Temperature responsive fibers for variable loft insulation

Current clothing systems work on the principle of layering and are very effective. They do have the disadvantage, however, of being bulky and complex because they are usually made up of many parts. These problems are serious enough for the soldier thatmust carry them to warrant a constant effort in the development of fabrics for the design of smart systems that are able to cover a wide range of temperatures with a single, or at most a couple of garments. In Phase I Mid¿ proposed to investigate thefeasibility of a system based on the use of novel fiber design and advanced materials that would solve this problem. The basic idea was to design and optimize structure to produce fibers capable of transitioning from a flat to a three-dimensional shape.With the correct design, a network of fibers would result in a self-regulating fabric that can gradually transition from a flat, low-loft, low-R, configuration to a sufficiently high-loft, high-R, configuration. In Phase II Mid¿ proposes to develop itsdemonstrated concept into a commercial prototype.Variloft will not only solve the needs of the US Army by providing a self-regulating garment that requires no external power or specialized training for use, but will also present an opportunity to improvethe quality of thermal protection technology for the outdoor, sport, rescue and medical industries.One of the direct benefits of this technology, that is applicable to all the markets mentioned above, will be the reduction of complexity in current layered systems and the coupled reduction in weight that must be carried by the user. Another benefit isthe regulation of thermal transfer that depends not only on the external environment, but also on the internal environment. This effectively regulates temperature by balancing the ratio of body heat generation with heat absorption, which means that iddoes not only limit heat loss, but also heat buildup.A further benefit is that the manufacturing tools and processes required for manufacture are the same as those used for other bicomponent nonwovens.