Textile products play a vital role in meeting man’s basic needs. We often only consider textiles to be the clothes we wear. Obviously, the clothing industry is where the majority of textiles are produced and used. However, textiles are also important in all aspects of our lives from birth to death. The use of textiles has been traced back over 8500 years. The technological advances of textiles in various industries do not always get recognized as they do in the clothing industry. The following paragraphs describe some important roles that textiles play in other industries.

Food Industry:

Farmers wear protective clothing to spray their crops with pesticides. Textiles are used to cover plants and wrap trees for protection from weather and insects. Coffee filters and tea bags are made of a nonwoven textile. The annual production of tea bag string would stretch around the equator 67 times.

Building Materials:

Textiles are used in our homes to insulate them from heat and cold. The furniture, on which we sit and sleep, is composed of various types of textile products. . Textiles are used in roofing materials, wire coverings, wall coverings, blinds, air ducts and window screens.

Transportation:

The transportation industry relies on textiles to line the beds of the roads before they are paved. A tire gets seventy five percent of its strength from textiles. Kevlarâ aramid is often used to strengthen radial tires because it is lightweight and five times stronger than steel. The interiors of all types of transportation vehicles are covered with textiles. Textiles are also used in the brake linings, gaskets, seals, seat belts, air bags and filters of vehicles. The Lear Fan Jet airplane body is composed of 100 percent carbon fiber composite material. This carbon material is half the weight of aluminum and as strong as steel. The heat shields on spacecraft are composed of a fiber that will withstand 20,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Health Industry:

Textiles are used as life saving devices in the healthcare industry. The artificial kidney used in dialysis is made of 7,000 hollow fibers and is only two inches in diameter. The Jarvik-7 artificial heart is composed of over fifty percent textiles and has Velcro fittings. Over 150,000 people in the United States have artificial arteries made of knitted polyester, which aids in preventing clotting and rejection. The invention of disposable clothing helps prevent the spread of bacteria. Sutures for wounds are now made of a dissolvable textile fiber. Casts for broken bones, surgical masks, bandages and gloves are other examples of textiles used in the healthcare industry.

Protective Textiles:

Bulletproof vests are made of 7 layers of Kevlar 29â aramid, which can protect a person from a knife slash and stop a .38-caliber bullet fired at a range of 10 feet. Firefighters and race-car drivers wear apparel made of Nomexâ aramid to protect them from the extreme heat they encounter in their professions. Astronauts wear $100,000 suits made of Nomexâ aramid that protect them from the elements of space. Sports players wear protective helmets and pads made of textiles.

Recreational Products

Sports equipment such as sailboats, hockey sticks, fishing rods, golf clubs, tennis rackets and canoes are composed of textile fibers. KevlarÒ aramid is used in this type of sports equipment because of its light weight and strength. Backpacks, balls, life jackets and artificial playing surfaces are also made of textile fibers.

Miscellaneous Textile Products:

Other products composed of textiles that are not usually thought of as textile products are as follows:

1. Toothbrushes
2. Hair Brushes
3. Dental Floss
4. Artificial Flowers/Plants
5. Book Bindings
6. Candle Wicks
7. Communication Lines
8. Circuit Boards

Just by reviewing the textile products contained in the paragraphs above helps us realize how important textiles are to our lives. The importance of textiles also meets another need, which is employment. Today the textile industry employs over 1.4 million people, more than any other industry. As textile technology advances, so will the importance of textiles in our lives.

Bibliography:

Tortora, Phyllis. Understanding Textiles, 4th edition. Prentice Hall Publishing Company. pp. 2, 8-9, 190.

Kadolph and Langford. Textiles, eighth edition. Prentice Hall Publishing Company. pp. 5, 132.

All About Textiles publication from American Textile Manufacturers Institute

America’s Textiles publication from American Textile Manufacturers Institute