Wool Carpet Research Articles

안전한 노인요양시설 환경을 위한 실내 바닥마감재에 관한 연구

The number of elderly who wants to access to Nursing Homes (NH) will increase due to the rapid aging society and domestic changes. Those who move into NH expect 24/7 care service in safe environment. Providing space free from danger, especially from fall, for the frail elderly is essential. The purpose of this study is to categorize performance needs of flooring materials in the aspect of safety, and analyze materials so that adequate ones for each space in NH can be suggested. Performance needs are as follows; slip resistance (dry/wet), fire resistance, resilience, water resistance, soil retardant, anti-bacterial, gloss, sound absorbtion. maintenance, durability, ease replacement, color and pattern variety, visual and tactual texture, tactile warmth, IAQ, sustainable material (before use), impact to nature (after use). They are categorized under function, economy, sensibility and sustainability. It was found that there are better materials than common ones that has been used repeatedly in NHs, such as vinyl sheets and VCT. In overall, Cork flooring and nylon carpet met all four categories, followed by wool carpet, rubber and linoleum. For bedroom, wood flooring, Cork, rubber, wool carpet, nylon carpets were suggested. In bathroom with shower, rubber, vinyl sheet and porcelain tiles were safe materials. As living/dining room and corridor floors, wool carpet, nylon carpet, cork flooring would be excellent as they are resilient and durable. The result of this paper can be used by both NH managers and material companies, resulting better quality of life of the elderly by providing safe environment.

Modification of Waste Carpet with Hydrated Ferric Oxide for Recycling as an Adsorbent Material to Recover Phosphate from Wastewater

The surface of waste wool rich carpet was modified to enable recycling as an adsorbent material to remove pollutants from water and to avoid bulky carpets contributing to landfill. The proteins of the wool fibres in waste carpets adsorbed either copper(II) nitrate or iron(II) ions to form nanoparticles of Hydrated Ferric Oxide (HFO). The copper(II) ions reversibly bound to the wool carpet. The strongest binding of the nanoparticles of HFO occurred after first oxidizing the surface epicuticle layer of the wool fibres and this binding was studied by FTIR and SEM. In a batch anion exchange process the HFO supported on oxidized carpet efficiently adsorbed phosphate. The phosphate bound to HFO was subsequently recovered by anion exchange via washing with an alkaline sodium chloride solution.

Functional Finishes for Wool-Eco Considerations

Although wool is a natural renewable fibre with a relatively low environmental impact for its production, a number of functional finishes are commonly applied to improve wool’s performance in knitted or woven garments or carpet. These finishes include those to improve fabric shrink-, flame- and insect -resistance, photo-stability and a number of treatments to improve wool carpet performance. The paper describes currently used treatments, their environmental problems and considers new, more environmentally -friendly alternatives under development.

Oceans Connect: The Indian Ocean and African Identities

Readers ofPMLARecognize 26 Broadway, in New York City, as the Headquarters of the Mla, One of the Major Hubs of Intellectual work in literary and cultural studies in North America. But in the summer of 1840, 26 Broadway was a commercial hub that connected the world of the Atlantic Ocean with the world of the Indian Ocean. Here, in the offices of the New York firm Barclay and Livingston, Ahmad Bin Na'aman, special envoy of the sultan of Zanzibar, Sayyid Said, offered for sale merchandise that had been brought to the United States from Muscat and Zanzibar. The merchandise included “1,300 bags of dates, 21 bales of Persian wool carpets and 100 bales of Mokha coffee” that had been acquired at Muscat and “108 prime ivory tusks, 81 cases of gum copal, … 135 bags of cloves and 1,000 dry salted hides” from Zanzibar (Eilts 32). The cargo had come to New York on 30 April 1840 aboard theSultanah, a bark owned by the sultan and commanded by William Sleeman, an Englishman. Except for two Frenchmen whose identities are uncertain and two Englishwomen who had sought passage to London, where the ship was headed, most of those on board were African slaves belonging to the ship's officers and hiredlascars, Muslim seamen from the lower Konkan and Malabar coasts of India who had been signed on in Bombay, where the ship had been refitted for the transatlantic voyage and from which it first embarked (3). The slaves, we are told, were dressed in garments made of coarse cotton cloth “calledmerikani, after the country of its manufacture” (4). In his account of the voyage of theSultanah, Hermann Frederick Eilts writes of “the pungent vapors of cloves, gum copal and coffee (from the ship's cargo), of tar and pitch, of open-hearth cooking in deep, acrid sheep tail's fat, calledghee, of primitive shipboard sanitation and of coconut oil” (4). This account of the “first Arab emissary and the first Arab vessel to visit American shores” is a rich reminder of the historical interconnections in the world (6).

Relaxed and Comfortable: The Australian Pavilion at Expo '67

Expo ’67, Montreal, was the first international exhibition Australia had attended since the 1939 New York World’s Fair. In New York, Australia promoted its export industries in timber and wool in an annex next to the British pavilion. In Montreal, Australia contributed its own major pavilion, a simple, rectangular box of glass and steel. Inside, the pavilion contained few actual exhibits. The main feature of its spacious interior was a salon-style arrangement of two hundred and forty lounge chairs created by the Australian designers Grant and Mary Featherston from an idea by the exhibit designer Robin Boyd. Visitors sat in the chairs to activate short, taped interviews with prominent Australians on aspects of Australian life and achievement, delivered though stereophonic speakers in the chairs’ headrests. Occasional tables stood nearby, bearing books on Australian society and ashtrays of a modern Australian design. One wall of the main exhibition hall featured a row of modernist paintings by leading Australian artists. Natural light streamed into the pavilion through its glazed north and south faces, which provided sweeping views across the exhibition site. Quality Australian wool carpet covered the pavilion’s floors and some internal walls, muffling incoming noise and adding to the general feeling of repose. Aspects of the pavilion’s interior suggest a range of architectural types: a hotel lobby, a corporate foyer, a gallery of modern art, and the living room of a large, modern home. The priority of modern design over specific symbols of Australian nationhood was unprecedented, its origin was in the government’s newfound eagerness to stress Australia’s modernization. Such progress was emphasized in Prime Minister Harold Holt’s four-minute interview on industrialization as a significant but little known feature of contemporary Australia. When questioned on the scale of Australian manufacturing in comparison to its more familiar rural sector, Holt described employment in industry as roughly equivalent to the USA, and higher than other recognized industrial nations such as Canada, France, and Japan.1 He identified Australia’s automobile, electrical, engineering, petroleum, mining, and steel industries as all experiencing rapid growth since 1939, and being “much more advanced and sophisticated than most people would realize.”2 The Prime Minister highlighted Australian inventions such as transistorized aviation beacons, radio telephone equipment, a 1 “Expo 67 Sound Chair Scripts. Notes for Interview with Prime Minister—Final Reading Text,” undated, National Archives of Australia (NAA): A463/1966/2141: 1. 2 Ibid., 3. © 2009 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Efficiency of Vacuuming for the Removal of Cat Allergen (Fel d 1) from Worn and Unworn Wool Carpets of Different Construction

Exposure to cat allergen (Fel d 1) has been associated with immune responses and exacerbation of asthma. As such allergen can accumulate in carpet, we sought to determine the influence of carpet pile conformation (loop vs. cut) and degree of wear on the levels of Fel d 1 present before and after different cleaning processes. Tufted wool carpets of different construction were loaded with house dust and artificially worn, before being either dry or wet vacuumed. Using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay to determine Fel d 1 levels at each stage, we showed the efficiency of Fel d 1 extraction from unworn (but soiled) carpets to be high, and to differ little with pile conformation or cleaning method. However, efficiency of removal decreased as the carpet became more worn, in which state wet vacuuming also proved slightly more effective than dry vacuuming. Therefore, if seeking to minimize exposure to cat allergen in a carpeted environment, in addition to established Fel d 1 avoidance techniques, implementation of a regular cleaning regime is desirable and consideration should also be given to removal of any heavily worn carpets (preferencing replacement with constructions of high wear resistance).

Closed-loop wool carpet recycling

Disposal of post-consumer carpets produces large volumes of waste for landfills where they do not readily degrade. Incineration is only possible in countries with the necessary infrastructure and increasing environmental pressure makes incineration unsustainable. We have shown that wool carpets can be used as a fertiliser with excellent results. Ground-up wool carpet, when added to the soil, greatly increases the yield (wet and dry matter) of grass grown. This closed-loop cycle (i.e., grass-wool-carpet-grass) is an efficient form of fibre recycling because the carpet to grass step is solar powered, unlike recycling of synthetic fibres. The suitability of ground-up wool carpets as fertiliser is confirmed by elevated levels of essential elements such as nitrogen (19%), sulphur (19%) and magnesium (7%) in the grass grown on carpet fertilised plots as compared to the control grass. The environmental soundness of wool carpet has been supported by the results of this simple experiment.

Computational model of wool carpet wear

A computational model of wool carpet wear is developed, with detailed mathematical explanations in each step, to compare with analytical models, conduct sensitivity tests and visualise individual fibre lengths in the wear process. The computational model gives good agreement with experimental observations, slightly better than the analytical models. The computational simulations show that 1000 fibres may be enough to represent an infinite number of fibres and a fibre is almost worn out after 10 breaks, which answers two general queries in computational modelling. The initial and current lengths of 100 fibres are plotted to illustrate individual fibre behaviour, which cannot be achieved using the analytical method.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Costs over the Life Cycle of Wood and Alternative Flooring Materials

Increased use of wood can substitute more energy demanding products and thus contribute to a long-term solution to the global warming problem. The aim of this article is to provide an empirical study on this substitution impact, its cost-effectiveness, and which methodological assumptions that are of highest importance for the results obtained. We have made a case study where we compare use of various flooring materials. The results show that floor covering in solid oak causes lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the other materials. The difference can be ranked in the following order, after their potential for reduction in GHG emissions: Carpet in wool, carpet in polyamide, vinyl, and linoleum. At 2% pro anno discount rate, the avoided GHG emission in tons per m3 of oak flooring used is 0.1–1.9 for linoleum, and 11.8–15.5 for wool carpets. Unless the solution in solid oak is on total less expensive over the lifetime of the building, only the price of avoided emissions from a substitution between solid oak and carpet in wool is reasonable, compared to present carbon fees. The assumptions that influence the result most are choice of discount rate, carbon fixation on forest area, and waste handling. Empirical case studies like this indicate GHG emission reduction potentials caused by substitution, but should be complemented by dynamic input/output analyses and econometric studies. To analyse the flow of CO2 over time, they should also be linked to forest management models.

Suitability of small environmental chambers to test the emission of biocides from treated materials into the air

Abstract Biocides are used to protect materials that might be damaged by fungal, microbial or insect activity. The aim of this study is to develop a method for the measurement of these organic compounds, which generally have low or moderate vapor pressures. The biocides considered in this study are permethrin, dichlofluanid, tolylfluanid, iodpropinylbutylcarbamat, octylisothiazolinone, tebuconazole and propiconazole. The emission from two commercial products (plastic foil, wool carpet) containing biocides and of seven types of biocidal formulations applied to wood or clay tiles were investigated in 20-l glass emission test chambers. Each chamber test was performed over a period of 100–200 days, and one investigation was conducted over several years. Compared to volatile organic compounds, low-volatility compounds show totally different emission curves in chamber tests; maximal emission values may be reached in days or weeks. A period of 3 months is sometimes necessary for the determination of area-specific emission rates (SERa's). The SERa's (μg m−2 h−1) from biocide-containing products were determined for permethrin (0.006), propiconazole (0.3), dichlofluanid (2.0), tolylfluanid (1.0), octylisothiazolinone (2.5) and iodpropinylbutylcarbamat (2). In most cases, the SERa stayed at its maximum value or declined slowly over the test period. Additionally, a chamber test begun in 1994 with a piece of wood treated with a typical mixture of biocides dissolved in a technical solvent was continued. SERa's (μg m−2 h−1) for dichlofluanid (0.20), tebuconazole (0.49) and permethrin (0.08) remained detectable after the period of nearly 9 years during which the sample remained continuously in the chamber. This test proved the very slow decrease of emission of low-volatility compounds like permethrin and tebuconazole.

Part I: Wear Model of Cut Pile Carpet

Modem probability fracture mechanics forms the foundation of Carnaby's carpet durability theory. On the basis of this theory, mathematical models have been developed to predict the wear life of wool cut pile carpet. In this paper, the existing models are upgraded to provide an accurate mathematical expression of Carnaby's theory, in line with the current advances in knowledge about the fatigue mechanism of wear in wool carpet, The life distribution function proposed by Camaby is redefined to achieve a direct measurement of the model parameters. The advanced model gives a better fit to the experimental observations than the previous one.

Part II: Wear Model of Loop Pile Carpet

A two-stage wear mechanism in a loop pile wool carpet is confirmed by current experi mental studies. A loop pile wear model is then developed on the basis of the two-stage wear mechanism. This model meets the initial and final conditions of carpet wear and shows that a loop pile construction of similar pile density has a longer life than the cut pile construction, as proved by observations. The sensitivity tests show that the delay of second-stage wear is insignificant to the wear life of a loop pile wool carpet, whereas the influence of the shape parameters b and B of the life distributions is remarkable.

Dermatofitos en perros de Cali, Colombia

The presence of dermatophytes was studied in stray and house dogs in Cali, Colombia, using a sterile square of wool carpet rubbed on the hair. A total of 251 animals were studied, 86 stray and 165 pet dogs. Dermophytes were found in 34 (13.5%) animals, 11 being stray and 23 house dogs. No correlation was found between these two groups, neither between age, sex, race or length of hair, and dermatophytes.The presence of lesions was the only factor that showed a significant statistical relationship with isolation of fungi (P

Type and Location of Fatigue Breaks in Wool Carpets. Part II: Quantitative Examination

Fibres selected from tufts in wool carpets subjected to straight-walk and turning-walk wear were subject to quantitative examination of the location of eight forms of damage. Carpet wear and loss of fibre are attributed mainly to axial compression fatigue, which causes sharp bends in fibres. Length distributions were measured and analysed statistically in terms of five models of break location. In tbe preferred model, tbe probability density function for fibre breakage increased from base to tip of tufts according to a simple power law.

Type and Location of Fatigue Breaks in Wool Carpets. Part I: Qualitative Examination

Cut-pile wool carpets were subject to straight-walk and turning-walk wear trials. Worn samples were photographed and the direction of pile lay was mapped. Fibres were extracted from worn tufts and examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Damage was classified in eight forms from incipient distortion to clear kink bands and cracks. The main cause of failure was axial compression fatigue, which leads to sharp kinks in fibres, add not multiple splitting as previously suggested.

An Investigation on the Colours Obtained from Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) and Their Colour Fastnesses in Woolen Carpet Yarns

An Investigation on the Colours Obtained from Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) and Their Colour Fastnesses in Woolen Carpet Yarns

Pupation site selection of cat fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) in various carpet types and its influence on insecticide efficacy.

Pupation sites of cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), larvae were determined in three styles of nylon and one style of wool carpet. Nylon saxony carpet had 59.3% of pupae at the top of the pile and 40% at the base of the pile. In nylon contract carpet, 55.2% of pupae were found at the top, 42.6% in the middle, and only 2.2% at the base of the pile. Nylon loop carpet contained 59.2% of pupae at the base, 25.5% in the middle, and 15.3% in the top of the pile. Wool loop carpet had 92.4% at the base and 3.8% both in the middle and top of the pile. Bioassays comparing the control of pupae manually placed at the base of carpets to that in carpets with natural pupation showed that control of pupae in the latter was 39-68% higher. Pupal control after natural pupation was greatest in nylon saxony and nylon contract carpets and lowest in nylon loop and wool loop carpets. Additional studies demonstrated that vacuuming provided the same level of pupal control on nylon saxony carpet as a spray application of permethrin to the carpet surface. Therefore, pupae that survived chemical and mechanical control treatments in nylon saxony carpet probably pupated away from the surface of the pile. Application of permethrin to the base of nylon saxony carpet did not significantly increase control. Future bioassays with cat flea pupae in carpet should be performed after natural pupation and consider carpet make and style.

Prevalence and risk factors of tinea unguium and tinea pedis in the general population in Spain.

This study prospectively evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of tinea unguium and tinea pedis in the general adult population in Madrid, Spain. One thousand subjects were clinically examined, and samples of nails and scales from the interdigital spaces of the feet were taken from those patients presenting with signs or symptoms of onychomycosis and/or tinea pedis, respectively. In addition, a sample from the fourth interdigital space of both feet was collected from all individuals with a piece of sterilized wool carpet. Tinea unguium was defined as a positive direct examination with potassium hydroxide and culture of the etiological agent from subjects with clinically abnormal nails. Patients with positive dermatophyte cultures of foot specimens were considered to have tinea pedis. The prevalence of tinea unguium was 2.8% (4.0% for men and 1.7% for women), and the prevalence of tinea pedis was 2.9% (4.2% for men and 1.7% for women). The etiological agents of tinea unguium were identified as Trichopyton rubrum (82.1%), followed by Trichopyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitale (14.3%) and Trichopyton tonsurans (3.5%). Trichophyton rubrum (44.8%) and Trichophyton mentagrophytes (44.8%), followed by Epidermophyton floccosum (7%) and T. tonsurans (3.4%), were the organisms isolated from patients with tinea pedis. The percentage of subjects who suffered simultaneously from both diseases was 1.1% (1.7% for men and 0.6% for women). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, age (relative risk [RR], 1.03) and gender (RR, 2.50) were independent risk factors for tinea unguium, while only gender (RR, 2.65) was predictive for the occurrence of tinea pedis. In both analyses, the presence of one of the two conditions was associated with a higher risk for the appearance of the other disease (RR, >25).

Residential characteristics influence Der p 1 levels in homes in Melbourne, Australia.

Exposure to house dust mite (HDM) allergens is an important risk factor for childhood asthma. Knowledge of environmental determinants of HDM allergen levels is essential before designing rational avoidance measures. To investigate the effect of domestic characteristics on HDM allergen (Der p 1) levels in Melbourne homes. Dust was collected from bed and floor of the bedrooms in 485 houses over a period of one year. Dust was analysed for Der p 1 levels using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Temperature and relative humidity were measured at the visit. Details of residential characteristics were collected using a questionnaire. Statistically significant predictors of Der p 1 levels (P < 0.05) were identified using multiple linear regression. High levels of Der p 1 were observed in the floors (geometric mean 17.2 microg/g fine dust) as well as in the beds (geometric mean 20.3 microg/g fine dust). Der p 1 levels in the floor dust were significantly lower in winter and spring. They were higher in houses built before 1980 and those with central heating, weather board walls, damp bedrooms or fitted old wool carpets. Der p 1 levels in bed dust were significantly higher in houses built before 1980, with wooden floors built on stumps, with high relative humidity, with visible mould in the room, in beds with an old mattress or in beds without a quilt. We would encourage construction of homes without carpets, wooden floors on stumps or weather board walls.

Chamber testing of adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on material surfaces.

A simple test chamber method to quantify adsorption and desorption of organic compounds on material surfaces is described. Important environmental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity and air velocity were varied and controlled independently around typical indoor values. Experiments were performed with alpha-pinene and toluene in concentrations of 160-300 micrograms/m3. The measurements show adsorption on and desorption from wool carpet, nylon carpet, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) floor coverings, cotton curtain material and the empty chamber. The ranking of the materials, with respect to their sorption capacity, is as mentioned above. The adsorption of alpha-pinene was higher than the adsorption of toluene for all the materials. Air velocity was not found to influence the sorption of alpha-pinene and toluene on wool carpet, tested with air velocities at 0, 10 and 20 cm/s. The experiments were carried out during both the adsorption and the desorption phase. The uncertainty of the experiments was lowest during the desorption phase. Based on the results obtained, it can be recommended that sorption experiments should be performed as desorption phase experiments. A one-sink model, based on the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, appears adequate to describe the results.