Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Technology

Chilled out

By Barry Fox

4 November 2000

Canadian company Mustang Survival has an idea for keeping firefighters cool
at the scene of a blaze (GB 2348796). A wetsuit-like garment is made from two
layers of polyurethane-coated stretch nylon, welded together in a pattern that
leaves the inner surface flat and the upper surface puckered. This creates a
large number of interconnected bladders that are filled with water from a valved
inlet. The material is impermeable to liquid water but lets water vapour
through. The bladders are filled before the firefighter goes into action. As the
water steadily evaporates and permeates through the outer layer, it removes…

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