles products

 HOMETECH
 These are the Domestic
Textiles, also known as
Hometex,
 used in making of many
home furnishing
fabrics
HOMETECH
 AGROTECH
 Agro-textiles,also known as Agrotex,
 Used in agricultural applications

Harvest
nets
 BUILDTECH
Construction Textiles, also known as buildtex,
used in construction and architectural applications.
Fabrics as PVC coated high tenacity PES, teflon coated glass fiber
fabrics are used in airports and hotels.
 ECO TECH(OEKOTECH)

Eco-friendly Textiles, also known as

oekotex or Ecotex.
 Mostlyused in
• Environmental protection applications,
• Floor sealing,
• Erosion protection,
• Air cleaning,
• Prevention of water pollution,
• Water cleaning,
• Waste treatment/ recycling,
• Depositing area construction.
 3. Structure/Property of textile
materials used has technical textiles
Properties required of technical textiles
• Very strong • Anti microbial
• Durable / abrasion • Insect repellent
resistant • Anti soiling
• Chemically inert • Water repellent
• Flame retardant • Waterproof….
• Anti static
 Fibers used
Traditional fibers
◦ Cotton, silk, polyester,
polyamide - Medical USE.
◦ PP and Polyester used in geo
textiles and dry/liquid filtration
due to compatibility.
◦ Jute and coir - used in
biodegradable products and in
packaging industry.
◦ Nylon -anti-ballistic, tire
Cords, protection and filtration
applications
High functional fibers
◦Kevlar - Anti ballistic apparel,
helmet, industrial protective
clothing, gloves,
◦hot gas filtration, optical fiber
cable sheath, high pressure
hoses, sail cloths
◦Carbon fibers – Structural
composite for air crafts.
◦Ultra high molecular weight
poly-ethylene (UHMWPE)
◦Glass
GLOBAL FIBRE-WISE CONSUMPTION IN
TECHNICAL TEXTILES

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Global end use of fabric
structures Knitted Fabrics Other Fabrics
5%
2%

Total fabric Non woven

consumption – Fabrics
20%
11 bn. kgs. Woven
(2000) fabrics
74%

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4. Technical textiles
world market
 Technical textiles verse other textiles

Technical textiles
22%

Apparel consumption
78%
Share of different Technical textiles
End