THERMAL PROTECTION CAPACITY OF AVIATOR'S TEXTILES
Abstract
Since the advent of high-speed aircraft and nuclear warfare, the need for protection of personnel from thermal injury has been greatly emphasized. Among the more immediate aviation needs is that for fire-resistant anti-G clothing. An interim method has been devised for the selection and evaluation of textiles on the basis of their resistance to degradation by thermal irradiation of appropriate intensity and their protective capacity when in contact with living skin. Although field testing is not yet complete, a satisfactory thermally-resistant anti-G suit appears to have been achieved through this effort. This suit is fabricated of DuPont Experimental Fiber HT-1 in a twill weave and double-layer construction. On the basis of percentage of total body burns indicated by fuel flame exposures of clothed dummies, it has proven superior to a double-layer nylon suit and the regulation fire-retarded cotton coverall over the cutaway anti-G suit. The present method is being modified to yield surface temperature measurements during irradiation to provide for the ultimate goal of devising a thermal protection index based on previously established relationships between these temperatures and the tissue damage resulting from thermal irradiation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 22, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0259076
Entities
People
- Alice M. Stoll
Organizations
- Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster