Modern "soft armor": clothing can also "invulnerate"

In the Jin Yong martial arts novel "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", the "soft armor" worn by Huang Rong can be "invulnerable" and very powerful. Today, ordinary clothing also has such a function. Recently, the clothing made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber fabric developed by Fushun Textile Industry Jiangsu Co., Ltd. can really "cut in and out", which makes the security function of ordinary clothing become a reality.

Violent incidents frequently increase protection needs

Not long ago, in the exhibition hall of Fushun Textile, the staff put a thick vest on the dummy and used a utility knife to make a strong stroke. The vest was "not moving." Afterwards, the staff took out the kitchen knife and the dagger, and slammed the slash to the dummy. The vest was still intact. In the end, I was really wearing a vest and wearing a vest. After a cruel "explosion", the tester was unscathed except for a slight pain. Next, the test of jackets, outdoor wear, suits, jackets, T-shirts, and sweatshirts was still not penetrated.

Why do these seemingly ordinary clothes resist such a blunt attack?

Recently, Cai Zhengbo, CEO of Fushun Textile Industry Jiangsu Co., Ltd., revealed the mystery when interviewed by China Fiber Inspection.

It turns out that these garments, which seem to be indistinguishable from ordinary clothes, are made of a fabric woven with high-strength fiber, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers. This "invulnerability" is also due to the high strength and high wear resistance of the basic fabric fibers.

“Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber is the world's strongest fiber. Its strength is 10 to 15 times that of the same thickness of steel wire. It has good cutting resistance and is widely used in the military market, such as body armor, bulletproof helmet, military equipment. And equipment in the field of bulletproof armor, aerospace and other military fields. The most used in the traditional market is bulletproof vests." Cai Zhengbo said.

Due to frequent violent incidents in recent years, people are increasingly worried about personal safety. Ordinary people have begun to demand protective products, but such products are extremely scarce. Most of China's high-performance fibers are used in defense aviation and other fields, and civilian use is limited to ropes, cables, biomaterials and industrial use. The use of common fabric clothing is still blank.

A long time ago, Cai Zhengbo began to pay attention to protective fabrics. “In 2003, I saw a security product in Colombia that focused on royalty and high net worth. I thought that with the economic development in China, high net worth people will pay attention to their protection as the West, and they want to develop a protective fabric. ."

In order to make this new fabric, he hired experts to develop for 7 years, to break through the technical barriers of layers, successfully transform high-performance fibers from military to civilian, and develop various types of soft protection for business leisure, outdoor sports and special equipment. Service to protect different groups of people from harm in special circumstances.

He said frankly: "Chinese textile fabrics have reached the 5th generation, and there will be big innovations in the 6th generation. High-strength fibers will bring safety and protection to them. Now the general public is still weak in fabric protection awareness. Add some new features, so that you can protect people from fire damage, violent damage, or accidental fall injuries. Our fabric is cut with a utility knife and can't be cut. The capital can prevent it, let alone ordinary falls and bruises."

Special fibers require special processes

In fact, it is not only the fabric but the finished garment that Cai Zhengbo finally presents to the consumer. This is also a reason.

"The fabric made of high-performance fiber is a polymer structure, which has the characteristics of high strength and high grinding. It can prevent the cutting of sharp cuts and sharp instruments. The tension is very large, and the ordinary machine can't control it at all." Cai Zhengbo said. He gave an example: the garment factory used this fabric to make a fine eye when it was processed into a garment, which may not be able to be played or beaten because the fabric hardness is very high. When I was conquering this problem, I asked Germany's Dukepu Company to do more than two months of research, only to make an eye, so the fabric is made into clothing, it is also a natural trend.

In order to make high-strength fabrics into garments, Cai Zhengbo had to strengthen the core components of the weaving equipment, enabling it to “drive” the super-strong fibers. He improved the needles of sewing equipment, and created the first high-strength eye-catching machine in the country, completing the complete industrial chain of spinning, weaving, finishing and garment making. In the process, he has applied for 8 patents, of which 1 invention patent and 1 utility model patent have been authorized.

Fabrics made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers can have such hardness. In addition to the high strength properties of the base fibers themselves, there is also a special weaving method - multi-dimensional three-dimensional weaving, which increases the strength of the fabric by 5 to 6. Times.

“In the weaving method of textile fabrics, the mainstream fabric is basically a layer of yarn or a superposition of two layers of yarn. The weaving of this high-strength fabric has three layers of yarn superposition, and there are four or five layers of superposition. Also depends on the demand. The knife may cut the first two layers, the third layer will protect the skin, and the fourth and fifth layers will be safer. This multi-dimensional three-dimensional weaving method is also our core patent, the height of this fabric The intensity is also inseparable from this." Cai Zhengbo said.

In the interview, Cai Zhengbo showed T-shirts and trousers made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber fabrics to reporters. Cai Zhengbo told reporters that in order to tear, the sewing threads used in clothing are all the same materials as fabrics. The two T-shirts and trousers, in addition to being slightly thicker than ordinary T-shirts, have a smooth, cool icy feel.

"Iceness is determined by the characteristics of its basic fiber. The transfer of temperature is also the diffusion of energy. When the temperature is in contact with the fiber, it can quickly disperse the heat through the long-chain guide, and quickly take away the surface body temperature, and the surface temperature can drop 5 Degrees will feel cool at any time."

In addition, the icyness of the base fiber itself combined with a special finishing process, the fabric also has a moisture wicking function. However, since the cross section of the ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fiber is smooth in the cobblestone shape, and the cross section of the ordinary fiber is honeycomb, the dyeing in the finishing stage is very troublesome when the fabric is formed.

“The adsorption of polymers is very bad. The cross-section of the fibers is smooth like pebbles. It is very easy to peel off when painting on the top. The ordinary fibers are honeycomb-like. The dye molecules can be trapped in the honeycomb eyes, and the fastness and color are easy to come out. Ordinary fabrics can not be finished after finishing. Even if the Dutch DSM company, it is only white. We have solved the dyeing problem after the research and development." Cai Zhengbo said.

Cost is not the price key

At present, this ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber fabric has not yet reached the stage of full sales. Cai Zhengbo said: This product is a scarce resource, and will start with high net worth people. As for the price of the product and the price of ordinary clothing, there is no difference. “From the perspective of the cost of the basic fabric, it is not much different from ordinary clothing, but the clothing will have added value, so the final price may also vary greatly.”

The British PPSS Group is also a foreign company that uses ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber fabrics for clothing. When I first entered China, a coat was sold for 5,000 to 8,000 yuan. And through the shooting video to show the product anti-knife cutting characteristics. However, Cai Zhengbo believes that the reason why the price of the other product is high is due to the story, but the product protection is worthy of scrutiny.

"I am a basic material. I know this very clearly. After seeing the video, I feel that it is visually deceptive. I use a knife to cut myself and violently cut it. The strength is completely different, and the fabric is a single-sided weave structure, even if it is Rising to the double side can't resist the knife impact, and only multi-dimensional weaving technology can really prevent cutting."

Now, Cai Zhengbo has developed a 100D super-fiber fabric, which is said to be thinner than the hair. After being made into a T-shirt, it is half the thickness of the T-shirt that the reporter saw. It is lighter and more permeable, but in terms of safety protection performance, technology There is still a breakthrough, but it won't be too long.