Characterizing Steam Penetration through Thermal Protective Fabric Materials

This study performs an analysis of steam penetration through thermal protective fabric materials. Different, multilayered thermal protective fabrics were selected and tested in a laboratory-simulated steam exposure, and their steam protective performance (SPP) was measured in terms of the time required to generate second-degree burns on the bodies of wearers. Additionally, the total transmitted thermal energy (TTTE) through the fabrics during testing was measured. Through statistical analysis, it was established that fabric properties, namely air permeability and thickness, are the key factors that affect the SPP and TTTE; the relationship among the fabric properties, SPP, and TTTE is also summarized. Theoretically, it has been found that heat and mass (steam) transfer occur through fabrics in the course of steam exposure, which mainly affect the SPP and TTTE. This study could help textile/materials engineers to develop high performance thermal protective fabrics for the increased occupational health and safety of firefighters and industrial workers.

Breathability performance of antiviral cloth masks treated with silver nanoparticles for protection against COVID-19

The global widespread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused shortage of medical face masks and led to developing of various types of cloth masks with different levels of protection and comfort to meet the market demands. Breathing comfort is a significant aspect that should be considered during the design of cloth masks along with the filtration efficiency; otherwise, the wearer will feel suffocated. In this work, different types of cotton and polyester knitted fabrics blended with spandex yarns were produced and treated with silver nanoparticles to be used as antiviral cloth masks. Scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and EDX were used to characterize the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Antiviral activity was assessed against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus as well. The influence of using different fabric materials, number of layers, and hybrid layers on their air permeability and breathability were investigated to evaluate the comfortability of the cloth masks. Physiological impacts of wearing the cloth masks were evaluated by measuring oxygen saturation of hemoglobin and heart rate of the wearers while doing various activities. The results indicated that AgNPs have low cytotoxicity and considerable efficiency in inhibition of SARS-CoV-2. Adding spandex yarns with different count and ratios reduced the porosity and air permeability of the fabrics. Moreover, the combination of three hybrid layers’ mask made of polyester fabric in the outer layer with 100% cotton fabric in the inner layer showed high comfortability associated with high air permeability and breathability. Also, wearing these masks while doing activities showed no significant effect on blood oxygen saturation and heart rate of the wearers.

ANALISA STANDARISASI MUSEUM BATIK DENGAN PENDEKATAN KEARIFAN LOKAL BUDAYA ARSITEKTUR SURAKARTA

Batik, which is rich in symbols and philosophies for the Indonesian people, has now been recognized by UNESCO as a Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The beginning of the emergence of batik in Indonesia is in the city of Solo, and comes from the Pajang kingdom 400 years ago. With the passage of time, batik continues to grow and produces various variations and innovations, from raw materials to the drawn motifs. However, it is very unfortunate that not all of the previous heritage batik can be maintained. Recently, there has been a batik museum created by individuals or institutions, but in the design, some interior elements are less than optimal in their arrangement. So they don't affect the batik stored or on display. In this research, focus of the discussion is on standardization which discusses spatial planning, facilities, collections, lighting, ventilation, acoustics and museum security, which are combined with local wisdom of Surakarta architecture, so that the data becomes a batik museum with character and can preserve the stored batik. This research uses a case study of the Surakarta batik museum, and the final results of this study can be used as a guide for designing a museum with fabric materials in it.

Development of decontamination and detergents for the nuclear industry

At the enterprises of the radiochemical industry in the world, the task is to clean the technological and research equipment, overalls, and personnel from contamination with radioactive products. This task is especially relevant in case of emergencies, for example, such as an accident at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan. A review of the deactivation methods currently used is reviewed. It has been shown that the most typical pollutants are mixtures of radionuclides 137Cs, 144Ce, 144Pr, 90Sr, and 239Pu. All these elements are prone to the formation of chelate complexes. Therefore, complexing substances should be an essential component of deactivation solutions that form stable, water-soluble complex compounds with these radionuclides. When creating the recipe, we chose those complexing agents with the most persistent complex compounds with the expected pollutants. For research and testing in real conditions, we have prepared three types of technical detergents of various compositions with the code name MDS for decontaminating various surfaces, equipment, and workwear. The composition of these preparations consists mainly of an optimized mixture of surfactants, complexing agents, corrosion inhibitors, and processing aids. The studies were conducted to evaluate the possibility of using these funds for deactivation of premises, equipment, washing clothes in the Federal Unitary Enterprise "Mayak" and at its branch NIKIET in town Zarechny at Beloyarskyaya Nuclear Power Station in Russia. The effectiveness of deactivation was judged by the amount of residual contamination of the surface of the samples. The deactivating ability of MDS preparations for stainless, carbon steel, and plastic contaminated with β- and α-emitting nuclides was tested. The possibility of using MDS detergents for the deactivation of platinum ampoules stored as radioactive waste was assessed. The possibility of using MDS detergents for the deactivation of fabric materials, including underwear and work clothes, was also evaluated. The tests showed the high efficiency of the developed detergent MDS compared to the existing and currently used deactivation agents.

Perancangan Fasilitas Kerja pada Stasiun Kerja Finishing dengan Metode Quality Exposure Checklist (QEC) di CV X Divisi Sarung Tenun

CV. X is a textile company that manufactures sarong, napkin rags and other fabric materials. The core production process is carried out by the company with several process elements carried out by the company's business partners (subcontract). The fabrication process of a sarong product is carried out with a semi-automatic machine that is operated by an operator with some process elements that are carried out by a conventional operator. Based on the identification of work risks using the Quick Exposure Checklist (QEC) questionnaire, that operator works in a limited body posture condition so as to produce a score of more than 50% and the need for action in the near future. These results indicate how high this risks experienced by finishing work station operators. The condition of the operator working in a folded or squatting sitting position, forearm reach, dynamic hand movements plus limited operator motion because sitting without proper facilities is a major problem. If this is not treated as soon as possible it can have a negative impact on the operator such as physical fatigue, decreased operator performance to skeletal muscle injury (mosquletal disorder). Quick Exposure Checklist show that the occupational risk level of work is at level 3 (three) which shown a high score level that action is needed as soon as possible to minimize the risk of work. The proposed action to minimize the risk is to design an ergonomic work facility in accordance with the needs of the operator at the finishing work station using the Anthropometry method. Abstrak. CV. X merupakan perusahaan tekstil yang memproduksi kain sarung, lap serbet serta bahan kain lainnya. Proses produksi inti dilakukan oleh perusahaan dengan beberapa elemen proses yang dilakukan oleh mitra usaha perusahaan (subcont). Proses pabrikasi produk kain sarung dikerjakan dengan mesin-mesin semi otomatis yang dioperasikan operator dengan beberapa elemen proses yang dikerjakan operator secara konvensional. Berdasarkan identifikasi dan observasi resiko kerja menggunakan kuesioner Quick Exposure Checklist (QEC), operator bekerja pada kondisi postur tubuh yang terbatas sehingga menghasilkan hasil skor lebih dari 50% dan diperlukannya tindakan dalam waktu dekat. Hasil ini menunjukan besarnya resiko kerja yang dialami operator stasiun kerja finishing. Kondisi operator yang bekerja pada posisi duduk terlipat maupun jongkok, jangkauan tangan kedepan, pergerakan tangan yang dinamis ditambah terbatasnya gerak operator karena duduk tanpa ditunjang fasilitas yang layak menjadi faktor masalah utama. Jika hal ini tidak ditangani sesegera mungkin dapat mengakibatkan dampak negatif terhadap operator seperti kelelahan fisik, penurunan kinerja operator hingga cedera otot rangka (mosquletal disorder). Hasil penilaian resiko kerja Quick Exposure Checklist menunjukkan bahwa level resiko kerja pekerjaan berada pada level 3 (tiga) yang menunjukan level skor tinggi sehingga perlu dilakukannya tindakan dalam waktu dekat guna meminimasi besarnya resiko kerja. Tindakan yang diusulkan guna meminimasi resiko tersebut yaitu dengan merancang fasilitas kerja yang ergonomis sesuai dengan kebutuhan operator pada stasiun kerja finishing dengan menggunakan metode Antropometri.

Investigation of Microstructures and Air Permeability of Aerogel-Coated Textile Fabric Materials

This study focuses on fabrication of aerogel-coated macroporous polyester fabrics for the purposes of filtration of nanometric airborne particles and potential application in facemasks. Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) and polyimide (PI) gels that provide respectively majority macropores (diameter > 50 nm) and mesopores (diameter 2 to 50 nm) are coated onto woven polyester fabrics via a dip coating process. The resultant materials are supercritically dried to obtain aerogelcoated fabrics. The results show that sPS is more suitable for the dip coating process. However, evaporation of the solvent during handling of gel-coated fabrics leads to closure of the surface pores that are later recovered via solvent annealing. The resultant aerogel-coated fabrics offer high air permeability (∼10–10 m2) and high filtration efficiency (> 99.95%) of airborne sodium chloride test particles of size 25 to 150 nm.

Comparative Study of the Potentials of Aspergillus terreus, Bacillus species and Chlorella vulgaris on the Bio-Remediation of Reactive Red 198 (RR198) Dye

Re-dyeing of fabric materials using synthetic dyes (such as reactive dyes) is fast spreading in metropolitan Kano which causes serious damage to the ecosystems. This study was carried out to compare the potentials of Aspergillus terreus, Bacillus species and Chlorella vulgaris in bioremediation and adsorption of reactive red 198 (RR198) dye used in fabric re-dyeing. This was achieved through inoculation of pure cultures of the organisms in the dye solution. The highest percentage adsorption for all the test organisms was recorded after 48 hours of inoculation, with Chlorella vulgaris displaying 86.4%, Bacillus species, 84.4% and Aspergillus terreus, 69.8% of dye adsorption. The results showed statistically significant difference in dye adsorption among the three species with Chlorella vulgaris having the highest adsorption potential compared to the Bacillus species and Aspergillus terreus. The adsorption process fitted with the Freundlich's isotherm, revealing a multilayer adsorption pattern. There is need for the introduction of better strategies that detoxify dyes before discharging into the environment to avoid further contamination. Keywords: Aspergillus terreus, Bacillus species, Chlorella vulgaris, Reactive red 198 (RR198) dye.

Potential fabric-reinforced composites: a comprehensive review

Fabric-based laminated composites are used considerably for multifaceted applications in the automotive, transportation, defense, and structural construction sectors. The fabrics used for composite materials production possess some outstanding features including being lighter weight, higher strength, and lower cost, which helps explain the rising interest in these fabrics among researchers. However, the fabrics used for laminations are of different types such as knit, woven, and nonwoven. Compared to knitted and nonwoven fabrics, woven fabrics are widely used reinforcement materials. Composites made from fabric depend on different properties such as fiber types, origin, compositions, and polymeric matrixes. Finite element analysis is also further facilitating the efficient prediction of final composite properties. As the fabric materials are widely available throughout the world, the production of laminated composites from different fabric is also feasible and cost-effective. This review discusses the fabrication, thermo-mechanical, and morphological performances of different woven, knit, and nonwoven fabric-based composites.