Textile Science Materials Engineering Protective Clothing
My research is focused on protective clothing/ personal protective equipment (PPE) and industrial applications, as well as knowledge transfer to the next generation and the industry: it is rooted in an interdisciplinary approach that involves collaborations across multiple disciplines and partnerships with the industry and end-users. What motivates me is sharing my passion for innovation and team work.
Other activities
Vice-President, the Institute of Textile Science (www.textilesciences.com)
Chair, Canadian Advisory Committee on ISO/TC94 SC13 (protective clothing)
Member, Canadian Advisory Committees on ISO/TC94 SC14 (firefighters’ protective equipment) and ISO/TC229 (nanotechnologies)
Adjunct Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, École de technologie supérieure, Montréal
Research interests: Protective clothing, Occupational safety and health, Nanotechnologies, Smart textiles, Natural fibres, and Recycled Materials
Teaching areas: Protective clothing, Nanotechnologies, Smart Textiles, Textile Science
Development of the research and training platform “Sustainable Innovation for Clothing, Textiles, and PPE: A Triadic Perspective”. It is aimed at enhancing knowledge; developing new tools, materials, designs and constructions; and providing training for end-users and the next generation of researchers in clothing, textiles, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The ultimate goal is for technology to enhance the lives of people by improving wellbeing and providing protection and comfort.
Exploration of quality assurance of textiles and apparel through materials testing. Performance of textiles relative to product standards and specifications. Prerequisite: HECOL 270.
Fall Term 2022Students explore advanced materials for protective clothing. Resistance of textiles to mechanical, thermal, chemical, biological, and electrical hazards as well as questions of durability and comfort are discussed with an emphasis on current research. The course describes phenomena and mechanisms involved, presents appropriate materials and structures, and depicts the relevant test methods. Prerequisite: HECOL 370.
Winter Term 2023Students explore opportunities offered by nanotechnologies and smart materials/structures as they relate to textile products. Mechanisms involved, materials used, fabrication processes, properties/performance obtained, and some examples of commercial applications are presented. Challenges encountered with these new technologies are also discussed. Prerequisite: HECOL 270.
Fall Term 2022Students explore advanced materials for protective clothing. Resistance of textiles to mechanical, thermal, chemical, biological, and electrical hazards as well as questions of durability and comfort are discussed with an emphasis on current research. The course describes phenomena and mechanisms involved, presents appropriate materials and structures, and depicts the relevant test methods. Not to be taken if credit received for HECOL 470.
Winter Term 2023Students explore opportunities offered by nanotechnologies and smart materials/structures as they relate to textile products. Mechanisms involved, materials used, fabrication processes, properties/performance obtained, and some examples of commercial applications are presented. Challenges encountered with these new technologies are also discussed. Prerequisite: consent of the instructor. Not to be taken if credit received for HECOL 474.
Fall Term 2022The COVID-19 pandemic has been a rude reminder of the difficulty in controlling the propagation of viruses. If protective clothing and masks currently used by medical personnel can protect them from being exposed, the contaminated protective equipment can still act as a vector for viruses and bacteria and lead to the contamination of other patients, other medical personnel and personal objects/family members. Self-decontaminating personal protective equipment could prevent this issue.
Protective clothing neutralizing chemical and biological agents upon contact also offer an interesting strategy to avoid issues with filter materials getting clogged and toxic agents contaminating unprotected people nearby. The self-decontaminating membrane can even be breathable, increasing the protective clothing wearer's comfort.
E-textiles have massive potentials to change the health care, safety, and protection industries due to their unique capability to sense physiological and environmental conditions, alert about a potential issue, and mitigate the change in conditions. However, the current e-textile industry is facing some limitations as universal testing and quality control standards are necessary further market grown.
This project aims at developing reliable, robust, and universal test methods to assess the efficiency, safety and durability of e-textiles.
High performance materials and textile structures are used to manufacture protective clothing for people exposed to heat and flame, for instance firefighters and workers in the oil and gas industry. However, if the performance of the clothing is assessed in the new condition, the understanding of the effect of the various aging conditions (UV, heat, moisture, steam, abrasion, laundering, etc.) the materials will be exposed to during the lifetime of the clothing is still limited. In addition, the worker has no way to assess if the residual level of performance of his clothing is still sufficient to protect him for the hazards associated with his tasks.
The objectives of the research are thus to gain a better understanding of the effect of aging conditions on the performance of protective clothing materials over time as well as develop predictive (using models) and/or indicative (using sensors) strategies to evaluate the residual performance of protective clothing as a result of use.