01/31/2023
By Danielle Fretwell

The James B. Francis College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation Proposal defense by Mr. Sourabh Kulkarni on “Flame Retardant and Multi-Functional Fabrics Enabled by Bio-Inspired Materials."

Candidate Name: Sourabh Kulkarni
Degree: Doctoral
Defense Date: Feb. 14, 2023
Time: 3 – 4:30 p.m.
Location: This will be a virtual defense via MS Teams. Those interested in attending should contact the student (sourabh_kulkarni@student.uml.edu) and committee advisors (Ertan_Agar@uml.edu; Ramaswamy_Nagarajan@uml.edu) at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.

Meeting Link
Meeting/Conference ID #: 219 769 367 838
Passcode: HYc7iW

Committee:

  • Advisor Prof. Ertan Agar, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Co-Advisor Prof. Ramaswamy Nagarajan, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Plastics Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Prof. Murat Inalpolat, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Prof. Jayant Kumar, Professor, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Ravi Mosurkal, Environmental Programs Lead, Soldier Protection Directorate, US Army DEVCOM Soldier Center, Natick, MA
  • Alexander B. Morgan, Distinguished Research Scientist and Group Leader, Energy & Environmental Sciences Group, Power & Energy Division, University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, OH

Brief Abstract:

Fabrics produced with Nylon-Cotton (Nyco) blends are used in numerous civilian and military applications. Nyco fabric has shown promising performance in terms of mechanical properties and is usually comfortable for the wearer. However, Nyco fabric is flammable and lacks anti-microbial characteristics or insect repellency. These functionalities are important to both the army and civilian population. This research aims to develop sustainable fabrics to impart flame retardancy (FR) while showing anti-microbial and insect-repellent characteristics using bio-derived materials. Anti-microbial (AM) textiles help protect the wearer against pathogenic microorganisms and also protect the textile material from damage caused by the growth of mold and mildew. In this research, the proposed FR fabrics are evaluated for their thermal stability via thermogravimetric analysis and the flammability characterization is performed using pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry, cone calorimetry and vertical flame testing. Furthermore, FR-treated fabrics are treated with anti-microbial agents to render them multi-functional. Their AM performance is evaluated using the anti-microbial test method as prescribed by AATCC test method 100.

All interested students and faculty members are invited to attend the online defense via remote access.