The civilian field is a broad field where ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers can exhibit unique properties and play a role. In the past, due to cost and price limitations, it was difficult to be accepted by ordinary consumers, so the development of applications in the civilian field was slow. In recent years, with technological progress and the further decline of fiber cost (the price is less than 30% of the highest time), it has promoted its application and development in the civilian field to enter the fast lane, and at the same time, it has also stimulated the demand for fiber to a certain extent. The following will introduce its application progress in several major civilian fields.
- Gloves
Gloves made of UHMWPE fiber mixed with spandex, polyester and other warp knitting processes have good wear resistance and anti-cutting performance, and generally can meet the level 3 anti-cutting requirements specified in the EN 388 standard (that is, the anti-cutting index reaches 5). Gloves woven with yarns covered with glass fiber or steel wire have a cut-resistant performance of up to level 5 (cut-resistant index 20). Due to the high strength of the raw materials (generally up to 30 cN/dtex), corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance, the service life of a pair of high-performance anti-cutting gloves is comparable to 500 pairs of ordinary cotton gloves. After dipping, this kind of gloves with good anti-cutting performance is usually used in metal processing, glass processing, military police and other special industries that require high protection. However, with the decline in prices, its popularity has become higher and higher, and it is no longer limited to special industries. It has gradually been applied to any industries that require hand protection, such as construction workers, taxi drivers, porters, fishermen, and ordinary household labor.者 etc. Glove yarns generally use multifilament yarns with specifications of 300 to 400 D, which do not require high strength, but require high fiber linear density uniformity and cutting resistance.
- Home Textiles
Home textiles are an emerging application field of UHMWPE fiber in the past two years. The fabric woven from this fiber has an obvious cold feeling and is durable. The fabric can be used to make curtains, seat covers, mattresses, summer mats, quilts, tablecloths, tents, etc. Curtains, tents, etc. made of it have high tensile strength and can withstand strong winds. In particular, the bedding made with it can have a very good cooling effect in summer, and the body temperature during contact can be about 5 ℃ lower than the ambient temperature. At present, fiber manufacturers can provide white, black, green, blue and other colors of fibers for the production of fabrics and products in a variety of colors to meet the differentiated needs of the market. The UHMWPE fiber used in the production of cloth is generally a multifilament with a linear density between 50 and 350 D, which requires no fluorescent agent addition, no solvent residue, and uniform fineness.
- Clothing
The cost and price drop have made UHMWPE fiber no longer limited to the preparation of bulletproof vests, but can also be used to make ordinary clothes that are acceptable to the general public, such as short-sleeved T-shirts, pants, and mountaineering suits. UHMWPE fibers used to produce apparel are generally multifilaments with low linear density such as 100 or 200 D, and the fiber content accounts for about 80%. Clothing products have higher requirements for the residual amount of harmful substances in the fiber and the uniformity of linear density. Once this application is accepted by the market, the demand for fibers will be very large.
