Effect of Aerogel Incorporation in PCM-Containing Thermal Liner of Firefighting Garment. (July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shaid, Abu; Wang, Lijing; Fergusson, Stanley M.; Padhye, Rajiv
• Is Part Of: Clothing and textiles research journal. Volume 36:Number 3(2018)
• Page Start: 151
• Page End: 164
• Publication Date: 2018-07
• Subjects: comfort -- aerogel -- phase change material -- firefighting garment -- thermal protection; Textile fabrics -- Periodicals; Clothing and dress -- Periodicals; 677.005
• DOI: 10.1177/0887302X18755464
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0887-302X

Abstract

Phase change material (PCM) in firefighting garment enhances protection and comfort. Wearing a protective clothing containing PCM, while fighting the fire, is a direct risk to the wearer as most PCMs used are flammable. This article reports a solution by using aerogel. Thermal liner fabric was treated with PCM and/or aerogel and then their thermal properties were analyzed. It has been found that the mean ignition time of PCM-containing thermal liner is around 3.3 s in current case while this value significantly increased to 5.5 s when the combination of aerogel and PCM was used. Moreover, the weight of the liner fabric with aerogel decreased in comparison to PCM-containing liner. Aerogel also slowed down the spreading of flame in PCM-containing fabric. Aerogel–coated liner showed superior heat resistance and the combination of aerogel with PCM increased the thermal resistance of PCM-containing liner.