Textiles

FACILITIES & CAPABILITIES

The FIBER lab aims to develop novel fibers and fabrics that integrate new capabilities into structures and composites. 

CAPABILITIES

  • Compounding of new reinforcements and additives into polymers for extrusion.
  • Extrusion of polymers into filaments or fiber bundles.
    Electrospinning of new polymer fibers or mat.
  • Weaving of prototype fabrics in 2D or 3D fiber architectures.
  • Knitting of prototype and low-rate production fabrics and garments up to 1.27 meters (50 inches) wide.
  • Woven and knitted fabric design.
  • Characterization of fabrics and fibers with regard to
  • Digital microscopy to 10-1000x
  • 1D fiber tensile tests
  • 1D fabric tensile tests
  • Surface energy
  • EMI Shielding effectiveness 30Mhz-10GHz

EQUIPMENT

Fabric Production

LeClerc Diana Hand Loom

  • Prototype loom for short runs of novel fibers and yarns
  • Fabric width up to 60cm (23.6in)
  • Computer controlled design
  • 16 Harnesses
  • 2 Warp Beams

CCI Evergreen II Dobby Loom

  • Industrial prototype loom for short runs of novel fibers and yarns
  • Fabric width up to 60cm (23.6in)
  • Computer controlled design
  • 20 Harnesses, 2 Leno Harnesses
  • 3 Warp Beams
  • 8 weft selectors

Optima 3D Jacquard Shuttle Loom

  • Prototype loom capable of 3D fabric architectures and pre-forms
  • Fabric width 10cm-60cm (23.6in)
  • Fabric thickness up to ~10cm (4in)
  • Compact creels with a total of 2304 package positions
  • Shuttle fill insertion system for continuous edges
  • Staubli Jacquard head, 2304 hooks

Stoll 3D Knitting Machine
Model:  ADF 530-16 ki bcW

  • Industrial flatbed knitting machine capable of producing seamless structures
  • 14 gauge double bed machine
  • Fabric width up to 1270cm (50in)
  • 16 yarn carriers
  • M1Plus design software

Compounding and Extrusion

Thermo Fischer Process 11 twin screw compounder with pelletizer and 3D filament extruder

  • Minimized sample material usage (20g)
  • Throughput range 20g/h to 2.5kg/h
  • Segmented screw design with removable top half barrel
  • Water bath
  • Works with polymers, additives, and adhesives

Hills Bicomponent fiber extruder

  • Extruder barrel rated to 500bar
  • Screw size 16mm
  • Throughput .05 to 1kg for each extruder
  • Spinneret- 19 round holes at 0.5mm diameter
  • Quench and in-line conditioning

Electrospinning

Domobio 4A (melt electrowriting; melt, solution, or gel electrospinning)

  • High precision syringe pump
  • Print volume 100x100x130mm
  • 0 to +30kV
  • Temp 15-50C
  • 20-80% humidity
  • 4 printheads
  • Print resolution: X and Y; 1.25mm, Z; 10mm

Elmarco Nanospider electrospinner

  • High precision syringe pump
  • Width to 300mm
  • 0 to +80kV
  • Temp 20-30C
  • 20-40% humidity
  • Mean fiber diameter 100mm + 20%
  • Batch volume 10-50ml

Property Assessment

EMI Shielding Effectiveness

  • Rhode & Schwarz ZNL20 Vector Network Analyzer (30MHz-10GHz)

Thermal Conductivity

  • C-Therm Trident (bulk plastic)

Surface Energy

  • Biolin Scientific Sigma Force Tensiometer 700 (filaments)
  • Data Physics Optical Contact Angle- 25 Goniometer (plastics)

Tensile Testing for Single Fiber, Yarn and Fabric 

  • Instron 68SC-5 (5N-5kN load cells, pneumatic and spring grips)

Rheological Analysis

  • DHR, Ares, Gottfert, RG50

Thermal Analysis

  • DSC, TMA, DMA, TGA

Visual Analysis

  • SEM, AFM, and optical microscopy

Photovoltaic Efficiency Analysis

CONTACT:

Jeff Hallman

|Lab Manager

jeffrey.hallman@composites.maine.edu

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