THINSULATE

• THINSULATE is the trademark of a specially designed commercial synthetic fibre material that can be used for insulation in clothing e.g. gloves or winter jackets.

• Thinsulate fibres are much thinner than most other artificial fibres like nylon an polyester used in clothing.

• Human hair is 0.1 mm (100 μm), thinsulate fibs 0.010 0.015 mm, 10-15x thinner!

• molecule same as Lycra?

  

  
  

• They are produced as a dense tangled web of fibres that trap lots of air between the thin fibres and reflect heat too.

• Polyesters like polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly(propene) and poly(ethene) are used to make Thinsulate.

• This considerably reduces heat loss, i.e. from your body and so clothes containing layers of this material keep you very warm.

  • They are supposed to be at least as good as duck down for insulation, but less water-absorbent and resistant to crushing than duck down.
  • The good thermal insulation effect is due to the high density of fibres produced by utilising very fine fibres which increases the efficiency of the air gaps to reduce heat flow.
  • Thinsulate is supposed to allow moisture to escape e.g. from sweat, which is supposed to evaporate, so Thinsulate is credited in being a 'breathable' material like Gore-Tex.

• A further advantage is that thinsulate fibres absorb very little water, so they retain their insulating properties and still keep you warm even if your clothes get wet.

• House insulation