Comfort and protective garments always seemed to be a contradiction in itself. The heavier the gear the better the protection. The obvious result is an adversely to use the gear permanently plus a quicker exhaustion of the professionals.
At PyroTex Industries we have taken this as a challenge and started developing products with putting an emphasis on comfort factors such as weight, moisture management, feel, and combine them with the protective requirements under ISO/NFPA/ASTM for the respective end-use. As a result we can present new products in the fields of firefighting, industrial manufacturing, aerospace during this year’s edition of Techtextil Mumbai.
The basis for these products are the intrinsic properties of the PyroTex® fiber namely:
- an LOI (Limiting Oxygen Index) of 43% which provides resistance against ignition even at long exposure to direct flames
- a Moisture Regain of 12% which provides comfort to the wearer as it can absorb away moisture
- a Thermal Conductivity of 0.03 W/mK which provides an exceptionally high insulation against extreme temperatures
- non-thermoplastic so the fabric/garment cannot melt and stick to the skin
- no toxic off gassing preventing the wearer to inhale lethal chemicals
Using these tools it is now possible to create garments which provide better protection with comfort.
Arc Flash Resistance
An arc flash is a sudden release of electrical energy due to a fault or short circuit in an electrical system. This release of energy results in an intense burst of light, heat, and pressure. Materials and clothing with arc flash resistance are designed to minimize the impact of these hazardous events by usually creating fabrics with a high weight. With the use of PyroTex® we were able to produce fabrics:
- with weights below 200g/m² which are classified with class 2 ATPV.
- with weights slightly above 200g/m² which are achieving levels of 14cal/cm²
Turnout Gear
Turnout gear is a specialized protective clothing worn by firefighters during firefighting. It is important that it not only protects against flames but even more so against heat. With the use of PyroTex increases the Thermal Protection Performance by 15%.
High Thermal Performance Suit
Turnout gear is a specialized protective clothing worn by firefighters during firefighting and rescue operations. It is important that it not only protects against flames but even more so against heat. With the use of PyroTex® we could: – increase the Thermal Protection Performance (TPP) of the outershell by 15%.
