I + D / Nanotecnología aplicada a materiales textiles. Desarrollo de fibras, hilatura y tejeduría.
Year: January 2021 – June 2022
MOTIVATION
The HIGHSPIN project was born out of the increasing demand for companies to improve the hydrophilic behaviour of polymeric fibres.
On the one hand, sportswear, medical and automotive markets are becoming more and more demanding in their needs for technical fabrics to offer good breathability, strength and functionalities that add value to the product and this trend has created a need for research to improve moisture management in polyamide fabrics. On the other hand, the replacement of polypropylene fibres with other polyamide fibres in processes using aqueous media (safety paper and reinforced concrete) is a novel alternative that would provide a high quality, low-cost alternative to existing commercially available products, although at present their incompatibility in processes using aqueous media makes their use impossible.
OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of the project is to improve the hydrophilic behaviour of polymeric fibres in aqueous media by functionalisation, spinning and characterisation for reinforcement and security applications.
More specifically, the objectives are as follows:
- Obtaining new formulations based on additivated polypropylene (PP) with modified density and surface of the polymer, improving its behaviour in aqueous media.
- Obtaining new formulations based on polyamide (PA) with UV, FIR, IN, UPF and antibacterial additives to provide new functionalities that improve their physical and chemical properties.
- Optimisation of the multifilament melt spinning process to achieve the best possible mechanical properties in polymer fibres.
- Development of multifilament melt spinning with special sections (side-by-side, trilobal, hollow) for improved moisture management in the fibres.
- Optimisation of ATY and DTY texturising processes to improve the softness and comfort of the PA yarns.
- Manufacture of fabrics and development of demonstrator prototypes from texturised PA yarns.
- Characterisation of compounds, yarns and fabrics to analyse the degree of improvement in their compatibility in aqueous media, tensile strength and abrasion resistance.
EXPECTED RESULTS
The results of the project will be truly innovative: on the one hand, functionalised high strength, breathable polyamide technical fabrics will be developed and on the other, cheaper polypropylene fibres will be created with improved functionality with respect to existing polyamide fibres through their properties and greater compatibility in aqueous media during processing.
The project is expected to yield results that are closely related to the specific objectives mentioned in the previous section, as follows:
- To obtain new PP and PA based formulations with improved hydrophilic behaviour and added functional properties.
- To develop multifilament yarns with excellent mechanical properties.
- Develop multifilament yarns with special sections that improve moisture management in polyamide fabrics and polypropylene fibres.
- Obtain compatible PP staple fibres in aqueous media.
- To obtain texturised ATY and DTY yarns from PA that improve the softness and comfort of the fabrics.
- Manufacture of fabrics and development of functional PA demonstrator prototypes with good breathability, mechanical strength and abrasion resistance.
- Acquire knowledge from the characterisation of compounds, staple fibres, yarns and fabrics.
This project is funded by the Conselleria d’Economia Sostenible, Sectors Productius, Comerç i Treball de la Generalitat Valenciana, through IVACE, and is co funded by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) from the European Commission within the framework of the Operational Programme ERDF for the Comunitat Valenciana 2021-2027.
Additional Information
- Grant number: IMDEEA/2021/22
- Amount: 219.858,68 €
- Year: 2021-2022
- Status: In progress
- Entity: IVACE
