Market readiness of smart textile structures - reliability and washability

Abstract

Even if smart textiles gained a certain level of maturity, they are not yet ready for the market at large scale. The main issues explaining this are related to problems of reliability and difficulties to launder smart textile structures. Smart textiles are also facing problems for launching in market due to lack of standardizations. This paper is focused on washability standards of smart textiles. The objective is to co relate available textile mechanical tests with the washing of smart textiles and to observe the change in their performances. First, different washing functions and washing factors acting in laundering machines are analysed and discussed. Then Martindale abrasion tests and pilling box tests were performed in order to detect damages similar to those provoked by washing process. Two different types of silver coated conductive threads sewn on cotton plain woven fabric are used. Changes in threads resistance during these tests are analysed and correlated with modifications of electrical conductivity after washing of the similar samples. Therefore, the mechanical stresses underwent by conductive threads during washing cycle have been identified and reproduced by standardized testing equipment. More generally, this paper emphasizes all the problems, encompassing efforts that industry and research labs have to realize to make smart textile structures more robust and able to be cleaned or washed similarly to everyday textile products such as underwear, clothing, home textiles and even technical textiles. It gives indications on how the issues related to reliability and washability of smart textile structures have to be addressed in order to make them reliable and robust enough to be put on the market.