US Army Developing ‘Comfortable’ Flame-Resistant Wool For Its Combat Uniforms

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US Army Developing ‘Comfortable’ Flame-Resistant Wool For Its Combat Uniforms

The US Army is looking for a flame-resistant combat uniform, and this prototype doesn't need a topical treatment to protect it from fire.

The components of this fabric - 50% wool, 42% Nomex, 5% Kevlar and 3% P140 anti-static fibre - create flame protection without adding anything extra. "That's the special synergy we discovered when we blended [wool & Nomex] together," said Carole Winterhalter, a textile technologist at the Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center in Massachusetts. The blend worked so well that the Army put in and received a patent on the combination, she said. When wool itself is exposed to intense heat, it doesn't melt or drip like many synthetic fibres, she said. Instead, it chars.

"Because of the use of improvised explosive devices and the burns they initiate on the battlefield, we wanted to come up with a suite of fabrics that are not only flame-resistant but don't melt or drip like many synthetic fibres," Winterhalter said.

Although wool fell out of favour in recent years from the invention of such synthetic fibres, the kind used in these uniform prototypes isn't like your itchy wool sweater from childhood.

Winterhalter said it's from the Rambouillet sheep, which produces higher quality fibres.

These sheep are fed a special diet that encourages very fine wool - the finer the wool, the softer and more flexible it is.