Technical textiles
Inspired by space: technical textiles
This collection of resources has been developed to support the teaching of technical textiles. Each resource is inspired by space, providing information, experiments and discussion points for each of the technical textiles.
Modern Materials
This collection of resources support students to increase their understanding of Kevlar, carbon fibre, glass reinforced polyester, phase changing materials, Nomex, geotextiles, LCD, Rhovyl, breathable clothing, UV protective clothing and microfibres. The resources provide a classroom presentation, student worksheet, teacher notes and a student assessment.
Stephanie Kwolek - Polymer Chemist *suitable for home teaching*
Stephanie Kwolek invented the tough polymer Kevlar, used in protective clothing and developed a method for demonstrating the production of nylon in the classroom which is still used today. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 1.
Understanding fabrics
This lesson supports students to unpick a number of different types of textile, including natural, synthetic, blended, woven, non-woven and knitted Textiles. The lesson provides a classroom presentation, teacher notes and student worksheets.
Testing Textiles
This video shows Martin Stannard, head technologist for shops like Blacks and Millets. He ensures that all the clothing sold in these stores meets the claims about its performance. He tests every claim about a fabric, such as whether it is waterproof or whether it really does meet a British Standard. This is particularly important in the clothing worn by explorers, where the performance of advanced textiles products can mean the difference between life and death.
