Textiles Flashcards
What is a hydrophobic fabric?
A hydrophobic fabric is a fabric that resists water, this means when a droplet of water is on the material it will sit there until it evaporates or rolls off without leaving any residue.
Give 3 examples of hydrophobic materials
Acrylic, Polyester, Nylon and Nomex
Why would a hydrophobic fabric be unsuitable for sportswear?
A hydrophobic fabric would be unsuitable for sportswear because you would sweat but the textile wouldn’t let out or absorb the water so you would heat up very quickly.
What is a breathable fabric?
A breathable fabric is a fabric that lets water pass through
How can a breathable fabric be made?
A breathable fabric can me made by combining a hydrophobic fabric with natural fibre to allow water to pass through. Or they can be coated with chemicals.
Give an example of a breathable fabric
One example is breathable ripstop nylon which is extremely durable and lightweight due to the fabrics structure which is coated to make it breathable.
Give an example of a breathable and waterproof fabric
One example is Gore-Tex which uses PTFE as a thin membrane which is laminated to an outer shell fabric to make a two layer textile which is waterproof and breathable. A 3rd layer is normally added to improve durability.
What is an e-textile?
An e-textile is a textile that uses conductive fabrics in the yarn/thread to make a fabric that conduct a current. This can enable wearable computing and electronic devices and circuits.
Name an application of e-textiles
Sensors on sportswear, environmental data collection, light up clothes for fashion
What is a conductive pigment?
A conductive pigment is something that can be printed onto a textile to eliminate the use of less flexible and therefore less comfortable materials to be used for electronics in e-textiles.
How is a conductive pigment able to be printed on different textiles?
Varying the viscosity so that it is possible to be printed on different textiles.
What can conductive pigments be used for?
Conductive pigments can be used to integrate; sensors, electronic devices and actuators.
What is fibretronics?
Fibretronics explores how electronics can be integrated into textiles. This looks at how making fibres using conducting and semi-conducting materials.
What is something important to consider with fibretronics?
One very important thing to consider is if the fabric is washable and that the electronic components won’t get damaged during washing.
Give 5 examples of synthetic fibres
Nylon
Polyester
Acrylic fibres
Spandex
Rayon
Kevlar
