Glossary

Click on a letter to see an explanation of technical terms beginning with that letter.

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Sources:
Definitions in this glossary have been compiled based on DuPont's experience and technical expertise in protective apparel as well as a number of external sources, including: "Glossary of terms and definitions by the European Committee for Standardisation."

T
Term Explanation
Tear strength See Tensile Strength.
Tensile strength The force required rupturing a material by pulling on it. Also the term Tenacity is used.
Test chemical See Challenge chemical.
Test liquid An individual liquid chemical or a liquid formulation of chemicals that is used for testing.
Tex Unit for measuring yarn. Indicates the weight of yarn in grams per kilometre.
Textile properties General term used to refer to a wide range of characteristics in a fabric including abrasion resistance and overall handle or feel.
Thermal insulation Extent to which a given material is able to prevent the transmission of cold or heat. The Thermal Protective Performance test is one way of measuring thermal insulation. EN 366 and EN 367, which measure the insulation of protective clothing against heat, are part of EN 469 and EN 531.
Thermal shrinkage The effect of dimensional change in a fabric after exposure to convective and/or radiant heat. In NOMEX® fibre blends containing KEVLAR®, the high-strength, high temperature resistant fibre forms a ’steel like grid’ which, by helping to reduce the rate of thermal shrinkage, contributes to an increased level of personal protection. See Break-open resistance.
Third degree burns See Burns.
Totally-encapsulating chemical protective suit A full body garment that is constructed of protective clothing materials ; covers the wearer’s body, head, arms and legs ; covers the wearer’s hands and feet with either permanently or tightly attached gloves and boots ; and completely encloses the wearer by itself or in combination with the wearer’s respiratory equipment, gloves and boots.
Toxic Poisonous ; relating to or caused by a toxin ; able to cause injury by contact or systemic action to plants, animals or people.
Toxicity A relative property of a chemical or biological agent that refers to its harmful effects.
Trade dyed Generic term referring to fibres or fabrics which are not pigmented, i.e. coloured by the original fibre producer. Trade dyed products generally have a lower level of light and wash-fastness than pigmented items. Key advantages of the ’trade dyed route’ are the range of colours available and flexibility in delivery. The three principal routes for the trade dyeing of NOMEX® fibre products are stock dyeing, fibre dyeing and piece dyeing. See Stock dyed, Trade dyed.
Trapezoidal Tear A test that measures the force required to propagate a tear across a fabric by using a trapezoidal sample attached to clamps with different sizes.
Twist In textile terms the spiral arrangement of fibre around the axis of the yarn. The number of twists is referred to as ’turns per centimetre’ or ’turns per metre’.
TYVEK® DuPont registered trademark for a family of tough, durable, spun-bonded high-density polyethylene sheet products. TYVEK® is strong, lightweight, flexible, smooth, low-linting, opaque and resistant to water, chemicals, abrasion and ageing. Its unique combination of properties makes TYVEK® ideal for a broad range of applications including disposable barrier clothing.TYVEK-PRO.TECH® : DuPont registered trademark made available to converters whose garments made from TYVEK® 1431N fabrics meet DuPont stringent quality requirements in terms of design, seaming, finish labelling, aesthetics and fit.