Facilities

Research and teaching is supported by comprehensively equipped laboratories. There is also a well equipped mechanical workshop that supports the engineering of new research equipment.

Some of the facilities in CTT’s laboratories are listed below.

Fibre Science Laboratory

Bicomponent melt spinning

Wet spinning

Dry spinning

Centrifugal spinning

Electrospinning (yarns)

Filament drawing

Rheometers

Thermal pressing

Thermal analysis

Copper Vapour laser (polymer mods)

Plasma coating line

Fibres to Yarns & Fabrics Laboratory

Drawing and Roving

Ring-spinning

Self-twist spinning (roller and air-jet)

Disc spinning

Wrap spinning (Tritex)

Chenille

Twisting

Air-jet weaving

Rapier (electronic jacquard)

3D weaving (composites)

Spread tow weaving system (composites)

Warp knitting

Weft knitting

Nonwovens Laboratory

Fibre blending

Fibre extraction and pulling plant

Carding (parallel-laid)

Carding (cross-laid)

Air-Laid (short fibre and long fibre systems)

Electrospinning (fibrous webs)

Hydroentanglement (7 injectors up to 200 bar)

Needlepunching (flat and structured)

Thermal bonding: calendar

Thermal bonding: through-air

Chemical Bonding (various impregnation methods including foam)

Drying and curing

Hot melt

Laminating

Coating

Vacuum Bagging (composites)

Nano-particle deposition

Porometry

Image analysis (pore structure, fibre orientation, structural characterisation)

Liquid transport, wicking and absorbency

Testing and Characterisation Laboratory

Standard textile testing facilities for fibres, yarns and fabrics in accordance with BS, ISO, ASTM and IST.

Microscopy

Fibre dimensions (length, diameter distribution, crimp, cross-sectional shape) and surface analysis.

Contact angle and wetting

Yarn and fabric dimensions

Yarn torsional properties

Frictional properties

Electrostatic properties

Hairiness

Tensile testing: fibres, yarns and fabrics.

Burst testing

Tear testing

Pilling

Abrasion

Dimensional stability

Handle testing (Kawabata, FAST)

Crease recovery

Drape

Performance Clothing Laboratory

Climate chamber

Wearable humidity and temperature sensor packs

Rain room facility

Shower test

Moisture vapour transmission

Helmet drop testing

Flex testing

Seam strength

Air permeability

Coated fabric performance testing

Thermal resistance and conductivity

Abrasion resistance

Wearer trial organisation

Geotrac-Rapide Laboratory

Instron tensile testing suite for <1N - 2000 kN

Multi-axial tester

CBR Puncture

Impact drop test

Shear box

Cylinder test

Transmissivity of geosynthetics

Permeability of geosynthetics

Green Chemistry Laboratory

Wet chemistry facilities

FTIR

TGA

DSC

UV/Visible/NIR spectrophotometer

Spectraflash colour spectrophotometer

Fabric impregnation and dyeing equipment.