Research

SITEX 01 & 02 (Multilayered Coated and Laminated Textiles for Aerostat Hull and High-Altitude Airships)

Aerostat and Airship: Aerostats are balloons or Lighter than Air systems tethered at a height of up to 10 kms from the ground. They are mainly used for surveillance at the borders. Whereas an Airship is a lighter-than-air vehicle that is mobile and achieves flight using a buoyant gas which is less dense than the surrounding air. Particularly, stratospheric airship flies in the stratosphere region of the atmosphere, i.e., at a height of about 50 km from the ground. Aerostat Hull Fabric: The product is a multilayered coated and laminated fabric that consists of various layers, such as a strength layer, coating layer, gas barrier layer, and weather protection layer. The strength layer consists of a high-strength or high-performance fabric such as Nylon, Polyester or Vectran. The gas barrier layer is either a coating layer of polymer nanocomposite with nanoparticle fillers or gas barrier film which is laminated over the coated fabric. Further, the weather protection layer is either a TPU nanocomposite with nanoparticle fillers or a protective film which can be laminated over the fabric as the final layer. Airship Fabric: The product is a multilayered coated and laminated fabric which consists of various layers as discussed above in the case of Aerostat. The strength layer used in this case is a high-performance and high-strength fabric such as Kevlar (para-aramid) or Vectran. The remaining layers are similar in technology as discussed in the case of Aerostat. In both the developed products, we could achieve the targets with excellent results – low weight, high tensile and tear strength, excellent helium gas barrier property and weather resistance property. Salient features of the products developed: • Indigenously designed and developed multilayered coated and laminated fabric • Polymer nanocomposite coated fabrics (use of nanomaterials) • Lightweight • High Tensile and Tear Strength • UV Protective • Good Flexibility • Excellent Sealability • Excellent Helium gas barrier property • Trials taken at lab, pilot and industrial scale • Indian patent filed

Faculty Associated

Prof. Mangala Joshi, Prof. B.S. Butola