COVER STORY
GORE LAUNCHES NEW INNOVATION FOR ELECTRICAL
UTILITY WORKERS AT A+A During the recent A+A Trade Show in Germany, W.L. Gore and Associates presented their new lightweight arc rated GORE®
PYRAD® clothing for all day wearing. Here Dr Peter Wimmer, GORE® PYRAD® fabric
technology into the UK Electrical Utility market. Garments constructed with lightweight heat and flame-resistant, arc rated weatherproof fabric are now widely used across the UK utility sector. End users keenly adopted garments made from this lightweight weatherproof fabric technology because it offers high level and multiple normal protection, is extremely comfortable to wear and doesn’t restrict movement, whilst other PPE in this sector is heavy, bulky and restrictive.
We listened carefully to the needs and requests of our customers, the manufacturers of protective garments, as well as the workers who rely on PPE day in day out. The new class 2 arc rated GORE®
PYRAD® protective
garments were developed in response to market demand when waterproof protection isn’t required but when electrical workers still need to be wearing PPE to protect against the thermal hazards of an electric arc.
protective PYRAD®
development leader, explains the new technology and its importance to the electrical worker market. Back in 2017 we launched GORE®
The first functional arc rated one layer fabric
For end users who work closely on or near to the live parts of electrical equipment the risk of an electric arc incident is a reality and safety hazard. Until now the fabric solution to PPE that can eliminate class 2 arc protection risks has needed to be at least two layers thick, often more. From intensive research and development at Gore, we have developed the first functional fabric that allows for the manufacture of protective garments with only one ply while still giving the wearer the highest level of class 2 arc protection. This new arc protection class 2 GORE®
PYRAD® fabric
will be manufactured into protective garments, such as coveralls, trousers and jackets and are suitable for wearing all day, indoors and outdoors, in dry and temperate conditions.
How the new technology works The new GORE®
PYRAD® protective garments are
made from a fabric which weighs less than 330g/ m² - making it up to 50% lighter than other garments with electric arc Class 2 protection. The new laminate consists of three components in one fabric: the outer shell, a wafer thin non-flammable ePTFE membrane with the incorporated protective GORE®
PYRAD®
technology and a flame-retardant backer. GORE®
PYRAD® technology is made up of countless
little dots made of a graphite material on the outer fabric. In everyday use this fabric remains lightweight, supple and flexible. When an electric arc occurs it releases a massive amount of energy within 25 milliseconds. However, the GORE®
PYRAD®
technology is even quicker to cover the area: the dots react immediately to form a stable carbonaceous char that effectively blocks the massive convective heat flow during arc exposure. In layman’s terms this reaction is similar to that of a car airbag and real-time protection is achieved.
What this means to the wearer: no burns on the skin, no burning garments, no holes in the fabric – despite exposure to incredibly intense heat. In an industry were complete worker protection often comes with the heavy compromise on wearer comfort, arc rated class 2 GORE®
PYRAD® 16 protective garments provide
a multi-norm solution that are flexible and up to 50% lighter than other garments with class 2 protection.
www.tomorrowshs.com
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