Flame-Resistant Textile with Air Chambers to Reduce Heat Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flame-resistant protective clothing for firefighters and other hazardous occupations is heavy, causes significant heat stress, and has poor breathability, limiting its wear comfort and effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A method for producing a flame-resistant textile material using a textile layer with two different fibre components, where one component is extracted through discharge printing or washing out, creating air chambers for insulation while reducing weight and enhancing breathability, incorporating cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, and synthetic fibres.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multi-layer special clothing designs are used to meet high protection requirements, then protection against heat and flames is improved, but heat stress on the wearer increases due to poor dissipation of body heat
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials by creating air chambers within the textile layers through extraction of water-soluble fibres. These porous structures enable breathability and heat dissipation while maintaining protective integrity, directly resolving the contradiction between protection and heat stress reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining water-soluble fibres (PVA) with flame-resistant fibres (aramid, viscose FR) in a multi-layer textile structure. This composite approach allows the material to exhibit both protective properties and breathability, resolving the contradiction between reliability and heat stress
2Reliability
If traditional flame-resistant materials such as leather or heavy cotton are used, then protection against heat and flames is provided, but weight increases and wear comfort decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by removing water-soluble fibres from the textile structure through washing or enzymatic treatment. This creates air chambers and reduces material density, significantly decreasing weight while preserving protective functionality through the remaining flame-resistant fibre network
Solution Approach 2:
The extraction process creates porous structures with air chambers that reduce material density and weight. The porous architecture maintains protective integrity while eliminating unnecessary mass, directly addressing the weight reduction requirement
3Reliability
If dense textile structures are used to provide protection, then flame resistance is improved, but breathability and moisture transport deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates porous structures by extracting water-soluble fibres to form air chambers within the textile layers. These pores enable breathability and moisture vapor transport while the surrounding flame-resistant fibre matrix maintains protective integrity, resolving the contradiction between flame resistance and breathability
Solution Approach 2:
The textile structure exhibits local quality variations with dense flame-resistant fibre regions providing protection and porous air chamber regions providing breathability. This spatial differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of flame resistance and moisture transport
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting textile material provides superior protection against heat and flames with reduced weight, improved breathability, and enhanced wear comfort, minimizing heat stress and moisture retention.
Implementation Method 1
a discharge paste being applied to the textile layer, which discharges the cellulose fibres when the discharge paste is thermally activated at temperatures above 150° C.
Implementation Method 2
the textile layer can comprise a water-soluble fibre component, the textile layer being subjected to a treatment step in which the water-soluble fibre component is washed out of the textile layer at least in part
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a flame-resistant textile material for protective clothing is characterized in that at least one textile layer is subjected to a treatment step wherein at least one fibre component is at least partially detached from the textile layer such that air chambers (5) are formed.