Australasian Mine Safety is the leading voice for all key decision makers within Mining company's and major contractors. Delivering the latest industry news as it breaks.
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136 The Australasian Mine Safety Journal Summer 2011/12 PROTECTIVE UNIFORMS POLARTEC POWERDRY FR INHERENTLY COMFORTABLE Modern Fire Resistant (FR) garments did not come of age until Polartec entered the scene in 2003. Previously, FR garments all but ignored the need for breathability, 4-way stretch, moisture management and next-to- skin comfort. P olartec spent the last decade working with the US military to develop state-of-the-art FR apparel. Together, they re-invented the category by combining the protection of modern FR with the best characteristics of the outdoor apparel. The Polartec FR layering system is now used extensively by all branches of United States military, as well as top workwear manufacturers around the world. Polartec's PowerDry FR offers signifi cantly improved comfort when compared to traditional cotton t-shirt fabrics. The source of this innovation is driven by its innovative patented moisture managing construction of the fabric. The PowerDry FR fabric not only wicks, but more importantly pulls moisture away from the wearer's skin and moves it to the outer layer of the garment where it spreads and evaporates. This is accomplished by fabric engineering which means the superior wicking is permanent and can't be washed out. It is by a trade secret orientation of both hydrophilic (water loving) and hydrophobic (water hating) fibres that helps create dry zones on the side of the fabric that touch the skin with water loving touch points that suck up moisture from the skin and channel it to the fabric surface where it can evaporate. This performance has been well documented via a direct comparison to other leading fabrics per standard AATCC 195. This standard is widely recognised in the Outdoor Industry where Polartec began developing high performance fabrics decades ago. The AATCC 195 standard is a great proxy for moisture management and, for fabrics of a similar weight, can be used to help judge the relative comfort of one fabric compared to another. The standard measures moisture management, not just wicking. Wicking performance by itself is actually a poor measure of moisture management. For example, a paper towel wicks moisture very well, but could you imagine wearing a shirt of wet paper towels against your skin under a coverall? Because your skin would stay wet, you would likely not be comfortable. MAX SPREAD RADIUS - The time in seconds when top and bottom surface of a fabric begin to absorb moisture. Spreads moisture 50% further than FR cotton and more than 2x further than leading modacrylic/rayon competitive brand. ABSORPTION RATE - The time in seconds when top and bottom surfaces of a fabric begin to absorb moisture. Absorbs moisture more than 7x faster than FR cotton and 25% faster than leading competitive modacrylic/rayon blend. Polartec Power Dry® FR cotton 15mm 10mm 7mm Polartec® Dry® FR Power FR Cotton Leading modacrylic/ rayon blend 1 Leading modacrylic/rayon blend 20 Testing done in accordance to AATCC 195 Standard 30 (sec) 0 FR Effective moisture management comfort goes beyond wicking performance. As such the AATCC standard contains three elements: First is the wicking rate – how fast moisture is pulled into both the bottom and top surfaces of a fabric. Second is the spreading speed which measures how fast moisture moves across the surface of the fabric once it is absorbed. Finally is the spreading radius – which measures how far a given quantity of moisture spreads across the surface of the fabric once it is absorbed. This is important as it contributes to how fast perspiration can then evaporate from the garment. Polartec PowerDry FR outperforms cotton FR and other blends FR. Also, the superior performance does not wash out. After 50 washes the performance is maintained. Conversely, some competitors get worse after multiple washing which suggests they use a lower cost wicking chemical that is applied to the fabric at the time of manufacture (like the FR chemistry) but is not wash durable. The fl ame resistance of Polartec PowerDry is inherent to the fabric via a specially engineered fl ame resistant fi bres and yarns unique to Polartec. PowerDry FR is NFPA 70E certifi ed. Other superior features of this fabric include a double-knit construction with a face that resists abrasion and a back (against the skin) that is soft and comfortable. Polartec PowerDry launders well and resists fading and shrinkage when compared to cotton knits. Also this fabric is lightweight at fi ve ounces per square yard which further enhances comfort. Polartec PowerDry FR is patent-approved, fi eld-tested to keep you both safe and comfortable. This fabric is now available in Australia and New Zealand, exclusively distributed by Charles Parsons. For further information on Polartec PowerDry FR fabrics or any other FR fabrics, contact Charles Parsons on 1300 147 887 (Australia) or 0508 278 324 (New Zealand). www.charlesparsons.com.au. SPREADING SPEED - When exposed to moisture, the rate which the water spreads across fabric surface. Maintains moisture movement capabilities at a rate 5x faster and 3x the distance. Polartec® FR cotton Leading modacrylic/rayon blend 1 2 (mm per sec) Testing done in accordance to AATCC 195 Standard Power Dry® FR