Conventional cushioning materials such as silicone sheets which have been recommended for resisting impact generally cause discomfort to the wearer from heat and perspiration. With the increasing need for personal protective equipment, textile-silicone composite structures are proposed in this study to reduce acute impact and moisture while enhancing thermal comfort. The influence of the composite structure and thickness on the mechanical and thermal properties of textile-silicone materials are systematically investigated. The results show that an additional knitted powernet fabric as a composite material can significantly improve the tensile properties of silicone rubber by up to 315%. However, only a slight improvement is found in the thermal conductivity (up to 16%), compression elasticity (up to 18%) and force reduction performance (up to 3.6%). As compared to inlaid spacer fabric, which has also been used for cushioning and preserving thermal comfort, the textile-silicone composites have higher tensile and compression elasticity, exhibit force reduction with the largest difference of 43% and are more thermally conductive, with increases more than 38%. The findings of this study introduced a cost-effective new silicone-textile composite for optimal impact protection and wear comfort for protective applications.
Keywords: force protection; impact resistance; inlaid knitted spacer fabric; physical and mechanical properties; textile–silicone composites.