Effects of m-Aramid/p-Aramid Blend Ratio on Tensile Strength due to UV Degradation for Firefighter Clothing Fabrics and Development of Predictive Equation for Tensile Strength

Abstract

This study focused on the m-Aramid/p-Aramid blend ratio of the fabrics, clarified the quantitative relationship between UV exposure and strength retention, and developed a mathematical model to calculate tensile strength from an arbitrary amount of UV exposure energy. The results of tensile strength tests before and after UV exposure showed that the decrease in tensile strength due to UV degradation depended on the combination of p-Aramid and m-Aramid blend percentages. Tensile strength for all blend ratios decreased exponentially with UV exposure energy and was within the range of results for fabrics with p-Aramid 100% and m-Aramid 100%. The retention fraction of tensile strength, which represents the tensile strength after UV exposure relative to the initial tensile strength, decreased exponentially with increasing the fraction of UV exposure energy for all fabrics used in this study. Fitting the retention fraction of tensile strength to the fraction of UV exposure energy, two groups of fabrics were classified based on m-Aramid blends of 40% or more and 60% or less. This model can predict the tensile strength of firefighter clothing fabrics that retain high mechanical strength when exposed to UV light and design the strength of firefighter clothing with consideration of degradation over time.