2018-19 Senior Design Projects

Sponsor

Hanesbrands Inc.

Team Members

Annie Corah, Kate Milano, Joshua Pettis, Aidan Special

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. The team will explore opportunities to 3D print directly on textiles for innovative comfortable garment designs, establishing the pros and cons of the technology as compared to standard textile processing, including the barriers of 3D printing for manufacturing garments. The team will generate a finished, launderable concept garment by further developing solutions from prior HBI projects.

Sponsor

Army Research Office

Team Members

Nick Bagot, Troy Coffield, Margaret Goodman, Emily Thompson

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 goal of this project is to continue ARO’s efforts on the design of bite sleeve that provides feedback, by way of embedded sensors, on the canine’s bite profile to the canine handler. Canine bite profile includes bite print, bite pressure and total time the canine is engaged in the bite. This item can be used in a number of training scenarios for a canine handler to understand how engaged the canine is during training, understand canine fitness and give clues to canine jaw and dental health. Ideally canine bite profile data will be live streamed to a computer or application for real time data evaluation. This project seeks to determine the materials and electronics in the bite sleeve system by developing and executing experiments to understand, translate and define pressure exerted on sleeve to real data both in the laboratory experiments and live field exercises with military working dogs.

This project will involve a design team from the TE/TT capstone course and a design team from the ECE capstone course.
The TE/TT 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 ECE 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

American Cornhole League

Team Members

Gatlin Howell, Rachel Landon, Aditya Srinivasan, Andrew Weaver

Project Description

The American Cornhole League (ACL) sets the equipment standards for the sport. As the sport evolves, so will the ACL Bag Policy. The current policy, has almost no limitations on the type of fabric that may be used. Typically, the bag will have a slick side (duck cloth) and a stick side (suede). The goal of this project is to identify a range of fabrics with different slickness and stickiness characteristics for use as a standardized bag. In doing so, the team will also establish a process to measure and evaluate (rate) the coefficient of friction (slickness or stickiness) of fabrics used with approved bags.

Sponsor

Albahealth, LLC

Team Members

Yair Alonzo, Kenneth Bradbury, Lia Gregor, Raquel Weis

Project Description

Albahealth, LLC is a leading manufacturer of fall management slippers for the medical industry with applications in consumer and commercial businesses. Our target customer is acute care hospitals. The lead product in this market is the non-slip patient slipper sock where the color is currently applied to the sock with atmospheric dyeing. The current dye process/system/equipment is very outdated (equipment from the 1970s forward) and inefficient in both labor and utilities. The goal of this project will be to develop the next generation dyeing process that will improve capabilities, material handling, utilities, labor cost and efficiency. Specifically, this team will design and develop a model of the next generation dyeing process including material handling, process flow and equipment type. Future recommendations and expected cost savings compared to the current process will also be included.

Sponsor

Hanesbrands Inc.

Team Members

Edgar Garcia Torres, Zachary Rosen, Jiin Son, Mamie Trigg

Project Description

Imagine you have found your absolute favorite t-shirt or underwear. Now how do you go about finding them again the next time you want to buy them? Hanes is seeking a solution to the re-ordering problem. The goal of this project is to create a method in which a consumer can “scan” their garment to help you repurchase the same product (size, color, etc.) again. The team can consider visual markers or other “tags” that could communicate with your phone/device.

Sponsor

Under Armour

Team Members

Khalil Duncan, Toma Schneider, Maeve Sedivy, Ryan Wimmer

Project Description

Hemp-based textiles present as sustainable option that historically has not been considered for Performance Gear due to concerns with hand feel and drape. As technology continues to evolve, Under Armour (UA) would like to be on the forefront of new advances in hemp based textiles that not only address feel and drape, but performance factors that aren’t necessarily achieved via conventional textile-formation processes. UA is also very interested in applied technology and using concepts and ideas other industries are driving to create new Performance Gear (apparel, accessories, footwear), specifically through the use of hemp textiles. The goals of this project are to 1) evaluate hemp textiles market space in performance apparel and 2) demonstrate the hemp fabrics processing and their respective performance characteristics (i.e. strength testing, moisture-management testing, etc). Key to this project will be a manufacturing assessment of the necessary processing for the hemp garment (or new processing by a 3rd party partner) as compared to traditional processing techniques.

Sponsor

Lleel3a LLC

Team Members

Emma Dimig, Hannah Eberenz, Samantha Sharp, Eric Graham

Project Description

Given increasing healthcare costs, there is a need to automate aspects of patient care in hospitals, post-acute facilities and homes. Bedbound adults depend on caregivers for hygiene and are at high risk for pressure ulcers. However, due to the repeated re-positioning and turning necessary for hygiene and pressure relief, nurses and other caregivers are at increased risk for musculoskeletal injury. Often, two or more caregivers are necessary to complete the task of repositioning and hygiene/skin care. Lleel3a is developing a double sheet system for hospital beds which allows easy, automated turning to reduce lifting strain on nurses and other caregivers. The goal of this project is to add textile design into the double-sheet system to minimize patient risk for pressure ulcers.

Sponsor

FilSpec

Team Members

Rachel Hall, Ines Ortiz de Zevallos, Claire Rose, Matt Watts

Project Description

FilSpec has developed a special yarn that generate heat when exposed to Near Infrared Light. To date, a positive delta of more than 12⁰ C is observed when exposed to daylight. The goal of this project is to investigate and validate the use of this material in a 2D/3D dual face fabrics (consisting of an external and internal layer) to determine the benefits of this fabric in novel wearable applications. This design team will characterize the fiber blends to optimize the properties in the fabric form.

Sponsor

Industrial Recycling Network

Team Members

Darian Boyd, Emily Davidson, Michelle McGoogan, Liesl Miranda

Project Description

The Industrial Recycling Network is a unique collaborative enterprise that provides industrial businesses and workers with solutions that eliminate and transform waste into purposeful and marketable products. The IRN consists of 10 “early adopter” manufacturing companies (ranging in size from 15-1000 workers) and over 200 potential partners. This project consists of two interrelated parts: 1) aggregating, sorting and quantifying textile related waste, and 2) processing this waste into products that can come back into the supply chain, thus creating a 360 loop of production (often known as the circular economy). The team will be tasked to identify, design, develop and equip a local aggregation and sorting facility, including a data collection system, to certify the waste material. Furthermore, the team will be tasked to develop product solutions for “seen” (yarn to fabric) and “unseen” (fill, insulation, etc.) products.

Sponsor

Kaneka Corporation

Team Members

Amor Camatcho, Jacob Crew, Hannah Rich, Hannah Stephenson

Project Description

Kaneka Corporation has developed a modacrylic fiber capable of absorbing infrared (IR) energy (KIRAF). KIRAF is available in a staple fiber form and can easily be fabricated into any woven or nonwoven structure or any other fibrous form. Initial efforts in the area of protective flame-retardant apparel have proven effective and are in the process of commercialization. The goal of this project is to investigate and validate additional applications for KIRAF in areas such as performance apparel, military uniforms, non-wearable industrial applications, etc., where the absorption of IR energy could prove to be a beneficial (performance/value added) feature.

Sponsor

The North Face

Team Members

Sam Covington, Caleb Gellert, William Mullinix, Phillip Parker

Project Description

Many materials have the potential to release microfibers: apparel from natural and synthetic fabrics, home textiles like carpets and furniture, or even tires, among others. As part of our commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, The North Face takes microfiber release seriously. The goal of this project is to create a fabric that meets the performance and comfort criteria of TNF’s top fleece programs (using recycled or virgin polyester) that releases the least amount of microfibers during wash cycles. The team will identify and analyze various yarn and fabric constructions for multiple fleece fabrics, which will include identifying testing strategies that are predictive of microfiber shedding.

Sponsor

Diamond Brand Gear

Team Members

Beth Kirkwood, Alex Nguyen, Jackson Winchester

Project Description

The goal of this project is to identify new strategies for the implementation (sew/construct) of panels of various sizes and purposes (i.e. wall tents, roofs, plain walls, windowed walls, doors, vestibules, etc.) into a customizable tent system. Design and validate a modular system where individuals could buy various sewn panels but “connect” them to build their own tent design in their backyard or campground. The connection mechanism is the key to this project, with factors based on the ease and durability of the connection.

Sponsor

Avery Dennison

Team Members

Hailey Clark, Austin Conner, Will Reiber

Project Description

Nonwoven flexible packaging market has become more relevant for its ability to incorporate recycled materials as well as have structural properties that allow for a greater second life potential. The goal of this project is to design a nonwoven flexible packaging product for e-commerce apparel goods that is made from either textile waste or Avery Dennison process waste. Avery Dennison is interested in creating closed loop material systems that bring AD and the customer closer to a circular economy system (i.e. packaging should have ability to be upcycled or recycled). Through this project, the design team will create prototypes and design for a flexible packaging product, define specific manufacturing processes, involve regional partner scouting for key global regions, perform a product cost analysis and assess the sustainability impact of the designs.  

Sponsor

Li & Fung America

Team Members

Wyatt Moore, Rainier Sangalang, Ananya Suresh, Peicheng Wang

Project Description

Li and Fung (L&F) America’s Private Label jegging program currently ships 11 million units annually. Our team has been working collaboratively on improving its sustainable packaging efforts within this product line, specifically as it relates to implementing a recycled card hanger. The current hanger solution, fabricated in collaboration with Avery Dennison, does not meet production quality standards and is too costly for program use. The goals of this project are to work with L&F (with Avery Dennison as a continued collaborator) toward identifying new sustainable materials for use in the hanger that would meet the packaging standards while maintaining cost, and developing and evaluating new test methods for the new hanger design.

Sponsor

Filtec

Team Members

Ethan Cole-Evans, Robert Furr, Rebecca Smith, Kat Tchinnis

Project Description

Filtec Precise Inc. is part of the filtec group, which is comprised of Filament Technik, Baesweiler, Germany, Kamenzer Zwirnerei, Kamenz, Germany and Filtec Precise Inc, Tabor City, North Carolina, USA. As a full-service yarn converter, Filtec Precise specializes in twisting of filament yarns. Filtec twists industrial yarns like polyester and nylon as well as high-end specialty yarns like Honeywell Spectra Fiber, Teijin Twaron and Technora and high temperature resistant Aresolon as well as carbon conductive fibers. Waste is unavoidable during manufacturing. At Filtec, waste consists of off quality yarns, which contains broken filaments, drop plies, high/low twist, catenary, etc. Some of this mixed waste is high value yarn (like HMWPE Spectra Fiber and Technora Aramid). The goal of this project is to identify a method or an application that can take the advantage of the “clean waste” for their properties as either yarn or fiber/filament. Specific interest is to identify a downstream usage for mixed waste material that is able to utilize their high performance properties and maximize their value.

Sponsor

Gryppers, Inc.

Team Members

Lauren Anderson, Tyler Eller, Anna Matthews, Isaiah Wallace

Project Description

Gryppers, Inc. is an American wearable technology and smart products brand specializing in the design and development of high-quality, seamless compression (performance) apparel; advanced relief and recovery solutions; and strength and conditioning measurement technologies to maximize the long-term protection and peak performance of users across a variety of vocational/recreational activities. The goal of this project will be to develop the foundation for Gryppers’ smart products and apparel by not only sourcing materials and technologies which will seamlessly integrate into our line of products, but also identify the best placement for each to assure we collect the information needed. This includes the measurement of muscle fatigue, torque, hydration and pressure levels/impact. Of specific interest is the design of a product to identify the potential for injury and relaying the data in advance of the injury occurring.

Sponsor

VF Corp.

Team Members

Caroline Barker, Ryen Frazier, Christian Rust, Ethan Wynne

Project Description

The goal of this project is to define a new testing strategy that evaluates heat transfer away from the body to the environment (i.e. cooling sensation). The current evaluation is based on a Qmax test, which evaluates transient cooling (skin to fabric) for approximately ten seconds. The test materials will be existing garment/fabric ranging from TNF jackets to jeans. Of interest is the performance of the garment through multiple hours of use. The team will identify use-case scenarios for activity level and relate it to the product performance. Testing will be performed with new fabric and garment designs within VF Corp’s subsidiaries, including The North Face and Lee Wrangler Jeans.

Sponsor

Cortland Co.

Team Members

Moriah Kimel and Justin Wang

Project Description

There is significant diversity in the types of textile formation processes used to create products for implantable medical devices. Woven, braided, non-woven and knitted fabrics are used in applications ranging from vascular grafts to rotator-cuff repair products to stents. One textile structure that has lagged behind in recent innovation are those devices created from warp-knitted fabrics. While warp knits have been used historically in hernia repair and other soft tissue support applications, there has been little innovation to leverage the complexity of warp-knit design and unique physical and mechanical properties to leverage these features to facilitate the repair of the human body. The goal of this project is to develop a warp-knitted fabric to be used as a component in the repair of an anatomical defect that leverages the unique properties of this textile forming technology. Target medical device segments could include but are not limited to: heart valves, plastic surgery, soft tissue repair, hemostasis, incontinence and congestive heart failure.

Sponsor

Red Bull

Team Members

Rebekah Cope, Hannah Joyner, Kyrsten Rudock, Ella Schauss

Project Description

The world of skydiving and base jumping took a huge step forward with the introduction of wingsuiting in the late 1990s, which created an unbelievably exhilarating way for adventure seekers to experience flight. Professionals and amateurs alike continue to push the limits of what is possible with the wingsuit through their own mental and physical training in surpassing speed and distance records and developing new maneuvers. However, over the last decade, there have been few changes made to the suit that directly resulted in next-level flight performance. The goal of this project is to redesign the wingsuit from a textile/materials standpoint to unlock the next level of human flight potential using research and analysis of the suit’s current properties. Key wingsuit characteristics to consider during this project are weight, strength, comfort, fit, durability and, of course, safety. We are also interested in methods of integrating data capture in flight without affecting performance. The team will have access to experts from the professional skydiving community including suit manufacturers and wingsuit pilots as well as global leading textile and composite manufacturers with access to a variety of samples for testing and prototyping.

Sponsor

Hanesbrands Inc.

Team Members

Ryan Adams, Carmen Davis, John Llanza, Kat Robinson

Project Description

HBI is known for its classic white tee; and nothing is better than that first time wearing it: crisp and unwrinkled. We know that the consumer would love to have that “first wear” feeling every time they wear their white t-shirt. The goal of this project is to develop a wrinkle free t-shirt that looks crisp through the lifecycle of the shirt (wear, launder, repeat). The consumer should always look put together without having to use an iron. The garment must provide similar comfort to our traditional basic white t-shirt. Chemical modifications and fiber blends are able to be explored for potential solutions. Chemical use is limited to formaldehyde free treatments (and other restricted substances are prohibited).