Browsing by Subject "Leather"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Bolstered : armor and the stage(2016-05) Womble, Kristin Kara; Glavan, James; Ortel, Sven; Habeck, MichelleBy creating three distinctly different suits of armor, I am exploring how lighting and projected media can be used to transform the surface and emphasize the architecture of costumes. Working with a Costume Designer, together we found inspiration in historical research and modern art, from which she created renderings for me to base my work. I have chosen to work with three distinctly different materials for the creation of these pieces: thermoplastic, leather and fiberglass. I chose these materials primarily because crafts artisans in the theatre most often use them to create armor, and secondarily because I have varying levels of knowledge in the use of each medium. I began the project with a vast knowledge of thermoplastic, a base level of comfort with leather and no experience with fiberglass. I have been able to gain training in thermoplastic and leather through the Costume Technology program here at the University of Texas at Austin; for fiberglass however, I have been charged with finding another source of expertise. Through my family’s long history in the automotive collision repair industry, I have had the opportunity to train under an experienced fiberglass/paint technician, as well as having access to the facilities required to generate the pieces. Using music and choreography, I endeavor to create a performance that showcases how each material interacts with lighting, projections, and the mobility, or lack there of, in the pieces. I am studying the dancers movements, while also gathering impertinent information regarding how each piece reacts under different media treatments.Item Measurement of hexavalent chromium in leather by colorimetric methods(Texas Tech University, 2000-05) Jambunathan, SivakumarColorimetric methods of measurement forms an important basis for analysis of a variety of compounds and metallic species. Some of the more important advantages of using colorimetric methods include low cost, limited need for sophisticated instruments or personnel. Determination of hexavalent chromium (Cr(yi)) by diphenylcarbazide(DPC) is a very common method. Chromium (VI) is carcinogenic and its determination is very important. Chromium (VI) occurs in chromiimi-tanned leather samples and there are regulations on permissible limits. The current official procedure (called the IUC-18 procedure) is based on DPC and is generally inapplicable to leather samples that produce a colored extract. The customary DPC method as well as several modifications thereof have been studied in a variety of leather samples with a view to improve sensitivity of the procedure. A pre-bleaching procedure was developed. This allowed reliable analysis of a majority (but not all) of the samples studied as compared to results obtained with ICPOES of cation exchanged samples as the reference method. Also, the sensitivity of the DPC method has been greatly improved upon by use of a liquid core waveguide based flow through absorbance detector. As a necessary component to the above efforts, the development of an optical fiber coupled Light Emitting Diode (LED) light source based flow-through optical absorbance detector was carried out. The LED source is readily changeable. Optical fibers are used to carry light from the electronics/display unit to a reflective flow-through cell and back. The cell can thus be located remotely from the electronics unit and the umbilical connection is not susceptible to electrical noise. The noise level of this detector with LEDs of different emission maxima were observed to be in the range of 3-20 µAU under actual use conditions, with a maximum short term drift of 4 µAU/min after the initial warm up period. When the analyte absorbance is well matched with the source emission characteristics, the detector response is linear with concentration over at least two orders of magnitude. The liquid flow path through the cell is linear with a large exit aperture such that bubbles are not trapped in the optical path. The optical arrangement is such that the incident light crosses the liquid flow orthogonally, and is reflected back by a rear mirror to the receiver fiber. This arrangement reduces the refractive index sensitivity by an order of magnitude relative to conventional Z-path flow cells.Item Potential for hide quality improvements(Texas Tech University, 1999-08) Schraeder, Christopher E.The initial producer (cow-calf) is generally motivated to be more concerned about carcass quality than hide quality, and therefore brand to prevent theft. However, with the need for better quality hides in the leather industry, branding is a major issue in dealing with preventable damage. It is believed that branding does help in deterring theft but there should be a better way to identify livestock while also preserving hide quality. This study tries to determine the potential for using alternative identification methods in place of branding. This is estimated by analyzing what factors are present to induce producers to brand. These factors will include the value and benefits that cattle producers receive when they use branding to identify their cattle, both monetary and aesthetic. Three surveys were constructed and submitted to 1608 cattle producers, 33 cattle inspectors, and 3 cattle rustlers. Personal interviews were conducted with cattle inspectors and cattle rustlers. Responses on returned producer surveys were encoded in spreadsheet format and analyzed via frequency analyses and logit modeling. Responses on inspector surveys and interviews were quantified and discussed in detail. Responses of cattle rustlers were used throughout the paper to provide anecdotal evidence to producer and inspector statements. By considering these analyses, it was shown that a producer who owns a large number of cattle and who is aware of monetary loss due to branding , but does not consider the brand damage a problem, will brand his/her cattle more than other cattle producers. The models in this study indicate that theft does not influence branding. The study has shown that cattle producers are willing to substitute the use of microchips in cattle identification for a monetary incentive, with an estimated average incentive at $13.54 per head.