World Market and production of Textile used in Military.

Ali Javaid

04-NTU-142

HISTORY

Up until the end of the 19th century military land battles were fought at close quarters by individual engagements. ‘Danger’ colours such as scarlet were widely used,

At around the turn of the 20th century advances in technology and science provided more lethal long-range weapons with improved sighting. These combined effects caused rapid changes in military strategy and tactics, as engagements could be made at a distance. It now became important to hide troops and equipment by blending in with the background.

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The British Forces adopted khaki coloured uniforms (khaki meaning dung of dist in Persian and Urdu) The first khaki drill (or KD) made from cotton twill or drill entered service for tropical use in 1902, although it had been adopted in the South African Boer War before that time.

In the 1930s the UK War Office became increasingly aware of the need for new and more rational combat dress to meet the needs of mechanisation on land, sea, and in the air. This was to provide Bettor protection, comfort, and practicality.

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During World War II advances textile fibers, fabrics, and treatments saw notable landmarks such as the use of the new fiber ‘Nylon’ for light strong parachute canopies.

Ventile was the first waterproof water vapour-permeable fabric.

The well-known worsted serge ‘battledress’ uniform was introduced in 1939.

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The ‘Denison smock’, in lightweight windproof cotton gaberdine fabric, an bearing rudimentary camouflage patterning, was introduced for airborne paratroopers in 1941.

United States army introduced the ‘layered’ combat clothing concept in 1943.

The next great landmark in combat dress appeared in 1970, when the olive green (OG) 100% .cotton satin drill fabric appeared

From the 1960s to the present day the military textiles, clothing and equipment of all major nations have become ever more sophisticated and diverse.

Criteria for modern military textile materials:

The main functional criteria for military textiles are dealt with here under a range of headings. These include the physical, environmental, camouflage, specific battlefield threats, and the economic considerations.

Light weight and low bulk

Because

High durability and

Dimensional stability Because

Items have to be carried by individuals or vehicles with minimal space available

Must operate reliably in adverse conditions for long periods of time without maintenance.

MILITARY COMBAT CLOTHING SYSTEMS

Based upon the layer principle. Each layer performs a specific function. Special protective layers are added,

including a ballistic protection system comprising body armour and helmet, a nuclear, biological and chemical oversuit, and a snow camouflage oversuit

MILITARY COMBAT CLOTHING

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Property Comments

Water Repellant, Water Proof

Wind Proof, Snow Shedding

For exterior materials exposed to cold/wet weather

Water vapour permeable For clothing and personal equipments (tents)

Thermally insulating For Cold climates

Rot-resistant For tents, covers, nets etc.

UV light resistant For environments with strong sunlight

Air permeable. For hot tropical climates

Biodegradable If discarded or buried

UNDERWEAR GARMENTS

Textile materials used for next-to-skin clothing are primarily worn for hygiene reasons. The thermal insulation properties tend to be less important than the tactile properties and the way the material handles moisture (mainly perspiration) in order to remove it form the skin. Tactile properties are associated with fit, flexibility, rough-ness.

Military combat underwear fabric used by many nations, including the UK, need to be made from non-thermoplastic fibres to minimise contact melt/burn injuries. The perspiration and handling properties of knitted underwear materials are extremely critical for mobile land forces such as infantry soldiers, marines and special forces.

THERMAL INSULATION MATERIALS

Military forces of many nations need to survive and fight in the most extreme conditions known on earth. The cold/wet regions tend to cause the most severe problems, as it is necessary to provide and maintain dry thermal insulation materials.

The cold/dry areas, including the arctic, Antarctic, and mountainous regions require the carriage and use of clothing, sleeping bags, and other personal equipment which possess high levels of thermal insulation. Military forces are prone to sacrificing thermal comfort for light weight and low bulk items.

WATER VAPOUR PERMEABLE/WATERPROOF MATERIALS

One of the basic incompatibilities in technical textiles is that associated with providing waterproof materials which allow free passage of water vapour (perspiration). Without this facility, physiological problems can occur when impermeable clothing is worn by highly active soldiers, marines, and special forces.

In the most extreme war operations individuals cannot choose either the climatic conditions or the intensity of their activities. This can result in injury or death due to hypothermia or hyperthermia.

Over the twenty years since around 1980,appreciable effort has been expended by polymer and textile manufactures to solve this problem.There are now a wide range of woven.coated,or laminated fabrics which are waterproof and water vapour permeable.

Effects of wearing impermeable clothing in different conditions:

Conditions Activity Consequences

Cold/wet climate Medium activity Discomfort

Cold/wet climate in sweat-Wetted clothing

High activity followed by low activity

Hypothermia (cold stress)

Hot/moist climate and Wearing

protective clothing

High activity Hyperthermia (heat stress)

TYPES OF WATER VAPOUR PERMEABLE BARRIER FABRICS

High density woven fabrics:

Are typified by Ventile cotton fabric. There are also a range of fabrics based on woven microfiber polyester of Japanese origin such as Teijin Ellettes.

Ventile was originally developed for military use during World War II, and is still widely used by military and civilian forces

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Microporous coatings and films: Are

widely available in many variants. Such membrane are typified by having microporous voids of pore sizes from 0.1-5 um. The most well-known product, Gore-Tex, utilizes a microporous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane.

Other products are based upon microporous acrylic.These membranes or coatings incorporate a top coat of a hydrophilic polymer to resist contimination of the pores by sweat residues and penetration by low surface tension liquids.

Hydrophilic solid coatings and films:

Hydrophilic solid coatings and films:

In contrast to microporous films, the hydrophilic products are continuous pore-free solid films. As such they have a high resistance to ingress of liquids, Diffusion of water vapour is achieved by the incorporation of hydrophilic functional groups into the polymer such as -O-, CO-, -OH, or -NH; in a block copolymer.

CAMOUFLAGE CONCEALMENT AND DECEPTION

The word camouflage comes from the French word ‘camoufler’ (to disguise) and was first introduced by the French during World War I to define the concealment of objects and people by the imitation of their physical surroundings, in order to survive.

CAMOUFLAGE CONCEALMENT

CAMOUFLAGE,CONCEALMENT AND DECEPTION REQUIREMENTS

Visual spectrum

Ultraviolet

Near infrared

Far infrared

Acoustic emissions

Radar spectrum

Exposed materials match visual colors, texture and appearance of natural backgrounds

To match optical properties of snow and ice

To match reflectance of background when viewed by image intensifiers and low light television

To minimise the heat signature emitted by humans and hot equipment. Detection by thermal imagers

Rustle and swish noises emitted by certain textile materials Detected by aural means, unattended ground sensors and microphones

Detection of movement by Doppler radar

Property comments

FLAME-RETARDANT TEXTILES IN MILITARY USE

Although the range of flame-retardant products is large, the actual number of types used by military forces is quite small. The most widely used of these in Proban treated cotton, a tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium hydroxide product, bound to the fiber and cured in ammonia, Its advantages is its wide availability and low cost. It provides a finish which is resistant to many launderings, and gives good protection with low thermal shrinkage in fire. Its disadvantages are that it liberates fumes and smoke when activated, the treatment can weaken the fabric or spoil its handle, and it must not be laundered using soap and hard water, as these can leave flammable residues in fabric

FLAME RETARDANT TEXTILES IN MILITARY USE

Fiber/fabric type

Treatment type

Cost Military uses

Proban cotton Chemical additive

Relatively cheap

Navy action coverall

Anti-flash hood and gloves

Aramid Inherent

Fiber property

Expensive Bomb disposal suit

Submariner’s clothing

Arctic tent liners

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Zirpro wool chemical additive

Medium/

high

Navy firefighters

Modacrylic Inherent fiber property

Medium/low Nuclear, biological and chemical clothing tent liner

Flame retardant viscose

Chemical additive

Medium In blends with aramid fibers only

FLAME-RETARDANT TEXTILES

FLAME-RETARDANT TEXTILES

VISUAL DECOYS

Textile materials are widely used to fabricate and simulate the outline of high value military targets such as aircraft, thanks, missile launchers, and other vehicles.

These decoys vary in their complexity depending on the source of the potential attack. If surveillance and target acquisition is at short range, and with sufficient time to study detail, then the decoy has to be a realistic three-dimensional copy of the genuine item.

Inflatable decoys made form neoprene or hypalon-coated nylon fabrics have been used to mimic armoured fighting vehicles (AFV), missile launcher/tracker modules, artillery, and other vulnerable equipment. These are cheap and easy to transport and deploy.

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The tactical advantages of decoys are obvious they confuse the enemy into believing that opposing forces are larger than in reality. They may also cause the enemy to release expensive weaponry and ordnance at worthless targets, wasting valuable mission effort and exposing themselves to the risk of retaliation from ‘real’ weapons.

BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WARFARE PROTECTION

Biological and chemical warfare is a constant world threat. The toxic agents used are relatively easy to produce and their effects are emotionally and lethally horrific to the general population. They are weapons of insidious mass destruction. The fact that they have not been used in recent conflicts may be due, in part, to the difficulty of delivering and disseminating such weapons onto specific chosen targets

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Most current clothing systems use activated carbon on a textile substrate to absorb the agent vapour. Activated carbon can be used in the form of a finely divided powder coating, small beads, or in carbon fiber fabric form. This form of carbon has a highly developed pore structure and a high surface area, enabling the adsorption of a wide spectrum of toxic gases. Those with boiling points greater than 60oC are readily physically adsorbed on the charcoal, but vapours boiling at lower temperatures must be chemically removed by impregnants supported on the carbon 55

BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WARFARE CLOTHING

TEXTILE MATERIALS FOR BALLISTIC PROTECTION

Textile body armours may give protection against fragments and low velocity bullets, but not against other threats such as high velocity Bullets of typically,5.56mm, 7.62mm and even 12.7mm caliber. Textile armours are also defeated by flechettes, which are small, sharp, needle-shaped objects, disseminated in large numbers by exploding warheads or shells. In the case of these high speed projectiles we have to resort to using shaped plates made from metals, composites or ceramics. These are placed over the vital organs such as the heart .

EOD CLOTHING

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Since the 1970s a range of aromatic polyamide fibers have been developed (para-aramids). Fibers with trade names such as Kevlar (Du Pont) and Twaron (Enka) are available in a wide range of decitexes and finishes.

A range of ultra high modules polyethylene (UHMPE) fibers have been developed. They are typically gel spun polyethylene (GSPE) fibers, with trade names such as Dyneema (DSM) and Spectra.

TEXTILE MATERIALS FOR BALLISTIC PROTECTION

TEXTILE MATERIALS FOR BALLISTIC PROTECTION

LIGHTWEIGHT BALLISTIC COMPOSITES FOR MILITARY AND LAW-ENFORCEMENT APPLICATIONS

Ballistic composites are materials with superior properties being lightweight and durable under environmental conditions(water and chemicals) with high performance (high strength, impact and ballistic resistance, damage tolerance). Lightweight ballistic composites are used in a wide range of lightweight vehicle, watercraft and aircraft armour giving high performance and lightweight protection against bullets and fragments. They also have exceptional insulating properties in high temperature environments.

DEVELOPMENT IN MILITARY TEXTILES

Some of the recent developments in military clothing include progress made in minimizing weight and maximizing wear comfort

Militants are also turning to nanotechnology in an effort to make their armed forces more mobile and better protected from enemy assaults. Through nanotechnology, new personnel camouflage systems can be developed that can change pattern and colors as environment changes.

“Chameleonic” camouflage allows the soldier to become a mirror of his surroundings. Other nanotechnological developments include the use of fibers which can stimulate muscles and thereby give soldiers greater strength for lifting or jumping

Chameleonic camouflage

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Development efforts are also underway to make next-to-skin garments from electronic textiles which can determine a soldier’s physiological status including heartbeat, blood pressure, respiration and body temperature.

DEVELOPMENT OF NONWOVEN

FABRICS FOR MILITARY APPLICATION

The United States Marine Corps and the U.S. Army have taken the initiative to develop state of the art fire retardant nonwoven composite fabric technology for use mainly in Combat Utility Uniforms (CUUs) and coveralls. This effort is being conducted via Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contracts awarded to Nanosyntex, a Tennessee-based company. Essentially, SBIRs are very competitive and offer the perfect medium in which to conduct what may be termed "high-risk technology."

NONWOVEN FABRIC

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These reinforced multi-layer nonwoven composite fabrics have been engineered to be lighter in weight, significantly more breathable, and superior in tear and breaking strength as opposed to the conventional woven uniform fabrics. Advanced research is being conducted to enhance the durability and wash resistance characteristics for military and outdoor applications. In addition, the possibility of incorporating FR fibers and additives, barrier materials and nano fiber based technologies within the nonwoven composite structure will be explored.

The objective of SBIR projects is to utilize the latest The objective of SBIR projects is to utilize the latest nonwovens, FR fibers and treatment technologies to enhance nonwovens, FR fibers and treatment technologies to enhance performance and reduce lifecycle costs for combat-type performance and reduce lifecycle costs for combat-type clothing.clothing.

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Woven fabrics are basically two-dimensional structures with limited flexibility of design and composition, and go through at least 14 separate processes, usually conducted in three individual mill operations:  a spinning mill, weaving mill and finishing mill.   Nonwovens contain three-dimensional fabric structures and undergo only five processes or less, potentially done under one roof. Nonwovens are based on web-forming processes such as extruded spun bonded processing or carding processing. Nonwoven fabrics for this project then go through either thermal bonding and/or hydro-entangled processing.

Woven/nonwoven fabrics

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Nanosyntex has developed a multilayer nonwoven composite fabric for military garment application that can provide water absorbency on the inside and water repellency on the outside. Just as easily, the outside can be designed to possess flame resistance, chemical protection or other unique properties, while the inside, towards the skin, remains soft, supple and highly wickable.

Nonwoven composite fabrics can be made 25% lighter and stronger than current woven military uniform fabrics. In addition, they can be made to exhibit over three times the air permeability or breathability of the current woven military uniform fabrics .   

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However, the best achievement was that nonwoven fabrics were fabricated that possessed lighter weight and thinner properties while exhibiting higher normalized breaking, tearing and elongation characteristics, as well as improved air permeability properties compared to current woven twill uniform fabrics

Other features discovered from the unique nonwoven composites were a high degree of moisture transport; wrinkle resistance; compatibility with fusible applications, crease-set process or ability to possess permanent creases using silicone RTV beading; filtering characteristic which would provide optimum sand penetration; and capability to engineer heavyweight nonwovens for tentage or equipage applications.

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FUTURE OF NONWOVENS

Successful commercialization is the future of nonwovens. Getting people to accept nonwovens for clothing and general applications will be the key to success. Thus far, nonwovens are generally perceived as disposables with a harsh, stiff hand and weak in nature. The goal of this SBIR is to break out of this mode and prove the concept through use of military applications.

INTERACTIVE TEXTILES

A Textile that exhibits at least one unique and valuable property that “intelligently” responds to a stimulus. These materials could have the ability to sense and react (e.g., color change, oscillate, swell), conduct electricity, perform computational operations, and/or collect/store energy.

OVERALL FUTURE OF MILITARY TEXTILES

The country tries to integrate nanotechnology into technical textiles and develop new-generation military nano-clothes that shield off toxic gases from biological weapons. Such clothes aim to increase the surviving capacity of soldiers under various conditions.

WORLD MARKET

General Market overview: According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the world military textile expenditure in 2006 is estimated at $1204 billion in current prices.

BEST MARKETS FOR MILITARY TEXTILES

The Asia Pacific region: Between 1988 and 2005, military textiles expenditures in the Asia-Pacific region increased by 69%.

During the same period, military textiles expenditures in South Asia alone increased by 91%.

This region includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Military expenditures in East Asia, including Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, grew by 71% between 1988 and 2005.

This market is expected to continue its rapid growth for at least the next several years due to the implementation of force modernization programs and new procurement initiatives in Southeast Asia and Australia.

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The Middle East and North Africa Over the past 10 years, the Middle East/North Africa region has emerged as the world’s largest importer of military textiles.

Between 1988 and 2005, military textiles expenditures in the Middle East increased by 63%.

Industry Trade events and Dates for Military Textiles:

Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference (SOFEX 2008): March 2008, Amman, Jordan

Defense Services Asia (DSA 2008): April 21-24, 2008, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Eurosatory 2008: June 2008, Paris, France