Shrinking Violets

Description of the work Shrinking Violets is comprised of two half scale garments in laser cut silk organza, developed with a knotting device to allow for disassembly and reassembly. The first is a jacket in layered red organza including black storm flap details. The second is a vest in jade organza with circles of pink organza attached through a pattern of knots. Research Background This practice-led fashion design research sits within the field of Design for Sustainability (DfS) in fashion that seeks to mitigate the environmental and ethical impacts of fashion consumption and production. The research explores new systems of garment construction for DfS, and examines how these systems may involve ‘designing’ new user interactions with the garments. The garments’ construction system allows them to be disassembled and recycled or reassembled by users to form a new garment. Conventional garment design follows a set process of cutting and construction, with pattern pieces permanently machine-stitched together. Garments typically contain multiple fibre types; for example a jacket may be constructed from a shell of wool/polyester, an acetate lining, fusible interlinings, and plastic buttons. These complex inputs mean that textile recycling is highly labour intensive, first to separate the garment pieces and second to sort the multiple fibre types. This difficulty results in poor quality ‘shoddy’ comprised of many fibre types and unsuitable for new apparel, or in large quantities of recyclable textile waste sent to landfill (Hawley 2011). Design-led approaches that consider the garment’s end of life in the design process are a way of addressing this problem. In Gulich’s (2006) analysis, use of single materials is the most effective way to ensure ease of recycling, with multiple materials that can be detached next in effectiveness. Given the low rate of technological innovation in most apparel manufacturing (Ruiz 2011), a challenge for effective recycling is how to develop new manufacturing methods that allow for garments to be more easily disassembled at end-of-life. Research Contribution This project addresses the research question: How can design for disassembly be considered within the fashion design process? I have employed a practice-led methodology in which my design process leads the research, making use of methods of fashion design practice including garment and construction research, fabric and colour research, textile experimentation, drape, patternmaking, and illustration as well as more recent methods such as laser cutting. Interrogating the traditional approaches to garment construction is necessarily a technical process; however fashion design is as much about the aesthetic and desirability of a garment as it is about the garment’s pragmatics or utility. This requires a balance between the technical demands of designing for disassembly with the aesthetic demands of fashion. This led to the selection of luxurious, semi-transparent fabrics in bold floral colours that could be layered to create multiple visual effects, as well as the experimentation with laser cutting for new forms of finishing and fastening the fabrics together. Shrinking Violets makes two contributions to new knowledge in the area of design for sustainability within fashion. The first is in the technical development of apparel modularity through the system of laser cut holes and knots that also become a patterning device. The second contribution lies in the design of a system for users to engage with the garment through its ability to be easily reconstructed into a new form. Research Significance Shrinking Violets was exhibited at the State Library of Queensland’s Asia Pacific Design Library, 1-5 November 2015, as part of The International Association of Societies of Design Research’s (IASDR) biannual design conference. The work was chosen for display by a panel of experts, based on the criteria of design innovation and contribution to new knowledge in design. References Gulich, B. (2006). Designing textile products that are easy to recycle. In Y. Wang (Ed.), Recycling in Textiles (pp. 25-37). London: Woodhead. Hawley, J. M. (2011). Textile recycling options: exploring what could be. In A. Gwilt & T. Rissanen (Eds.), Shaping Sustainable Fashion: Changing the way we make and use clothes (pp. 143 - 155). London: Earthscan. Ruiz, B. (2014). Global Apparel Manufacturing. Retrieved 10 August 2014, from http://clients1.ibisworld.com/reports/gl/industry/default.aspx?entid=470

Through the Colour Lens

Colour is used to adorn and decorate and many have tried to find an organisational system that could concretely states how colour is to be used correctly. In this book Marisha McAuliffe examines the concept of colour and its uses for those who design professionally or those who simply want to appreciate the complexities of colour. It examines light and contrast, and explains the pitfalls that are to be avoided in colour design. The book explores different concepts relating to, and including, colour history, systems and theories, requirements for a colour-based design project, research, and generation of colour schemes so as to create optimal experiences for colour in architecture, interior architecture and design. To fully understand colour, the book ventures into its scientific and ‘non-scientific’ elements compiling key points about its many characteristics. Taken together, this book is a compressive guide for those who seek to work with colour and to tap its enormous potentials for design effect.

A novel fibre-coated sorbent for rapid removal of heavy metals from wastewater. Sorption of Zinc(II) from dilute aqueous solutions in the presence of high concentrations of common salts

The commercial acrylic fibre "Cashmilon" was partially hydrolyzed to convert a fraction of its nitrile (-CN) groups to carboxylic acid (-COOH) groups and then coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) resin and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to produce a novel gel-coated fibrous sorbent with multiple functionalities of cationic, anionic and chelating types, and significantly faster sorption kinetics than bead-form sorbents. The sorption properties of the fibrous sorbent were measured using Zn(II) in aqueous solution as the sorbate to determine the effects of pH and the presence of common ions in the solution on the sorption capacity. The rate of sorption on the gel-coated fibre was measured in comparison with that on Amberlite IRA-68 weak-base resin beads, to demonstrate the marked difference between fibre and bead-form sorbents in their kinetic behaviour.

A novel fibre-coated sorbent for rapid removal of heavy metals from wastewater. Sorption of Zinc(II) from dilute aqueous solutions in the presence of high concentrations of common salts

The commercial acrylic fibre "Cashmilon" was partially hydrolyzed to convert a fraction of its nitrile (-CN) groups to carboxylic acid (-COOH) groups and then coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) resin and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to produce a novel gel-coated fibrous sorbent with multiple functionalities of cationic, anionic and chelating types, and significantly faster sorption kinetics than bead-form sorbents. The sorption properties of the fibrous sorbent were measured using Zn(II) in aqueous solution as the sorbate to determine the effects of pH and the presence of common ions in the solution on the sorption capacity. The rate of sorption on the gel-coated fibre was measured in comparison with that on Amberlite IRA-68 weak-base resin beads, to demonstrate the marked difference between fibre and bead-form sorbents in their kinetic behaviour.

The specificity of the colour reaction between ammonia and 3-phenyl-2-thiohydantoin

The colour reaction between 3-phenyl-2-thiohydantoin and ammonia is studied quantitatively. Determinations of 0.1–0.6 μmoles of 3-phenyl-2-thiohydantoin are possible with a precision close to 2%. In analyses of amino acid mixtures for glycine after conversion to 3-phenyl-2-thiohydantoin, only derivatives of serine and threonine interfere to a slight extent. The specificity of the primary colour reaction with ammonia, and the structural requirements for it are discussed; a structure for the pigment species is proposed.

Nature of the colour-forming species in peroxy titanium sulphate

ALTHOUGH titanium is determined colorimetrically in aqueous sulphuric acid medium in presence of excess of hydrogen peroxide, the nature of the colour-forming species is not known definitely. Schwarz1 suggested that the colour was due to the peroxo-disulphato titanate anion [O 2Ti(SO4)2]2-. On the other hand, Jahr2 and later Gastinger3 considered that the colour of the compound was due to the peroxy titanyl cation [TiO2 aq.] 2+, and suggested the following equilibrium in solution: Schaeppi and Treadwell4 attributed the colour bo O2TiSO4 or [O2Ti(SO4)2]2-, whereas Babko and Volkova5 represented the coloured complex ion as [Ti(H 2O2)]4+. Mori, Shibata, Kyuno and Ito 6 regarded the coloured species as [TiO2 aq.]2+ or [Ti(OH)2 (H2O)(H2O2)] 2+, assuming the co-ordination number of titanium to be four. Thus, a variety of constitutions has been proposed to explain the colour-forming species of the titanium complex, based on the investigations carried out in dilute sulphuric acid medium, but the complex has not been isolated so far.

Environmental effects on fibre-Polymer composites

Moisture absorption characteristics and its effects on the mechanical properties and failure process of polymers (neat epoxy and polyester resins) and composites with simple (glass, carbon and kevlar) and hybrid (glass-carbon, carbon-kevlar and kevlar-glass) fibres were experimentally determined before and after immersion in water at 343 K for 20 days. The maximum moisture content (Mm) and diffusion coefficient (Dx) of these composites were determined. The degradation in ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus due to the moisture content were experimentally determined and found to be quite significant. Acoustic emissions, from specimens before and after exposure, were monitored during the load cycle, and revealed a significant change in the failure process of these composites. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) studies on failed exposed and unexposed specimens revealed resin leach out and fibre prominence.

Peroxomonosulphate initiated graft copolymerization of aniline onto poly(propylene) fibre - A kinetic approach

Graft copolymerization of poly(aniline) (PANI) onto poly(propylene) (PP) fibre was carried out in aqueous acidic medium under nitrogen atmosphere by using peroxomonosulphate (PMS) as a lone initiator. The non-conducting fibre was now made into a conducting one through the chemical grafting of PANI units onto the PP fibre backbone. The content of PANI in the backbone was found to vary while varying the [ANI], [PMS] and amount of PP fibre. Various graft parameters were evaluated. The chemical grafting of PANI onto PP fibre was confirmed by conductivity measurements.

Fishes of the Darkness : Water colour-regulated competitive interactions in humic lakes

Humic lakes are abundant in the temperate and cold regions of the Boreal Zone. High levels of water colour and strong thermal stratification of humic lakes limit the potential fish habitats and give a special role to the intraspecific and interspecific interactions. Water colour has different effects on species depending on species-specific life-history traits and trophic interactions. Fish species whose success in predation is based on visual cues are more susceptible to suffer in competition. The main aim of the thesis was to demonstrate the effects of water colour on European perch (Perca fluviatilis) in humic lakes. The contribution of water colour to diet, feeding, growth and competitive interactions of fish was studied both in laboratory and in small humic lakes with varying levels of water colour. The main findings of the thesis were that water colour has different effects on species, depending on species-specific life-history traits and trophic interactions. Water colour affected visually-oriented perch feeding and growth negatively, and the prolonged benthic feeding phase of perch resulting from the increased water colour could increase intraspecific competition in perch populations and may result in a partial bottleneck in growth for perch. Moreover, water colour may act as a proximate factor behind the population dependency of sexual growth dimorphism in perch.

Integrated climatic impacts of forestry and fibre-based packaging

The purpose of this study was to examine the integrated climatic impacts of forestry and the use fibre-based packaging materials. The responsible use of forest resources plays an integral role in mitigating climate change. Forests offer three generic mitigation strategies; conservation, sequestration and substitution. By conserving carbon reservoirs, increasing the carbon sequestration in the forest or substituting fossil fuel intensive materials and energy, it is possible to lower the amount of carbon in the atmosphere through the use of forest resources. The Finnish forest industry consumed some 78 million m3 of wood in 2009, while total of 2.4 million tons of different packaging materials were consumed that same year in Finland. Nearly half of the domestically consumed packaging materials were wood-based. Globally the world packaging material market is valued worth annually some €400 billion, of which the fibre-based packaging materials account for 40 %. The methodology and the theoretical framework of this study are based on a stand-level, steady-state analysis of forestry and wood yields. The forest stand data used for this study were obtained from Metla, and consisted of 14 forest stands located in Southern and Central Finland. The forest growth and wood yields were first optimized with the help of Stand Management Assistant software, and then simulated in Motti for forest carbon pools. The basic idea was to examine the climatic impacts of fibre-based packaging material production and consumption through different forest management and end-use scenarios. Economically optimal forest management practices were chosen as the baseline (1) for the study. In the alternative scenarios, the amount of fibre-based packaging material on the market decreased from the baseline. The reduced pulpwood demand (RPD) scenario (2) follows economically optimal management practices under reduced pulpwood price conditions, while the sawlog scenario (3) also changed the product mix from packaging to sawnwood products. The energy scenario (4) examines the impacts of pulpwood demand shift from packaging to energy use. The final scenario follows the silvicultural guidelines developed by the Forestry Development Centre Tapio (5). The baseline forest and forest product carbon pools and the avoided emissions from wood use were compared to those under alternative forest management regimes and end-use scenarios. The comparison of the climatic impacts between scenarios gave an insight into the sustainability of fibre-based packaging materials, and the impacts of decreased material supply and substitution. The results show that the use of wood for fibre-based packaging purposes is favorable, when considering climate change mitigation aspects of forestry and wood use. Fibre-based packaging materials efficiently displace fossil carbon emissions by substituting more energy intensive materials, and they delay biogenic carbon re-emissions to the atmosphere for several months up to years. The RPD and the sawlog scenarios both fared well in the scenario comparison. These scenarios produced relatively more sawnwood, which can displace high amounts of emissions and has high carbon storing potential due to the long lifecycle. The results indicate the possibility that win-win scenarios exist by shifting production from pulpwood to sawlogs; on some of the stands in the RPD and sawlog scenarios, both carbon pools and avoided emissions increased from the baseline simultaneously. On the opposite, the shift from packaging material to energy use caused the carbon pools and the avoided emissions to diminish from the baseline. Hence the use of virgin fibres for energy purposes, rather than forest industry feedstock biomass, should be critically judged if optional to each other. Managing the stands according to the silvicultural guidelines developed by the Forestry Development Centre Tapio provided the least climatic benefits, showing considerably lower carbon pools and avoided emissions. This seems interesting and worth noting, as the guidelines are the current basis for the forest management practices in Finland.

Friction and wear behaviour of continuous fibre as cast Kevlar-phenolic resin composite

A compression moulded Kevlar-phenolic resin composite consisting of 30 wt% continuous fibres was slid against a steel disc such that the fibre axis was normal to the sliding plane. The sliding experiments were conducted in a normal pressure range of 0.47–4.27 MPa and at a sliding speed of 0.5 ms–1. The initial sliding interaction is abrasive. With further sliding, as patches of polymer transfer film develop on the polymer pin and counterface, the interaction becomes adhesive and steady-state friction is established. The wear resistance of the polymer was found to be related to the stability of this film.

Structure and properties of fibre reinforced zn-27% al alloy based cast MMCs

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) based on a zinc-27% aluminium alloy (ZA-27) were produced using a pressure infiltration technique. Preforms of alumina fibres and aluminosilicate fibres were used for reinforcement. Uniform distribution of fibres and satisfactory interfacial bonding were achieved. UTS, specific strength, hardness and wear resistance were improved significantly by the alumina fibre reinforcement, but UTS decreased when using aluminosilicate fibres for reinforcement mainly due to unavoidable clustering of particles in the fibre preforms. Structure-property relations have been analysed in all cases.

Effect of sliding speed on friction and wear of uni-directional aramid fibre-phenolic resin composite

A previous study on the tribological performance of a compression-moulded aramid fibre-phenolic resin composite, containing 30% continuous fibre, showed that this composite provides a reasonable combination of the friction coefficient and wear rate to be used as a friction component, such as a brake shoe. In the present work, the effect of sliding speed on the friction and wear behaviour of this composite has been investigated. The sliding experiments were conducted in a speed range of 0.1-6 m s(-1) at two normal pressure levels of 1.0 and 4.9 MPa. The coefficient of friction was found to be stable over a wide range of sliding speeds and normal pressures. The wear of the composite was found to be insensitive to changes in the speed in the higher speed range. The results have been supplemented with scanning electron micrographs to help understand possible friction and wear mechanisms.

Production and properties of carbon fibre/particle reinforced cast metal matrix composites

Carbon fibres/particles can be satisfactory reinforcing material in polymer, ceramic and metal matrices. Carbon fibres/particles reinforced polymer matrix composites and ceramic matrix composites are being used extensively in critical areas of application, but carbon fibre - metal matrix composites have not reached that stage yet. This paper discusses the salient aspects of production and specific properties of carbon fibre/particle reinforced cast metal matrix composites. It is envisaged that these materials will find extensive applications where cost, weight and thermal expansion are the key factors.