Study on Cut-Resistance Properties of Composite Yarn Based Knitted UHMWPE Textiles: Influence of Reinforcement, Radiant Heat Exposure, Outdoor Environment, and Cutting Angles
Shubham Singh
Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, New Delhi, India
Contribution: Conceptualization (lead), Formal analysis (lead), Methodology (lead), Software (lead), Validation (lead), Writing - original draft (lead), Writing - review & editing (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorApurba Das
Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, New Delhi, India
Contribution: Project administration (lead), Resources (lead), Supervision (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorNandan Kumar
High Performance Textiles Pvt. Ltd., Sonipat, Haryana, India
Contribution: Investigation (lead), Resources (lead), Supervision (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Bipin Kumar
Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, New Delhi, India
Correspondence:
Bipin Kumar ([email protected])
Contribution: Funding acquisition (lead), Investigation (lead), Resources (lead), Supervision (lead), Visualization (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorShubham Singh
Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, New Delhi, India
Contribution: Conceptualization (lead), Formal analysis (lead), Methodology (lead), Software (lead), Validation (lead), Writing - original draft (lead), Writing - review & editing (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorApurba Das
Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, New Delhi, India
Contribution: Project administration (lead), Resources (lead), Supervision (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorNandan Kumar
High Performance Textiles Pvt. Ltd., Sonipat, Haryana, India
Contribution: Investigation (lead), Resources (lead), Supervision (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Bipin Kumar
Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, New Delhi, India
Correspondence:
Bipin Kumar ([email protected])
Contribution: Funding acquisition (lead), Investigation (lead), Resources (lead), Supervision (lead), Visualization (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorFunding: This research is funded by National Technical Textiles Mission, Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India (Project codes—RP04310G and RP04612G).
ABSTRACT
The safety of workers in hazardous environments depends on personal protective clothing capable of withstanding various real-world challenges, especially in automotive, glass, aerospace, mining, construction, and food industries where cut hazards are prevalent. Ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene (UHMWPE) is widely utilized in cut-protective textiles for its exceptional strength and durability. This study investigates the cut-performance of stainless-steel and glass fibers reinforced UHMWPE knitted fabrics under real-world industrial conditions, focusing on the influence of varying cutting angles, outdoor environments, and thermal exposure on their cut-protective efficacy. Reinforcement significantly improved cut-performance, with stainless-steel reinforced UHMWPE fabric (13SU) exhibited the highest tear strength (lengthwise-313.1 N, widthwise-405.8 N) and abrasion resistance (withstanding up to 800 rubbing cycles), providing best cut-protection with cutting force of 32.43 N at 90° cutting angle. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterizations revealed UHMWPE's sensitivity to thermal effects, with a significant decrease in crystallinity after exposure to radiant heat flux of 20 kW/m2 at fabric surface, leading to diminished cut-performance. Environmental durability assessments indicated a reduction in cut-resistance properties due to changes in the chemical composition of UHMWPE polymer structure, such as the presence of ketone (CO) and hydroxy (OH) polar groups, as confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.
Supporting Information
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Data S1. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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