Development of thermoinsulating materials for winter sports

• Main Author: Sim, Shian Ying
• Other Authors: Alfred Tok Iing Yoong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/66357
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Clothing, fiber and textile material worn on the body, serves as protection barrier from external elements as well as insulation against cold or hot conditions. Majority of the winter apparels available on the market today is made of staple fiber. They are either thick, heavy or unable to provide sufficient thermal insulation. This study investigates the application of new materials like aerogel and thermal expanded graphite on the clothing. Aerogel and graphite possess excellent thermal insulation properties and extremely low density. In contrast, there is difficulty on the fixation of aerogel and graphite onto textile material. In addition, there is a problem with flexibility of textile material after incorporation of any inorganic component on it. Hence, a matrix with good flexibility and adhesion is needed to incorporate them into apparels. The relation between the amount of silica aerogel powder and the thermal insulation properties was determined by varying the amount of silica aerogel powder applied onto the textile material. Furthermore, different amount of matrix was used to verify its effect on the adhesion of the aerogel mixture on the textile material and the overall flexibility of the final sample. CLO value and softness value of the sample were measured to compare the thermal insulation properties and flexibility. The result showed that the thermal insulation of the sample increases with increasing amount of silica aerogel powder.