ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION Textile structures have characteristic interstices (weaves), loops (knits), or voids (nonwovens) that can be utilized as pores. In a porous, rigidized structure, this could be realized by surface encapsulation of yams with a hardened resin matrix. The permeability of the structure would then be controlled by the formed fabric structure. This is in contrast to the present reinforced composites, which are pro duced as fully infiltrated solid materials, wherein permeability is a defect. Creat ing selectively porous materials will require specialized materials and/or pro cessing combined with imaginative structural design.
