Assignment 2: Research Kevlar

Below is my research into Kevlar, the light weight material used more commonly for body armor. I have looked at this for the possible application of armor pieces for the compression suit:

·         Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires. Typically it is spun into ropes or fabric sheets that can be used as such or as an ingredient in composite material components.

·         Currently, Kevlar has many applications, ranging from bicycle tires and racing sails to body armour because of its high tensile strength-to-weight ratio; by this measure it is 5 times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis.It is also used to make modern drumheads that hold up withstanding high impact. When used as a woven material, it is suitable for mooring lines and other underwater applications.

·         A similar fiber called Twaron with roughly the same chemical structure was developed by Akzo in the 1970s; commercial production started in 1986, and Twaron is now manufactured by Teijin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlar#Armor  - 25/11/2012

Assignment 2: Research

Below is some research that I found that relates to my chosen idea:

These garments are often made from a spandex-type material.

The main benefits of compression sportswear is that it keeps the muscles warm to prevent muscle strain and fatigue, and wick sweat away from the body to prevent chafing and rashes. In addition, there is some evidence that compression shorts may enhance athletic performance.

For certain sports, like baseball and softball, come with padding at the hips to protect players from injuries due to sliding.

The alleged benefit of wearing compression tights is:

§  Reducing the time taken for muscles to repair themselves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compression_sportswear     23/11/2012

The early studies on compression clothing mainly looked the reduction of thrombosis in hospitalised patients, but when it was found that these garments increased venous blood flow to the extremities of the body, sports scientists began to investigate the effect of compression clothing on athletic performance.

In 2003, another study demonstrated that explosive/sprint athletes wearing compression shorts suffered less muscle oscillation during the landing phase and were able to increase their countermovement jump heights compared with ordinary shorts2. There’s evidence that these benefits occurred as a result of enhanced perception of joint movement and spatial location, via neural feedback (known as proprioception).

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/sports-clothing-how-lycra-effects-performance-41283     23/11/2012

Areas for my New Under Armour:

·         Prevents muscle strain and fatigue by keeping muscles warm – Heat sensors?

·         Enhanced Athletic performance- Increase in muscle density (fibre)?

·         Padding to protect players- More advanced applications for military use?

·         Reducing time on muscle repair- Rapid healing? Gel layer for healing (Nano tech)

·         Increases blood flow- Healing

·         Enhanced joint movement

Assignment 2: Chosen Idea

For this project I have decided to focus on designing a new type of compression top to enhance athlete performance. I also intend to expand this design into other areas such as medical and military.

Assignment 2: Living State Products

For this project I intend to look at products that effect the human anatomy, such as healing gels for skin and prosthetic limbs and to give them more life like qualities. I will also be designing in the idea of more advanced technology. For this project I have come up with a few ideas:

Week 7: Particle Effects

This week we worked physics such as bomb and wave effects. Using a model of a blood cell and using an animation path we created multiple blood cells editing the particle effects.