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Textile fabrics as thermal insulators

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In recent times, a wide range of textile materials has been used as thermal insulators in many industrial applications. The thermal insulating properties of textile fabrics depend on their thermal conductivity, density, thickness and thermal emission characteristics. Experiments have been made with the aim of studying heat transfer by conduction through the different types of fabrics used as thermal insulators. 100% polyester and 100% polypropylene nonwoven fabrics are used in this work as case studies. The temperature variation through the selected fabrics is measured under different operating parameters such as densities and inlet temperature. The thermal response and behaviour for the selected fabrics used in this work as thermal insulators are illustrated. The relationship between the thermal conductivity and material density of the selected fabrics is studied. Polyester fabric has higher thermal resistance and specific heat resistance than polypropylene. Fabric thickness has a significant effect on the fabric temperature variations. The results of ?[Anova-two way measurements] are presented for 100% polyester and 100% polypropylene nonwoven fabrics. The temperature variation of the fabric increased with the testing time, and also decreased with the increase of fabric weight up to a certain limit beyond its optimum level. The results show that the selected nonwoven fabrics are suitable for usage as thermal insulators.
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... For the same thickness of non-woven thermal insulation product, a low density ensures a high thermal insulation potential, but for mechanical strength reasons this density must be increased. A balancing calculation of thermal and mechanical performance is necessary, also taking into account that around a density value of 60 kg/m 3 , the phenomenon of heat transfer through conduction becomes dominant and thermal insulation performance decreases significantly [48][49][50][51]. Research has demonstrated the possibility of obtaining thermal insulation mattresses produced using R-PET fibres characterised by a thermal conductivity coefficient around values of 0.035 W/mK [29]. ...
... For thermal insulation products produced using PET, the TIV coefficient ranges from 41.21% to 52.15% for thicknesses in the range 3.54-7.97 mm, increasing alongside increasing thickness [48][49][50][51]. ...
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... Both samples have a very similar coefficient of thermal conductivity; therefore, they have similar thermal insulation properties. The results are analogous to those of other authors [27][28][29][30][31]. The non-woven fabrics' thermal insulation properties are comparable to those of foamed polymer insulators such as polystyrene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, and others [32]. ...
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