Outlast used in Survival-One's new helicopter passenger suit

12 Apr '11

6 min read

“They want to feel that they have the best protection there is. But we also know what it is like to sit on a helicopter on a long flight with a survival suit: You have heat, noise, stress and all the rest of it… So we designed this new suit knowing that the people who wear it can feel confident that they are given the best possible protection whether it is been worn once or a hundred times. Our aim is to make their journey as comfortable as possible”, says Andy Wilson.

“We have even taken the latest offshore sizing information and carried out surveys of offshore workers, listening to their concerns and reacting to their feedback. These suits are built to fit today's offshore work population.” The outer shell of the suit is waterproof, breathable and inherently flame retardant. The thermal lining uses state-of-the-art Outlast PCM technology for much better heat management.

Outlast technology was originally developed for NASA to protect astronauts from temperature fluctuations in space. In the Series 1000 suits it controls the microclimate inside the suit to absorb excess body heat from the wearer when it is hot. The Outlast lining stores that heat, then releases it when the wearer gets cold. Moreover there is also a bonded antimicrobial layer of 99,9% silver to make sure the material remains fresher for longer. And a 3 mm thick layer which traps warm air and provides more insulation.

Outlast technology was originally developed for NASA to protect astronauts from temperature fluctuations in space. Outlast phase-change materials (PCMs) absorb, store and release excess body heat.

The principle of PCMs is simply demonstrated. Looking at PCMs two well-known technologies are successfully combined: On the one hand is the microencapsulation, as known from the chewing-gum inside which microcapsules are embedded. While chewing the shell is destroyed, and the taste is released. Another example: perfume probes in magazines. The microcapsules being destroyed while rubbing on the paper, as the smell is released.

The difference in Outlast materials: Microcapsules are also used, but the shell is stable and doesn't get destroyed. The capsules are very tiny: Around 1,000 fit on the head of a pin (ca. 3 million per cm²). Inside the patented microcapsules, called Outlast Thermocules, substances similar to paraffin are stored, which are capable of phase change.

This simple physical principle is well-known to everyone, example H2O: Water becomes ice or vapour when energy is added or taken away. PCM technology takes advantage of exactly this same law of physics. The advantages of Outlast Adaptive
Comfort products on a glance:

- Absorbs excess body heat
- Manages moisture
- Reduces overheating
- Reduces chilling
- Reduces perspiration
- Continuously adapts to thermal changes

Everybody's sensitivity to temperature changes is different, which means everyone sweats or becomes chilled at different rates; quickly or slowly. But the temperature corridor in which we feel comfortable is relatively narrow: when the body core temperature of 37°C fluctuates only 2°C upwards or downwards we are subject to fever or hypothermia. Here Outlast products help. They reduce temperature swings and influence the comfort zone efficiently. The microclimate is well balanced, one sweats less and is less chilled. You feel not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

Outlast presents latest developments around phase change materials (PCM) at Techtextil from 24 to 26 May, 2011, in Frankfurt; Hall 3.1, Stand E 61.

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