John McLoughlin - High-Performance Apparel: Materials, Development, and Applications

First Edition

John McLoughlin

Manchester Metropolitan University

Tasneem Sabir

Manchester Metropolitan University

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T. Cassidy University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

X. Chen University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

C.R. Cork Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

T. Dias Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

S. Gill University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

X. Gong Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, China

S.G. Hayes University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

zlenen Erdem mal Dokuz Eyll University, zmir, Turkey

E. Jenkins Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

J. Ledbury Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

P. Lugoda Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

J. McLoughlin Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

S. Motlogelwa Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

Roshan Paul University of Beira Interior, Covilh, Portugal

E.J. Power University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United Kingdom

R.M. Rossi Empa Laboratory for Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Tasneem Sabir Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

Danmei Sun Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh United Kingdom

M. Tausif University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

D.J. Tyler Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

J. Wood Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

Y. Zhou Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, China

Once, humans protected themselves by wrapping animal hides around the body to keep warm. The first dyed fibers date back some 36,000 years and woven fabrics from which textile garments were fashioned are thought to have been around for ~27,000 years.

We've come such a long way since then.

High-performance materials, like most constructed items, depend on their individual components to determine the characteristics of the final product. Synthetic fibers have barely been around for a century, but at that time, they have been developed and modified to such an extent that their properties can far surpass those of the natural materials they were once designed to emulate. By altering the chemical composition of the spinning dope and engineering the fineness and cross-sectional shape of the emergent filaments, synthetics are now more efficient at removing perspiration from the body than cotton and can protect the torso from fire much more effectively than wool, for all its inherent flame retardant nature.

But adapting fiber composition and structure alone is futile unless subsequent processing develops at a similar pace. Appropriate yarn assemblies need to be spun, and innovative fabric structures need to be woven and knitted. A fabric for high-performance apparel is rarely fit for purpose unless finished in an appropriate manner.

High-performance apparel is necessary for a multitude of situations; they are not just for the elite athlete or the firefighter going about their daily duty. However, even in these two examples, there are subdivisions of circumstances requiring very different styles of apparel with very different functions. Consider the marathon runner, perhaps, compared with the slalom skier. Their needs are poles apart although, in an apparel sense, they both dress in sportswear. There are occasions where clothing needs to protect the wearer from extreme heat, extreme cold, deadly viruses, radioactive material, molten metal splashes, flames, shrapnel and bullets, knife attack, etc. The list is endless, and scientists and technologists work tirelessly to design and develop new materials to enable the wearer to perform their public duty safely or to help push the body to perform feats of high endurance.

Although being fit for purpose is key to the success of high-performance apparel, clothing also needs to be comfortable, particularly in a physiological sense. Appropriate 3D design, (e.g., to allow appropriate airflow through the garment) and mathematically correct size charts are crucial for the comfort and well-being of the wearer. The laboratory technician's protective suit should be designed with the same consideration of comfort and practicality as the soldier's combat uniform. Producing a fabric with the necessary characteristics and properties is all well and good, but unless the garment constructed from it is thoughtfully engineered and the subsequent manufacturing processes fully considered, those highly technical textile materials will not perform to the best of their ability. Garment design and manufacture form the crucial interface between textile material and wearer. Their importance in the development of high-performance apparel should never be underestimated.