2017-18 Senior Design Projects

Sponsor

Hanesbrands, Inc.

Team Members

Bella Latham, Shawn Womble, Seth Eby, Courtney Lee

Project Description

Disruptive technologies, such as 3D printing, could redefine how we construct garments in the future. HBI is looking to answer the question “How can 3D printing be utilized for garment manufacturing”? The goal of this project is to develop applications/products/concepts that utilize 3D printing of a full garment or on a textile backing (compatible with nylon/spandex and/or polyester fibers) used in trims or portions of a garment. The team will explore opportunities to the 3D print directly on textiles for innovative garment designs, establishing the pros & cons of the technology as compared to standard textile processing, and in doing so will identify the potential barriers of 3D printing for manufacturing garments. The team will generate a finished concept garment that upholds to the comfort and durable integrity of the intended garment.

Sponsor

Li & Fung America

Team Members

Olivia Vanistendael, Megan Davidson, Catalina Del Risco

Project Description

By 2025 synthetic production is expected to reach 84 million metric tons, equivalent to 798 million kg CO2 emissions (US polyester production). Moreover, 80% of the clothing we throw away ends up in landfill. The objective of this design project is to explore alternatives to the synthetic materials that have the same properties as the polyamide / elastane blends and polyamide / spandex blends that are used in swimwear produced by Li & Fung America. This team will not only consider material content but also new ways of spinning that create stretch, fabric construction techniques that maximize stretch and retention. The team will consider factors such as scalability and market price, as well as the sustainability of the material developed.

Sponsor

Kaneka Corporation

Team Members

Matthew Iezzi, Griffin Prufer, Madison Lanier, Steven Cedeno

Project Description

Kaneka Corporation, a large Japan based producer of synthetic fibers, is developing a biodegradable fiber intended for use in both aerobic and anaerobic environments. This fiber, tentatively identified as PHBH (a copolymer comprised of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate), is an aliphatic polyester biopolymer. Kaneka Corporation is a committed advocate for both the remediation and preservation of the environment and feels that the PHBH fiber may make a significant contribution to the betterment of our world. The objective of this project is to investigate the range of potential applications for PHBH fiber in both aerobic (soil: e.g., agricultural) and anaerobic (seawater: e.g., fishery) environments. We would also like to use the information obtained to formulate an initial market strategy, ideally working with downstream partners to develop functional prototypes using the PHBH fiber.

Sponsor

Hanesbrands, Inc.

Team Members

Mitchell Pace, George Corbin, Xuwen Zhao, Michael Zito

Project Description

Auxetics materials have a negative Poisson’s ratio that when stretched, become thicker perpendicular to the applied force. Auxetics can be illustrated with an inelastic string wound around an elastic cord. When the ends of the structure are pulled apart, the inelastic string straightens while the elastic cord stretches and winds around it, increasing the structure’s effective volume. Applications in auxetic materials have been demonstrated for shock absorption in military applications and athletic shoes. The objective of this project is to develop an lightweight (<130 gsm) innovative garment product that benefits from the use of an auxetic structure (in yarn or textile form). The goal is for the fabric to provide more coverage (or at least no sheerness) when stretched. The prototype should include testing strategies for the evaluation of this bi-axial properties of the auxetic property.

Sponsor

Hanesbrands

Team Members

Kevin Harrow, Jessica Pham, Louie Motew, Maggie Swaim

Project Description

Biomimicry emulates nature’s patterns and strategies toward the use in man-made applications. HBI is seeking ways to incorporate biomimicry designs to enable a ‘function without finish’ approach to existing fabric technologies. What solutions can be found in nature and be applied to this concept? Think of plants, animals, marine life, insects that have protective yet functional elements. The objective of this project is to identify a non-chemical solution that provides added benefits to a garment or fabric by creating an innovative structure in fiber (spinning), knitting, weaving, etc. that is bio-inspired. The finished fabric/garment should be appealing to consumers and be machine washable.

Sponsor

U.S. Army Research Office

Team Members

Courtney Oswald, Alexandra Sarsozo, Elena Morgan, Sam Stevick

Project Description

Working dogs play an integral role in the day to day operations of both military soldiers and law enforcement officers worldwide. All canine handlers and trainers use protective bite sleeves for engagement and apprehension training. However, the canine bite sleeves on the market today fail to measure the bite force of the working dog. The result is that trainers must rely on years of training experience to subjectively evaluate their canines which may result in ineffective training, canine/handler injury or unsafe environments during operations.  The development of the canine bite force sleeve would help provide an objective measurement tool for trainers to more thoroughly understand canine bite dynamics. The objective of the project is to re-design a commercial bite sleeve by incorporating electronic (or other) pressure sensors within the sleeve that accurately measures, records, and displays bite force data in real time.  Canine bite profile includes overall bite pressure, mapping the bite print and duration of a bite.  This project will collaborate with a Senior Design team in Electrical and Computer Engineering in the following tasks:

• The textile engineering/technology team will develop a test platform that accurately correlates canine bite pressure within the system, understand the nuances of force/pressure dissipation within the system and incorporate the appropriate sensors into a commercially available sleeve.
• The electrical engineering team will be tasked with evaluating force sensors that can withstand the impact of a working dog’s bite, as well as accurately record the force of the working dog’s bite. The team will also develop a ruggedized wireless system for data transfer, create a web application that obtains, stores and displays bite profile data from in real time. The ultimate goal allows trainers to view bite profile data via a handheld device in real time.

Sponsor

Gildan

Team Members

Samantha Casey, Maggie Kramer, Jenna Fowler

Project Description

Incredible technological innovation has been delivered to every part of the apparel manufacturing process in the last 20 years with the exception of the garment assembly phase. Farming, yarn-spinning, knitting and dyeing operations, which are all very capital intensive and typically require very little labor, have benefitted from tremendous innovation and new technologies. The garment assembly (sewing) is a critical part of the process in manufacturing good quality apparel, but has been left behind in the innovation process until just recently. While the workers in sewing facilities are often referred to as ‘unskilled’ at Gildan we believe these people are our most important resource and therefore are interested in doing a deep dive into all aspects of the sewing operations. This project will examine the complete workflow within these operations, including material movement, human and equipment positioning and physical locations, to best optimize productivity and reduce the physical strains of their repetitive workload. The findings of this project can lead to significant innovation in equipment and process improvements across the industry and the improvement of the lives of the workers.

Sponsor

Under Armour

Team Members

Anna Koel, McKenzie Cook, Nathan Detrick, Jon O’Neal

Project Description

The goal of this project is to create a commercial, performance-driven nonwoven insulation that incorporates down waste (short fibers leftover from the processing of down which typically go to the landfill). The nonwoven insulation to-be created will be the internal insulation component of a conventional quilted “puffer jacket”. This team will perform a manufacturing feasibility which will include determining the best way to “manage” or “control” the down in a facility and incorporate it consistently and durably in a non-woven web. The team will also seek to determine the min-and-max amount of down “loading” to achieve desired manufacturing parameters (i.e. speed/output/wastage/etc) as well as desired performance parameters. Finally, the team will develop a puffer jacket prototype from a “Lifestyle” perspective that would be ideal to have this insulation as a primary component. In doing so, marketing concepts will be developed that highlight the sustainability aspect of this initiative in addition to the potential performance gains compared to either (or both) down and non-down insulation systems.

Sponsor

Gryppers, Inc.

Team Members

Meghan Zerkel, Erik Elder, Erica Hernandez, Roman Braga

Project Description

Gryppers, Inc. is a sports technology brand that manufactures high-quality, textile products & advanced technologies to maximize long-term protection & peak performance. Integrating textile technology and biomechanics into every product. We create smart, wearable ProFormance (protective + performance) Solutions & apparel designed to strengthen your everyday active lifestyle. Gryppers targets areas of the body that are most prone to strain/ injuries, examine its biomechanics, then anatomically engineers tech embedded apparel to help increase protection and performance. The objective of this project is to develop the Gryppers’ Komplete Shorts, a product designed to help add support (protection) to three key areas – the knee, hamstring and groin. Komplete Shorts are ¾ length compression tights (girdle) that will utilizes a combination of existing and nonexisting technologies and implement them into one complete ProFormance garment; that does not hinder performance. Key criteria for this product includes support/protection, comfort/feel, fit, hindrance on athletic performance, and lifetime of use.

Sponsor

White Knight Engineered Fabrics

Team Members

Josh Leary, Morgan Miller, Kelly Rogan, Gurjot Baweja

Project Description

Develop a polyester fabric with moisture-wicking properties that can be used for polo shirts and T-shirts for the industrial laundry market. The team will determine moisture wicking performance (MWP) of top athletic wear as a function of wash cycles. Successful project will demonstrate continued MWP after a minimum of 50 industrial laundry cycles (wash and dry) and 75% of MWP at 100 industrial laundry cycles. Hand and weight of fabric made from yarn should be equivalent to typical consumer wear and competitive products and the solution should be manufacturable and cost-effective.

Sponsor

DRYV Technology

Team Members

Matt Coats, Joseph Stephens, Zack Moore

Project Description

DRYV is a patented textile technology that integrates an absorbent exterior into moisture wicking apparel, creating a more efficient method of moisture management within a garment. Developed for any activity where sweat inhibits performance, DRYV’s absorbent exterior allows the garment’s moisture wicking body fabric to perform its intended function, while providing the wearer with a surface area to assist in keeping hands, face and extremities dry. Historically, both the absorbent and wicking materials used in DRYV construction have been knits. As DRYV grows its list of licensed partners with products in many different categories, it is necessary to test the performance of this concept in different embodiments. Areas of particular interest include the use of woven fabrics and different methods of connecting the fabric such as lamination and bonding. The end goal of this project will be to recommend fabrics, their performance characteristics as well as constructions methods for shorts and pants that meet and optimize the DRYV standards for wicking and absorbing.

Sponsor

Hanesbrands, Inc.

Team Members

Jane Boyce, Sami Circeo, Chandler Pry, Hoajian Lei

Project Description

HBI is seeking innovative ways to use light in textiles for a variety of functions and designs. You are charged to light up Champion athletes who must “be seen” by passing cars and must “see” where they are going at any time of the day or night. Garments must have high-visibility at minimal costs. The garments should maximize safety and visual appeal. Students will conduct market research to determine the reasons lighted running apparel is advantageous for consumers. Active lighting materials should be evaluated for visibility, lighting, customer functionality, aesthetics, visual appeal, and launderability. Power supply options need also be evaluated as they relate to lighting for durability, performance, rechargeability, cost, and launderability. Solutions should be easily incorporated into traditional apparel manufacturing processes as well as provide the best combination of price and performance characteristics.

Sponsor

SAAB Barracuda

Team Members

Liam Taylor, Michelle Burkett, Ashley Williams, Laura Abelquist

Project Description

Saab Barracuda is the sole-source provider of Ultra-Lightweight Camouflage Systems (ULCANS) to the U.S. Military. These net systems are used to camouflage assets in the battlefield against detection by the enemy using multispectral tactical sensors. The objective of this project is to design a fabric construction that will offer both an improved thermal signature and reduced thermal transmission. The fabric needs to physically obscure both visual and thermal assets beneath, and offer minimal thermal loading of the textile itself. Fabric must be lightweight (~2.0 osy), durable for 2 years exposure in austere environments, and ultimately be commercially produced in flat roll form at a reasonable cost. A benchmark analysis of the current SAAB Barracuda fabric constructions will be need to be performed to determine improvements for strength, and multispectral performance, as well as access to tactical sensor imaging capability and data interpretation.

Sponsor

Patagonia

Team Members

Emma Jenio, Sean Bowman, Aaron Wang, Hannah Parey

Project Description

Microfibers, a subcategory of microplastics, are defined as small plastic particles that are fibrous in shape and less than 5 mm in length. Our prior work has demonstrated that synthetic microfibers can be shed from garments throughout their lifetime. The goal of this design project will be to understand factors for how and why synthetic garments shed microfibers. The primary focus of the deliverables involved in the project will include a statistical analysis of the cause (yarn composition, construction, etc) and the effect (microfiber shedding through napping.brushing/wash). In order to accomplish this analysis, the students will use a standardized testing protocol set forth by Patagonia testing engineers and environmental researchers. This will allow for any future comparative analysis with other research institutes and/or lab studies.

Sponsor

Standard Textile

Team Members

Larkin Hawkins, Noah Bastug, Matt Johnson, Samantha Mitchell

Project Description

Our company, Standard Textile, is a leading supplier of textile products to the US healthcare industry (think: scrubs, sheets, surgical gowns, cubicle curtains, etc.). We believe that there is a major opportunity to change the industry’s landscape by developing nonwoven, reusable products. There’s one catch: in order to justify the costs associated with nonwoven production, we would need to develop a single fabric that has could be used in a multitude of product lines. The objective of this project is to explore nonwoven fabrication of a greige fabric that could be used as a reusable material with strength, colorfastness, tactile hand, and appearance that could replace woven and knitted healthcare textiles. Specific healthcare products include Bedsheets/pillowcases, Patient Gowns, and Scrubs.

Sponsor

Fenner Drives

Team Members

Mollie Fisher, Chaz Fitzpatrick, Jeremiah Millikan, Zachary Brady

Project Description

V-belts are friction drive systems which rely on the wedge effect to transmit power from pulleys into the matching belt profile. Manufacturers strive to improve V-belt performance by achieving higher power transmission capability in a smaller footprint and at higher speeds. Current link belting technology has reached a point where significant development is required to increase performance in these areas. Fenner Precision’s solution is PowerTwist, a special type of power transmission V-belt (link belting) that is made from polyurethane/polyester composite links. This composite belting provides many advantages over traditional rubber V-belts such as the ability to make belts of any length, faster installation times and improved performance. The goal of this project it to demonstrate improvement in the composite architecture so as to improve flexibility, tensile strength, coefficient of friction (between belt and pulley), and prevention of pull-out. The fabric/polymer combination will be a key to developing the next generation of link belting and Fenner Drives.

Sponsor

Hanesbrands, Inc.

Team Members

Rachel Evans, Yuncong Yang, Dylan Fannin, Jordan Dawson

Project Description

HBI is seeking ways to incorporate wearable technology into current product lines. You are charged to monitor respiration rates on Champion athletes and relay this information to a smartphone app you design. Smartphone app should also make this information available to other health apps on the smartphone. Garments must be comfortable, perform at minimal cost, and have visual appeal. Determining a sensing method and an algorithm to reliably detect respiration under various customer environments is a key deliverable for this project. Students will conduct market research to determine the reasons respiration monitoring is advantageous for Champion consumer athletes. Respiration monitor should be developed for functionality, athletic aesthetics, visual appeal, and launderability. The smartphone app should also be developed for functionality and visual appeal. Power supply options need also be evaluated as they relate to the respiration monitor for durability, performance, rechargeability, cost, and launderability. Students must also keep in mind that the overall visual appearance of the garment is as important as the performance.

Sponsor

City of Raleigh & NC RIoT

Team Members

Paige Esguerra, Xena Hong, Brianna Ims, Taylor Adams

Project Description

The City of Raleigh is developing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions that enable improved performance of workspace environments. The objective of this project is develop a textile-based systems, combined with IoT data streams, that allow for the determination of occupancy details of conference rooms within the Raleigh Municipal Buildings during both regular business hours and after hours. Students will be able to utilize data from various sources including building automation, security systems, Microsoft outlook, Office 365, as well as, custom devices created to count and report results utilizing a textile component implanted within the confines of the space. Outcomes could potentially measure: whether the conference room is occupied or unoccupied, temperature of space, lighting, number of occupants, whether or not the space scheduled or unscheduled, under-utilized or over-utilized, length of meetings and occupancy overlap. Project sponsor(s) will coordinate with City liaisons from the following departments: Engineering Services, Office of Sustainability and Information technology to provide mentorship and guidance to develop proposed solutions.

Sponsor

Avery Dennison

Team Members

Farah Hamouda, Lauren Hamrick, Khari Simpson, Taylor Souder

Project Description

Avery Dennison RBIS wants to begin exploration into the “smart” apparel market. We are currently leaders in the integration of RFID technology into retail tags and labels. We hope to understand other smart label opportunities such as bio-monitoring, AR, optical scanning, and more. Creating prototypes of one or more potential products will be the goal of this project. We hope to leverage NCSU’s expertise and experience in textile technology and previous work in the smart apparel space to do so.

Sponsor

Renfro Corp.

Team Members

Kathryn Bailey, Nate Sethaler, Houston Sadler, Amanda Edmonds

Project Description

Renfro Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture, marketing, merchandising, and selling of legwear products in North America and selected international markets. The company provides and continuously innovates to support a full line of branded and private-label sock products. Renfro is recognized as the sock and legwear expert in our industry. We have earned this leadership position through the knowledge and expertise gained since our founding in 1921, and through consistently demonstrating the right values for our people, our communities, and our customers. In that spirit, this project aims to develop a sock that can gather data from the wearer from the one or more of the following market segments: diabetics, parent, and/or athlete. The project team will explore opportunities for for how a sock technology that might enable an improved lifestyle for the wearer and develop functional prototypes with the embedded technology.

Sponsor

Britax

Team Members

Matthew Rowley, Sydney Kidwell, Ariana Rogers-Smith, Austin Clark

Project Description

Child car seat technologies are a complex system of materials that are designed for maximizing comfort and safety. Britax seeks to understand and implement novel polymer foam and/or textile materials that have evolved in industry. The objective of this project is to develop an innovative car seat cover that utilizes innovations foams, padding and wadding to maximize air flow. For the fabric liner, we would like also like to develop a “super” fabric that can meet these standards while also being as environmentally friendly as possible, sustainable and comfortable for the child. Cooling, wicking, and comfort are of the utmost importance, but meeting standards is a must. Testing strategies should be developed to understand comfort for the child with the best ergonomic benefit when in use. The product solution should follow the appropriate standards and regulations, including the need to achieve an appropriate level of fire retardancy. FR options include inherent FR materials, natural dyes and finishes.

Sponsor

Avery Dennison

Team Members

Lauren Armstrong, Sydney Schickendantz, Allie Durr

Project Description

As Avery Dennison RBIS wants to lead the market in sustainable offerings to our customers, we recognize that in order to do so we must approach our raw material use in multiple ways. We need to both reduce our use of non-renewable, petroleum-based products as well as recycle the waste we currently produce from our processes and products. This project will focus on understanding which raw materials we can use to make step changes in our sustainable offering by assessing feasibility of recycled waste materials and renewable, bio-based materials, and design a new product(s) offering where these materials can be utilized. This new product can be within our current PFL, Woven Label or Flexible Packaging product lines. Ideally with these new sustainable products we will be able to be a driver of the circular economy and cradle to cradle apparel movement.

Sponsor

Cortland

Team Members

Nicholas Rinz, Tim Sasser, Liz Smith, Devjot Singh

Project Description

Coronary artery disease is a very common condition affecting more than 3 million Americans each year. A progressive narrowing of the coronary arteries from the buildup of plaque occurs over years and can restrict the flow of blood to the heart muscle resulting in a heart attack. One of the most common areas that this disease occurs is localized in the left main coronary artery (LMCA). In this space, the treatment of lesions and blockages at the bifurcation point (the branching of larger vessels into smaller vessels) from the LMCA to the Left Circumflex and the Left Anterior Descending coronary arteries is of interest. One of the challenges in this particular area of anatomy is the difficulty in successfully stenting (current treatment modality) due to the complexity of the geometry.

The objective of this project is to identify and create a textile-based structure/prosthesis that addresses the complex anatomy of the left main coronary artery.  The scope of this project includes:

• Understanding the disease state, epidemiology and current state of medical devices used to treat LMCA disease and their shortcomings
• Developing a computational model of the left main with specific emphasis at the bifurcation point
• Develop a textile-based product that utilizes bifurcating braid or weaving techniques from the relevant implantable biomaterials

Fabricate several working models of said textile structure and conduct ex-vivo testing to determine functionality of each prototype iteration.

Sponsor

Hanesbrands, Inc.

Team Members

Celia Gentry, Wesley Brown, Julie Watterson, Carter Lee Rutherfurd

Project Description

One of the major complaints in women’s bras is underwire failure. Hanesbrands, a global leader in commercial sales of women’s bras seeks to explore a new underwire technology that is comparable to the mechanical performance of existing underwires. This technology could be an altogether new mechanical design or utilize the current design with a new material (i.e. plastic) that is able to be extruded or otherwise manufactured at a high throughput. The innovation underwire technology should withstand breakage and ‘poke-through’, be flexible and supportive, light and strong, and be comfortable in everyday and athletic bra applications. Solution should meet Hanesbrands manufacturing, launderability, and cost requirements.

Sponsor

Hanesbrands, Inc.

Team Members

Rachel Raineri, Julia Parker, Alex Cranston

Project Description

Hanesbrand is seeking innovative ways to incorporate wellness technologies into its current product offerings. Wellness is the new luxury and we see the continued importance of personalized wellness solutions. The goal of this project is to improve health and wellness by incorporating vitamins and or natural nutrients into yarns and or fabric. The yarns and fabrics should be designed to increase overall well being, enhance performance, and/or speed recovery, preferably using natural materials instead of chemical applications. Solutions that demonstrate impact on human mood and sensory systems is a benefit.