Over the years, the Textile Protection and Comfort Center (T-PACC) at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., has offered safe, controlled, repeatable testing of firefighting protective wear using PyroMan, a manikin with sensors that aid computer analysis of tissue burns. PyroMan, torched regularly in the pursuit of science, works well testing gear for structural fires, where direct burns are the main injury. However, wildfires expose firefighters to an additional risk—radiant heat from huge fires being battled for long periods under sometimes extreme weather conditions. Gear that works for wildfire firefighting needs to protect wearers from heat stress and ongoing radiant heat impacts. Enter the next generation of test manikin: RadMan, designed to “benchmark existing materials used in wildland clothing in an unprecedented way,” according to Roger Barker,T-PACC director.
New manikin for testing firefighting protective wear
Advanced Textiles, Industry News | October 1, 2011 | By: ATA
You might also like...
AI’s potential in saving manufacturers time and money
INDA honors three nonwoven industry professionals with lifetime awards
2024 Techtextil and Texprocess Innovation Award winners announced
FabricLink Network announces development of The Textile Gateway
DITF and VRETENA win Cellulose Fiber Innovation of the Year 2024 Award
New DHS textile enforcement plan cracks down on illicit trade