During the previous phases of research, Sceye and NC State teams developed series of laminates. One laminate was used to build a prototype airship that passed inflation test. However, distress test indicated the need for new laminate constructions that will be used to build prototype airship for long duration flight.

This proposal is submitted in answer to call for collaboration from Drs. Stewart Farling and Tobias Straube, Duke University, to develop textile-base intravascular oxygenator in response to 2022 Call for Proposals-Coulter Translational Partnership, Duke University. NCSU team will develop prototypes of intravascular oxygenator woven from hollow fiber with specs provided by Duke University team. The woven intravascular oxygenators will be constructed in single layer then roll the fabric to a spiral configuration.

Microfiber pollution from fast-fashion and the over-abundance of textile consumer waste challenges US and global sustainability goals. Nonetheless, soy is a bio-renewable crop whose protein and cellulose components can provide alternative materials to both Petro-based synthetic and natural fibers that are either animal based or high environmental impact plant-based that require high levels of water and chemicals. Soy based protein products offer the opportunity to create advanced bio-based fibers for use in a wide range of textile fiber applications that bring positive sustainability features. The strategic goal of this project is to develop fiber with a high soy content for the high-volume apparel and home textiles, which account for 85% of market share. To achieve this goal, soy fabrics will be comprised of soy-yarns that are manufactured from (1) fiber containing 30% or more soy protein, (2) fiber from 100% cellulose from soy hulls, and (3) staple yarns manufactured from fibers from (1), (2) and their blends. Our team will demonstrate the extrusion of these fibers using lab to pilot-scale equipment and conversion of these fibers to knitted and woven fabrics with constructions for high-volume markets using rapid prototyping equipment available at the Wilson College of Textiles (WCOT). Additionally, we will conduct thorough market opportunity analyses (MOA) to identify markets with the greatest long-term strategic potential focusing on apparel and home markets. The MOA will include series of expert interviews (brands and manufacturers, n=3-5) that support, along with fabric prototypes, the commercialization efforts.

Recent analyses of textile production cost have indicated that the US is globally competitive in the majority of primary manufacturing with exception of weaving [1-3]*. The weaving process is the slowest in the pipeline of fabric manufacture and this is due both to the nature of the weaving process, and inherent limitations in the yarns������������������ tensile and abrasion properties which can result in yarn breakages during weaving. In an attempt to offset these, a weaving machine must run at its highest speed and efficiency. To overcome the inherent limitations of the weaving process, weavers have made major advances to improve the quality of yarns by preparing them to withstand the rigor of weaving, which led to the reduction of short-term stops. Parallel efforts have been conducted by the machine manufacturers that led to the development of high-speed machines. The improvements in yarn preparation and weaving machine speed have reached the limit and other revolutionary ways to improve efficiency of the process are sorely needed. Two long-term stops in weaving remained unchallenged: (1) Style change, which is conducted when warp beam runs out and new fabric with different specifications is required and (2) Tying-in, which is performed when the warp beam runs out and the same fabric needs to be continued. Style change requires 4-8 hours to complete while tying-in needs 30-60 minutes for low-medium warp density and may require 120 minutes or more for high warp density, which significantly reduces the efficiency of high-speed machines. The project objective is to eliminate the long-term downtime of the weaving process associated with tying-in. Currently, when the warp beam runs out, the operator stops the process, and an automatic tying-in machine is brought to the loom along with a full warp beam. Setting time, which is conducted by operators, is required before the automatic tying of each warp yarn from the run out beam to its corresponding yarn of the full beam. The recognized advantages of the project is to increase weaving efficiency/productivity and reduce the cost of woven products that lead to increasing the US woven fabric manufacturers������������������ competitive advantage and number of jobs in weaving and its allied industries, which is in line with the target of the US Manufacturing Innovation Fund.

This work will drive the future Coulter work by first characterizing the fibers in detail to facilitate both a fiber analog for prototyping as well as better understand of any weavability limitations in the Hollow Fiber Membranes (HFMs).

Hybrid anechoic tunnels are a comparatively new innovation that have the same form as the conventional aeroacoustic wind tunnel but with the flow confined between acoustically transparent walls typically made from large Kevlar panels. However, commercially available Kevlar fabric produced ���������������scrubbing������������������ noise at high frequencies (>10kHz). Studies of Kevlar fabric made backed with a solid surface or with a cavity indicate that the noise generated by the pumping of air through the pores in the fabric. The role of NCSU team is to form range of woven fabrics from Kevlar yarn with varying weave structure and thread density. Unequal thread density in warp and weft directions is considered. Aeroacoustics wind tunnel testing and modeling will be conducted at Virginia Tech and Florida Atlantic University using the Kevlar fabrics produced at NCSU. Correlation between the Aeroacoustics parameters and Kevlar fabrics parameters will lead to identifying the optimum design of Kevlar fabric that reduce/eliminate the scrubbing noise.

Lawter is interested in conducting systematic investigation in order to optimize size formulas with WS-1208 as an additive using equipment and expertise available at the College of Textiles. This proposal is written in response to Lawter request after several meetings and conference calls with Mr. Corry Manderson, Business Development Manager of Innovation. The main objectives of the proposed research is to conduct systematic investigation to evaluate and reveal the optimum size add-on with Lawter nano-based WS-1208 as an additive, which produce best performance of different sized yarns. The performance is judged by sized yarns������������������ breaking load and elongation at high breaking rate, to simulate what the yarns are experiencing during weaving, hairiness, and diameter. The yarns will be sized using one of the sizing winders available in the College of Textiles Weaving Lab. The performance of sized and unsized yarns will be evaluated using equipment available in the College of Textiles Physical Testing Lab. The research work will identify the optimum level of size add-on and the WS-1208 levels and set the stage for large scale trials in industry setting.

SCEYE S.A. is currently funding (Reference Number 2015-0996) our team to pursue research that deals with a fundamental study to develop high performance inflatable laminated envelope fabrics for high altitude airship. The envelope fabric is characterized by its high strength to weight ratio, low helium and hydrogen permeability and UV resistance. SCEYE S.A. is also funding other researchers to develop lightweight and efficient airship components such as batteries, solar cells, and engine. The Company������������������s ultimate target is to construct airships with the highest performance with the minimum number of seams across the envelope fabric to dramatically reduce the overall weight of the airship since the inflatable laminated envelope fabric and its seams accounts for the majority of the overall weight of the airship. The current funded project expands over one year (January-December 2015). In this work, small size laminated envelope fabrics are being produced. The constituents of the fabric include high performance fiber reinforced layer laminated with flexible polymer matrix to make the fabric helium/hydrogen tight, surface layer with UV blocking materials, and a layer of carbon nanotube that is infused in the polymer matrix for reinforcement and further UV blocking. This proposal is written in response of solicitation from SCEYE S.A. to conduct a feasibility study on the development of full scale inflatable laminated envelope fabric with zero or minimum seam for the aforementioned airships. The main goal of the proposed research is to conduct a feasibility study on the development of full scale laminated envelope fabric with zero or minimum number of seams for high altitude stratosphere non-rigid airship for long duration and multiple flights.

This proposal is submitted in response to Fibrotools, Inc. (sponsor) request. The sponsor wishes to design and form an electrically conductive woven fabric with suitable warp and weft thread densities per sample supplied by the sponsor. The sample supplied by the sponsor is made from hybrid yarn from textile fibers and electrically conductive material, referred to as e-yarn throughout this proposal. However, the sample supplied by the sponsor possesses higher stiffness than required.

The objective of the proposed work is to design and form a woven fabric containing electrically conductive constituents with stretch in warp and weft directions. The target stretch range is 45-50% in both directions.