Tyvek () is a
brand of
synthetic Synthetic things are composed of multiple parts, often with the implication that they are artificial. In particular, 'synthetic' may refer to:
Science
* Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis
* Synthetic o ...
flashspun
Flashspun fabric is a nonwoven fabric formed from fine fibrillation of a film by the rapid evaporation of solvent and subsequent bonding during extrusion.
A pressurised solution of, for example, HDPE or polypropylene in a solvent such as fluorofo ...
high-density polyethylene fibers. The name "Tyvek" is a
registered trademark of the American multinational chemical company
DuPont
DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
, which discovered and commercialized Tyvek in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Tyvek's properties - such as being difficult to tear but easily cut, and waterproof against liquids whilst allowing
water vapor to penetrate - have led to it being used in a variety of applications. Tyvek is often used as
housewrap, a synthetic material used to protect buildings during construction, or as
personal protective equipment (PPE).
History
Tyvek is a
nonwoven
Nonwoven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre (short) and long fibres (continuous long), bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing industry to denote fabri ...
product consisting of spun bond
olefin fiber
Olefin fiber is a synthetic fiber made from a polyolefin, such as polypropylene or polyethylene. It is used in wallpaper, carpeting, ropes, and vehicle interiors.
Olefin's advantages are its strength, colorfastness and comfort, its resistance t ...
. It was first discovered in 1955 by a researcher for the DuPont
textile company working in an experimental lab, who noticed a type of white fluff coming out of a pipe. That fluff was a form of
polyethylene, which DuPont requested a patent for within a year of the discovery. After technologies improved during the next few years, in 1959 DuPont discovered that when the fluff was spun at high speeds it produced a durable fabric that could be cut with a blade. While the product Tyvek was used since 1959, DuPont did not trademark the actual brand until 1965, making it available for commercial purposes in April 1967. As of 1970, Tyvek had reached the mainstream construction industry on both a national and global scale, and is often used for the construction of houses due to its ability to keep out liquid, while allowing vapor through. In 1972, DuPont released Tyvek packaging for sterile instruments that were to be used by surgeons and doctors in the medical field.
21st century
In 2017, the DuPont company merged with another chemical company,
The Dow Chemical Company to form
DowDuPont. DowDuPont currently manufactures Tyvek at the Spruance plant in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, and in
Sandweiler-
Contern
Contern ( ) is a commune and town in southern Luxembourg. It is located east of Luxembourg City.
As of , the town of Contern, which lies in the south-west of the commune, has a population of .
The main towns are Contern, Moutfort, Oetrange and M ...
,
Luxembourg. In 2018, DowDuPont announced plans to expand the Tyvek production capacity of the Sandweiler-Contern factory.
Scientific characteristics and properties
Adhesion and bonding
To bond Tyvek to both itself and a variety of substrates, DuPont recommends
starch
Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...
,
dextrin,
casein, and
animal-based adhesive
Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation.
The use of adhesives offers certain advant ...
s over most
synthetic-based adhesives, emphasizing the effectiveness of water-based and quick-drying glues. DuPont also claims that the following
adhesive
Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation.
The use of adhesives offers certain advant ...
s are highly effective:
* Ethylene/
vinyl acetate
* Acrylic pressure-sensitive tape
* Solvent-based single-component
polyurethane
*
Hot glue
Hot-melt adhesive (HMA), also known as hot glue, is a form of thermoplastic adhesive that is commonly sold as solid cylindrical sticks of various diameters designed to be applied using a hot glue gun. The gun uses a continuous-duty heating eleme ...
Heat sealing
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...
can be used to melt Tyvek and cause it to bond to itself, but this form of bonding tends to create puckers in the otherwise flat material.
Dielectric bonding can be effective in some circumstances, as is
ultrasonic welding.
Recycling
Though Tyvek superficially resembles paper (for example, it can be written and printed on), it is plastic, and it cannot be
recycled
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...
with paper. Some Tyvek products are marked with the #2 resin-code for
HDPE, and can be collected with plastic bottles as part of some municipal curbside recycling programs. DuPont runs a program in the United States where disposable clothing, coveralls, lab coats, medical packaging and other non-hazardous Tyvek disposable garments can be recycled, as well as providing a mail-in recycling program for envelopes.
As plastic bag recycling has become more prevalent in the United States, the
American Chemistry Council has recommended that plastic film drop-off recycling locations should be able to accept Tyvek.
Properties of Tyvek
According to DuPont's website, Tyvek fibers are (compared to for a human hair). The nondirectional fibers (plexifilaments) are first spun and then bonded by heat and pressure, without binders.
Tyvek is also:
* Lightweight
* Has a Class 1
flammability rating
* Chemical-resistant
* Dimensionally stabilized
*
Opaque
Opacity or opaque may refer to:
* Impediments to (especially, visible) light:
** Opacities, absorption coefficients
** Opacity (optics), property or degree of blocking the transmission of light
* Metaphors derived from literal optics:
** In lingui ...
* Has a neutral
pH
* Tear-resistant
Uses
Construction/engineering
* Large sheets of Tyvek are frequently used as
housewrap, to provide an air barrier between the outer cladding of a structure and the frame, insulation, etc., allowing water vapor to pass yet restricting air infiltration.
* Tyvek was used to cover and protect the
Reaction Control System (RCS) thruster ports from water and debris, while the shuttle stack was exposed on the launchpad during the latter years of the
Space Shuttle program. The Tyvek covers were dislodged shortly after ignition and before the shuttle cleared the tower, posing no strike risk as the shuttle was travelling below .
*
Tom Sachs
Tom Sachs (born July 26, 1966) is an American contemporary artist who lives and works in New York City.
Life and early career
Sachs was born in New York City on July 26, 1966. He grew up in Westport, Connecticut, attending high school at Gree ...
used Tyvek for the outer shell of the spacesuits used in his Space Program series of artworks.
Government use
* Tyvek is used by the
United States Postal Service for some of its
Priority Mail
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
and
Express Mail envelopes.
*
FedEx
FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...
also uses it for some of its document envelopes.
* New Zealand used Tyvek for its
driver's licence
A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...
s from 1986 to 1999.
Banknotes
*
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
(solely their 20 colones bank note, Z series), the
Isle of Man, and
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
have made
banknotes from Tyvek. These banknotes are no longer in circulation and have become collectors' items.
Fashion/personal use
* Race bibs, or race numbers are often produced on Tyvek paper, so they are less likely to rip during competition.
* Tyvek is often used in garment and other textile labeling due to high durability and washability.
* Tyvek
wristbands are used at festivals, conventions, and events where admission and security are concerns, as well as hospitals, resorts, nightclubs, schools, and reunions.
* In 2011, fashion retailer and manufacturer
American Apparel included white Tyvek
shorts as part of its range.
* In 1976, fashion house
Fiorucci made an entire collection out of Tyvek.
* The
ultralight backpacking community has begun to use Tyvek for the construction of extremely light yet durable backpacks. In 2012, The Open Company released a foldable city map made of one of the stiffer variants of Tyvek.
* Increasingly, reused Tyvek material is being used by home crafters. Protective sleeves for
CDs and
DVDs, tote bags, and
origami wallets also use Tyvek-containing materials.
* Tyvek is also used as a durable fabric in shoes.
Medical
* Tyvek is extensively used for laboratory and medical packaging as the material withstands conditions such as
gamma
Gamma (uppercase , lowercase ; ''gámma'') is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 3. In Ancient Greek, the letter gamma represented a voiced velar stop . In Modern Greek, this letter re ...
irradiation or
ethylene oxide gas which are used to sterilize equipment and surgical devices.
*
NSW Police, Australia uses Tyvek overalls to preserve the integrity of forensic evidence at a crime scene, while also protecting "the wearer from the risk of exposure to biological substances, dirt and liquid splashes."
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
* Tyvek
coveralls
A boilersuit (or boiler suit), also known as coveralls, is a loose fitting garment covering the whole body except for the head, hands and feet.
Terminology
The term ''boilersuit'' is most common in the UK, where the 1989 edition of the ''Oxfo ...
are one-piece garments, usually white, commonly worn by mechanics, oil industry workers, painters, insulation installers, and laboratory and
cleanroom workers where disposable, one-time use
coverall is needed. They are also used for some light
HAZMAT applications, such as
asbestos
Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...
and
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...
work, but do not provide the protection of a full
hazmat suit. Tychem is a sub-brand of Tyvek rated for a higher level of liquid
protection, especially from chemicals. DuPont makes Tyvek clothing in different styles from
laboratory coats and aprons to complete head-to-toe coveralls with hoods and booties. The latter was notably used by the
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force as emergency limited
CBRN gear during the
Fukushima nuclear incident.
* Tyvek coveralls, coats or bodysuits are often used during pandemics, for example in the 2013–2016
Western African Ebola virus epidemic, and in the
COVID-19 pandemic, to protect health care workers from infection. The Tyvek suits which are most frequently used during the COVID-19 pandemic are sold between $5-$15 USD per piece. Due to a lack of sufficient stock of adequate PPE during the coronavirus crisis, Tyvek PPE became scarce in many places. Tyvek bodysuits are generally meant for one-time use. However, Tychem suits contaminated with the virus
SARS-CoV-2 can be disinfected and reused a limited number of times.
See also
*
Olefin fiber
Olefin fiber is a synthetic fiber made from a polyolefin, such as polypropylene or polyethylene. It is used in wallpaper, carpeting, ropes, and vehicle interiors.
Olefin's advantages are its strength, colorfastness and comfort, its resistance t ...
(for brand names of related fabrics)
*
High-density polyethylene for material
*
Flashspinning
Flashspun fabric is a nonwoven fabric formed from fine fibrillation of a film by the rapid evaporation of solvent and subsequent bonding during extrusion.
A pressurised solution of, for example, HDPE or polypropylene in a solvent such as fluorof ...
for manufacturing process
References
External links
Tyvek Product Handbookat DuPont
*[http://www.dupont.com/products-and-services/construction-materials/building-envelope-systems/faqs/wb-faq.html DuPont Tyvek WB FAQ]
Tyvek – Because It Makes the Difference
{{Petroleum industry
Plastic brands
Synthetic paper
Brand name materials
Nonwoven fabrics
Technical fabrics
DuPont products
Moisture protection
Products introduced in 1955
Polyolefins
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
Synthetic paper industry