Source:
Textile products play a vital role in meeting mans basicneeds. We often only consider textiles to be the clothes we wear. Obviously,the clothing industry is where the majority of textiles are produced and used. However, textiles are also important in all aspects of our lives from birthto death. The use of textiles has been traced back over 8500 years. Thetechnological advances of textiles in various industries do not always getrecognized as they do in the clothing industry. The following paragraphsdescribe some important roles that textiles play in other industries.
Food Industry:
Farmers wear protective clothing to spray their crops with pesticides. Textilesare used to cover plants and wrap trees for protection from weather andinsects. Coffee filters and tea bags are made of a non-woven textile. Theannual production of tea bag string would stretch around the equator 67 times.
Building Materials:
Textiles are used in our homes to insulate them from heat and cold. Thefurniture, on which we sit and sleep, is composed of various types of textile products. . Textiles are used in roofing materials, wire coverings, wall coverings, blinds, airducts and window screens.
Transportation:
The transportation industry relies on textiles to line thebeds of the roads before they are paved. A tire gets seventy five percent ofits strength from textiles. Kevlar aramid is often used to strengthen radialtires because it is lightweight and five times stronger than steel. Theinteriors of all types of transportation vehicles are covered with textiles.Textiles are also used in the brake linings, gaskets, seals, seat belts, airbags and filters of vehicles. The Lear Fan Jet airplane body is composed of 100percent carbon fiber composite material. This carbon material is half theweight of aluminum and as strong as steel. The heat shields on spacecraft arecomposed of a fiber that will withstand 20,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Health Industry:
Textiles are used as life saving devices in the healthcare industry. Theartificial kidney used in dialysis is made of 7,000 hollow fibers and is onlytwo inches in diameter. The Jarvik-7 artificial heart is composed of over fiftypercent textiles and has Velcro fittings. Over 150,000 people in the United States have artificial arteries made of knitted polyester, which aids in preventing clotting and rejection. The invention of disposable clothing helps prevent the spread of bacteria. Sutures for wounds are now made of a dissolvable textile fiber.Casts for broken bones, surgical masks, bandages and gloves are other examplesof textiles used in the healthcare industry.
Protective Textiles:
Bulletproof vests are made of 7 layers of Kevlar 29 aramid, which can protect a person from a knife slash and stop a .38-caliber bullet fired at a range of 10 feet.Firefighters and race-car drivers wear apparel made of Nomex aramid to protect them from the extreme heat they encounter in their professions. Astronauts wear $100,000suits made of Nomex aramid that protect them from the elements of space.Sports players wear protective helmets and pads made of textiles.
Recreational Products
Sports equipment such as sailboats, hockey sticks, fishing rods, golf clubs,tennis rackets and canoes are composed of textile fibers. Kevlar aramid isused in this type of sports equipment because of its light weight and strength.Backpacks, balls, life jackets and artificial playing surfaces are also made oftextile fibers.
Miscellaneous Textile Products:
Other products composed of textiles that are not usually thought of as textile products are as follows:
- Toothbrushes
- Hair Brushes
- Dental Floss
- Artificial Flowers/Plants
- Book Bindings
- Candle Wicks
- Communication Lines
- Circuit Boards
Just by reviewing the textile products contained in theparagraphs above helps us realize how important textiles are to our lives. Theimportance of textiles also meets another need, which is employment. Today thetextile industry employs over 1.4 million people, more than any other industry.As textile technology advances, so will the importance of textiles in ourlives.
Sources
- Tortora, Phyllis. Understanding Textiles, 4th edition. Prentice Hall Publishing Company. pp. 2, 8-9, 190.
- Kadolph and Langford. Textiles, eighth edition. Prentice Hall Publishing Company. pp. 5, 132.
- All About Textiles publication from American Textile Manufacturers Institute
- Americas Textiles publication from American Textile Manufacturers Institute
About the Author:
The author is the Vice President for Marketing and Sales inTextile Fabric Consultants, Inc.
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