July 2007

 

Southern Mills Increases Thermal Protection

By Ed Ballam

TenCate Southern Mills has developed a new thermal barrier for personal protective equipment (PPE) called Quantum 3D. The barrier is a component of the Peak Perfor-mance System.

 

The fabric product, which is used to make firefighter turnout garments, represents the first significant improvement in thermal barriers in years, said Kirk Owen, the company’s end use marketing manager.

Little Bumps

“This is the first time that something like this has been put out there that can increase personal protective equipment without having a negative effect on breathability or weight,” he said in an interview.

Often garment makers are forced to choose between weight, breathability, stiffness and bulk to improve the thermal protective performance of turnout gear, according to Owen.

“There usually has to be an increase in thickness or weight in order to increase thermal protection,” he said. “There’s always a tradeoff.”

But not with the Quantum 3D, he pointed out.

“The big thing for us is the texture, these little bumps,” Owen said, running his figures along a manila piece of fabric with eighth inch squares embossed in the material. “These give better protection without adding weight and bulk. It actually makes the material less stiff. You can see how well it drapes and moves.”

The little bumps, which are proprietary to TenCate Southern Mills, are actually material that retains its shape without flattening out, even after multiple washings and compressions from sitting, or use, Owen said.

The patent-pending process provides higher thermal efficiency and insulation, while enhancing ease of movement with greater flexibility, according to the company.

Maximum Flexibility

For thermal protection, using standard outer garment shells, the Quantum 3D’s thermal protective performance (TPP) rating per composite weight is three to four points higher than the company’s Caldura Platinum thermal barrier, and its TPP efficiency is 10 to 12 percent higher.

The Quantum 3D product provides maximum flexibility while reducing stiffness by 50 percent over its other barriers, according to TenCate Southern Mills. It is also thin and lightweight, weighing 7.7 ounces per square yard.

Three Layers

The barrier is comprised of three layers of materials. The first is a company trademarked GoldCheck pattern with 100 percent Dupont Nomex fiber (spun/filament). The other two are combined in an inner batt – one proprietary 3D and the other a flat layer of spunlace fiber composition Nomex and Dupont Kevlar.

Aramid quilt thread is used to hold all three layers of the Quantum 3D barrier together and Quantum 3D meets National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.

Founded in 1925, TenCate Southern Mills is a Georgia-based manufacturer of fire protective clothing fabric. The company sells its products to manufacturers who make garments used by structural firefighters and wildland firefighters, as well as a variety of military and industrial personnel.

TenCate Southern Mills is a subsidiary of Royal Ten Cate, a multinational company, headquartered in Almelo, Netherlands, that combines textile technology with related chemical processes.

For more information call 800-241-8630 or go to www.southernmills.com