COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR INTERMEDIATE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

CURRENT CLOTHING ISSUED TO AIR FORCE WORKERS DOES NOT PROVIDE PROTECTION TO THOSE EXPOSED TO HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS. DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW COMPOSITE FABRIC MATERIAL IS PROPOSED FOR THIS APPLICATION. THE PROPOSED MATERIAL IS A THREE-LAYER COMPOSITE STRUCTURE CONSISTING OF A NON-WOVEN POLYESTER FABRIC SUPPORT, A MICROPOROUS MEMBRANE LAYER, AND AN ULTRATHIN SURFACE COATING. THE SURFACE COATING IS THE CRITICAL COMPONENT. THE CHEMISTRY OF THIS COATING IS SUCH THAT THE COATING IS ESSENTIALLY IMPERMEABLE TO ORGANIC CHEMICAL AGENTS, BUT FREELY PERMEABLE TO WATER VAPOR FROM THE BODY. THIS COMPOSITE STRUCTURE WOULD BE PREPARED USING THE TECHNOLOGY NOW USED TO PREPARE COMPOSITE MEMBRANE SYSTEMS FOR LIQUID AND GAS PERMEATION PROCESSES. IN THIS PHASE I PROGRAM, THE OVERALL FEASIBILITY OF THE APPROACH WOULD BE DETERMINED. IN A LATER PHASE II PROGRAM, THE MATERIAL WOULD BE DEVELOPED TO THE POINT OF PROTOTYPE DEMONSTRATION.