Browsing by Author "Gladish, Justin Lee"

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    Analysis of Factors Influencing Methyl Salicylate Adsorption on Textile Skin Simulants
    (2009-12-22) Gladish, Justin Lee; Dr. Peter J. Hauser, Committee Member; Dr. Roger L. Barker, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Keith R. Beck, Committee Co-Chair
    This research studied adsorption of methyl salicylate (MeS) onto knit textile structures. It examines the feasibility of using knit materials as a skin simulant in Man In Simulant (MIST) protocols. MeS is used as a simulant for toxic chemical agents. Knit fabrics were studied because of their conformability to mannequin limbs, and the potential for using these materials to enhance the correlation between mannequin and human garment tests of chemical resistance of vapor protective ensembles. Experiments were conducted at different MeS concentration levels, airflows, and with moisture preconditioned fabric. Fabrics made of protein, cellulosic, and synthetic fibers were studied to provide a range of comparison among hydrophilic/phobic fiber types. This research showed that the fiber composition and construction of knit fabric are the primary determinants of MeS adsorption. Knit materials made with protein-based fabrics, such as wool and silk, adsorbed more MeS than do knit materials made with nylon or cotton. Moisture preconditioning, designed to simulate adsorption of sweat on a mannequin, dramatically increases the adsorption of MeS. The target MeS skin adsorption was calculated based on the theoretical mass adsorbed on an uncovered Natick PAD during MIST exposure. The target mass calculated was 0.6 mg/fabric swatch (100cm2) of MeS. Preconditioned, moist, silk and nylon double knit adsorbed close to the MeS target mass with an approximate adsorption of 0.74 and 0.64 mg MeS respectively.