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(ii) Moisture Management fibre: Is available in 1.4 and 2.0 Den in all the usual cut lengths. It has a serrated cross section to enable wicking action to transport sweat quickly to the outside and helps in evaporating it faster. A strip of fabric made out of this fibre and dipped in coloured water illustrates its strength. Water climbs the fastest and highest in this strip against strips from 100% cotton and normal polyester and when the strips are removed from water, shaken and held under a fan, this is the strip that dries first.
As mentioned earlier, comfort to a wearer is a function of RH at skin level, and for a wearer to feel 'good', RH at skin level should be below 50 %. By quickly carrying the sweat formed at skin level to outside for evaporation, this fibre ensures comfort under hot humid conditions. Suggested end uses are: sports wear and track suits. Author feels that in cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, which are hot and humid for a major portion of the year, shirts / T-shirts / blouses / sarees / salwar kamiz out of this fibre should prove comfortable to people. We really need to try out this idea.
(iii) Antibacterial / antifungal fibres: These are available in solid form in 1.2, 1.4 and 2.0 Den in 38 / 44 / 51 mm cut lengths for apparel / sheeting end use and in 6.0 Den X 64 mm for non wovens. It is also available in hollow form in 7.5 Den X 65 mm cutlengths. An organic compound that gives the antibacterial / antifungal properties is added during polymerization, so these properties are permanent - fast to any number of washes and dry cleanings.
These fibres have several uses:
(a) In hospitals / operation theatres - for gowns for surgeons and nurses, sheets to cover a newly operated patient who still may be bleeding; as bedsheet and pillow cover with pillow stuffed with hollow antibacterial / anti fungal fibre. Blankets used by patients could be made of a non woven structure using hollow antibacterial / anti fungal fibre covered by a fabric out of solid antibacterial / antifungal fibre, we go all the way. Other uses in hospitals are: masks, bandages, underwears, socks etc.
Another use could be uniforms for workers in pharmaceutical and food industries. One more use will be in hotels particularly in blankets as well. Indian Railways give free beddings and blankets to all travelers in air-conditioned bogies, while we would expect the bed sheets etc to be sufficiently sterile as they are freshly laundered; the blanket is always a suspect. The fibre structure inside a blanket would offer enough space for bacterias like those of TB to multiply, so one always worries who used the blanket the previous night. Also, blankets are not washed frequently, so it makes sense to have a blanket made out of hollow anti bacterial / anti fungal fibres. One more plus point of the fibre is that it removes bad odours of certain bacterias.
(iv) Flame Retardant Fibre: Is available in 1.2, 1.4, 2.0 and 3.0 deniers in all usual cut lengths for woven / knitwear and in 6, 7, 10, 12 and 15 deniers in 64 mm cut length for non wovens. Here a derivative of phosphoric acid is added during polymerization, so flame retardant property is permanent. The fabric out of this fibre does not burn, nor is any smoke produced. Flames get extinguished when they reach this fabric. In one incident of a theatre burning - Uphaar Theatre in Delhi - 62 persons died, but only 20 or so were dead due to burning, rest were suffocated and trampled to death. When fire was noticed, there was considerable smoke and people could not see the exits.
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