worksheet and assessment card masters - National STEM Centre

fabric cling and
anti-stat
Garments that cling feel uncomfortable, particularly
when they ride up the body. They look unsightly and
may spoil the drape of other clothing worn over them.
They also attract dust from the air and become quickly
soiled.
The clinging of charged garments to the body arises
with certain types of fibres (especially nylon),
particularly when worn next to each other in warm,
dry conditions. This clinging effect is due mainly to
the electro-static forces between the charge on the
clothing and the opposite charge built up on the
body. The charge on the body may be caused by
layers of clothing next to each other (such as a dress
and a petticoat) rubbing together when the wearer is
walking about, causing the petticoat to be drawn to
the legs and cling to them as shown on the right.
Outer clothing may become charged when you get up
from a plastic covered chair or seat or when top
clothing is removed. As before, the electric field from
the charge can induce an opposite charge on the
adjacent skin, causing the garment to be attracted to
the body and taking with it the undergarments.
Static electricity is produced by rubbing. If the
materials are poor conductors the charge builds up.
Different materials generate different amounts of
electricity. They can be arranged in a series (the
triboelectric series). The further apart two materials
are in the series the more electricity they will generate
when rub bed together.
Positive
Negative
wool
nylon
viscose
cotton
human skin
triacetate
polyester
acrylic
PVC 'C
Anti-static substances added to nylon at the melt stage
of production provide a permanent conducting layer
on the fibre surface. Some brand names of this type of
fibre are: Counterstat, Ultron, Antistatic Celon, and
Perlon Antistatic. Untreated fabrics can be improved
by adding a small amount of detergent to the rinsing
water.
Domestic fabric softeners (such as Comfort, Lenor,
Soft Rinse, and Softlan) also reduce the build-up of
static and are particularly useful when a tumble drier is
used.
+ = positive charge
- = negative charge
+ = positively charged
- = negatively charged
+
+
NUFFIELD
HOME ECONOMICS
FIBRES AND FABRICS:
WORKSHEET
FM17a
"'" '-..... skin
+
+
+
+
+
underslip
positively charged nylon
underslip has induced
a negative charge on leg
causing underslip to
cling to the leg
wool and nylon dress becomes
positively charged when the
wearer gets up from a
PVC-covered chair - this
induces an opposite charge on
the skin causing the garment
to cling taking the underslip
with it
© 1984 Nuffield-Chelsea Curriculum Trust