Seminar

on
Architectural & Constructional
Textiles

-Ravindra Kumbhar
 Introduction

• The Construction & Architectural textiles segment

comprises of textiles or composite materials used in the
construction of permanent and temporary buildings as well as
structures.

• Replacement of traditional materials

- Wood
- Concrete
- Masonry
- Steel
 Introduction

What made this possible???

Synthetic fibres allowed development of high performance fabrics

(High tenacity Polyester, Aramid, Kevlar, Glass, Carbon fibres etc)

- High Strength & High Modulus fabrics

- Hydrophobicity
- Rot and fungi Resistance

New material with Composites (cross linking resins)

• High strength to weight

• High stiffness to weight
• Extreme flexibility

Development of new & Improved Polymer Coatings

- increases the properties and performances of the fabric

 Introduction

Coated fabrics as “Envelopes” for

• Airports
• Stadiums
• Sports halls
• Exhibitions and Display halls
• Storage bases – Industrial & Military Supplies

Coated Fabric resists extremes of

- Sunlight
- Temperature
- Biological attack
- Wind, rain & snow
Area of interest
Products used in Architectural & Construction Textiles

Architectural Membranes
Products used in Architectural & Construction Textiles

Hoardings & Signages

Products used in Architectural & Construction Textiles

Scaffolding Nets

Material : HDPE filament

Products used in Architectural & Construction Textiles

Awnings & Canopies

- vinyl-laminated polyester
- vinyl-coated polyester
- acrylic-coated polyester
- vinyl-coated polyester/cotton
- solution-dyed acrylic
- painted polyester/cotton
- solution-dyed modacrylic
Products used in Architectural & Construction Textiles

Tarpaulins

- HDPE Tarpaulin Fabric

- Laminated PVC tarpaulins
- Polyester mesh fabrics
Products used in Architectural & Construction Textiles

Floor & Wall Coverings

PROPERTIES OF ARCHITECTURAL AND CONSTRUCTION TEXTILES
Why to use Architectural Textiles?

• Material Properties

• High Strength to weight ratio

• High Stiffness to weight ratio
• Light Translucency
• Fabric UV resistance
• Flame retardancy
• Water repellency
• Resistance to sunlight & temperature
• Resistance to rot & biological attack
• Resistance to Wind, Rain and Snow

• Durability & Sustainability

– the service life of fabric membrane structure: 15 to 30 years with PVC, PTFE, PVDC & ETFE textiles
– The typical life expectancy of a semi permanent PVC structure is 15-20 years plus
PROPERTIES OF ARCHITECTURAL AND CONSTRUCTION TEXTILES
Why to use Architectural Textiles?

• Design Creativity & Efficiency

- Unlimited range of forms & shapes

• Solar Protection
- Specialty textiles offer a range of
UV & solar protection options for
both humans & buildings
PROPERTIES OF ARCHITECTURAL AND CONSTRUCTION TEXTILES
Why to use Architectural Textiles?

• Energy Efficiency
In comparison to traditional building materials, textiles are more energy
efficient in terms of:
- The textile production process
- Fabrication & installation of membrane systems
- The ability to use natural lighting instead of artificial lighting, with the use
of translucent fabrics
• Cost Efficiency
-Fabric structures offer a number of cost efficiencies in terms of:
- Economy & efficiency of materials used
- Speed of installation
-Re-deployability of fabric structures
PROPERTIES OF ARCHITECTURAL AND CONSTRUCTION TEXTILES
Why to use Architectural Textiles?

• Fire Safety
- Architectural textiles range from non-combustible (PTFE)
to low combustible (PVC/PVDF)

• Recyclability
- PVC textiles are now fully recyclable with major textile manufacturers

- At the end of a fabric structures life, deconstruction is far simpler than more
traditional structures.

- The deconstruction process is also much simpler & more conducive to the re-use
& recycling of building components.
 MEMBRANE STRUCTURES IN ARCHITECTURAL &
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

There are three types of membrane structures

Films: Films are transparent polymers in sheet form without coating or lamination.
Films are less expensive and durable than textiles.
e.g. Clear vinyl, polyester or polypropylene

Meshes: Meshes are porous fabrics, such as woven polyester, that are lightly
coated with vinyl. Knitted meshes are made of high density polyethylene,
polypropylene, or acrylic yarns.
Meshes are used as shelters from wind and Sun, however they cannot provide
adequate protection from rain.

Fabrics: Fabric structures are by far most widely used membrane structures. Fabrics
are typically coated or laminated with synthetic materials to improve strength and
environmental resistance
 FABRICS FOR ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION

Fabrics must be
- Resistant to deformation and extension under tension
- Resistant to wind and water
- Waterproof
- Impermeable to air and wind
- Resistant to abrasion and mechanical damage
- Resistant to degradation (long term exposure to sunlight & acid rain)

Base Fabrics:
• Base fabrics are usually made of synthetic fibres and form the carrier layer which provides the
necessary strength to the structure.
• Aramid and Carbon fibres have excellent properties but expensive to use in construction
extensively
• High-tenacity Polyester, Fiberglass and Nylon are most widely used
 FABRICS FOR ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION

 Polyester fabric - High strength, low stretch, durable, least expensive

 Nylon fabric - More durable than polyester, more stretch and higher cost than polyester

 Glass fabric – Resist stretching, reflects a high percentage of the Sun’s heat
and keep the interior of the structure cool. Do not burn or smoke.

- Continuous filament yarns are preferred over staple fibre yarns due to inherent strength and
elongation resistance

Base fabric can be;

 Woven
 Knitted
 Non-woven

Woven structures are usually the design of choice for fabric rigidity and dimensional stability for
many applications. Generally simple weave patterns such as plain weave and low harness twills are
used
 COATING AND LAMINATING

• Laminating: Vinyl films over woven or knitted polyester or nylon meshes

 Most economical
 Good tear resistance

• Coating: Plastic material or synthetic rubber

Polyester fabric is tensioned before and during the coating

 Waterproofness
 Protects the base fabric from sunlight and weathering degradation
 Coating claims to improve dimensional stability
 Higher tensile strength
 Higher flex resistance
 Higher abrasion resistance
 Longer life

• Double Coating - Water and chemical resistance

 COATING AND LAMINATING

• Common polymer coatings are

- PVC (polyvinyl chlofide)

- PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride)
- PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)
- PVDF (polyvinyledene fluoride)

• Polyester fabrics are usually coated or laminated with PVC

films

• Fibreglass fabrics are usually coated with PTFE for durability

 COATING AND LAMINATING

• Importance of Top Finish

• Without the top finish the PVC coated fabric begin to attract dirt and lose its
aesthetic benefit

• Pyurethane topcoating for - “self cleaning”

• PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) - applied as a thin liquid to the surface of the PVC
coated fabric. PVDF polymer has better UV resistance
 PROPERTIES OF COATED FABRICS FOR ARCHITECTURE AND
CONSTRUCTION
 High tensile strength
 Adequate elongation
 High melting point
 Waterproofness
 Toughness
 Resistance to rot and fungi
 Resistance to weathering effects and aging
 Wet and dry dimensional stability
 Resistance of coating to high and low temperatures
 Flame resistance
 Abrasion and tear resistance
 Low weight
 Flexibility
 Good adhesion of the backing fibres to coating
 PROPERTIES OF COATED FABRICS FOR ARCHITECTURE AND
CONSTRUCTION
• For constructional and architectural coated fabrics resistance to fatigue and time
related fatigue becomes very important.

• One of the most important properties of coated fabrics for buildings is the residual
strength
THICKNESS

BREAKING LOAD

WEFT
BREAKING ELONGATION WARP

TEAR STRENGTH

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Fig: Residual properties of PVC coated Polyester

fabric after eight years of use in air structure
 APPLICATIONS OF COATED FABRICS IN BUILDING STRUCTURES

• Membrane structures can be

divided into four categories; Tents:
• Pole tents: Fabric is draped or
– Tents hung rather than tensioned
– Clear-span structures
– Air structures
– Tensile structures

(Membranes can also be categorized

as temporary or permanent)
 APPLICATIONS OF COATED FABRICS IN BUILDING STRUCTURES

• Tension Tents: Tension tents • Tensile Tents: Tensile tents have

include various tensile structures tensioned fabric that provides
clear span and do not require
guys
 APPLICATIONS OF COATED FABRICS IN BUILDING STRUCTURES

• Clear-Span Structures
- Clear space beneath the fabric
- Free of poles and other supporting
elements
- Can accommodate doors, flooring,
insulation, electricity
- More permanent than Tents & Less
permanent than air or Tensile
Structures
 APPLICATIONS OF COATED FABRICS IN BUILDING STRUCTURES

Tension Structures
• metal pylons
• tensioning cable
• wooden or metal frameworks
are used to support the fabric.

Fabric carries most of the load

- relatively minimal rigid support
system is required
APPLICATIONS OF COATED FABRICS IN BUILDING STRUCTURES

Air Structures
Air-supported structures can be built in
two ways

 Air pressure inside the Envelope

- Provides tensioning
- Maintains Required configuration &
stability

 Air-inflated ribs (air beams) supports

the structure
 FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE AND CEMENT

 Cement based matrix

 Inherently brittle
 Failure under impact loading

 Fibre Reinforcement
 Increases the toughness or tensile properties
of basic matrix
 Decreases cracking of concrete

Fibres with moduli lower than the cement matrix - Cellulose, Nylon, Polypropylene
Fibres with moduli higher than the cement matrix - Glass, Carbon, Kevlar

High modulus short fibres may require bonding to avoid pull-out

 TEXTILES FOR ACOUSTIC AND HEAT INSULATION

Absorbant textile materials : carpets, textile wall

coverings and curtains

• To improve audibility
• To preserve the natural quality of sound
• To prevent transmission of undesired sound

• Teflon fiberglass composite materials are used for noise reduction

• Housewrap materials for thermal insulation

- reduce thes flow of air into and out of the house, cutting heating and cooling
energy costs.
Case study
Properties