Influence of Structure Variation and Finishing on Woven Fabric Thermal Properties

Abstract

The paper investigates the influence of fabric structure variations and finishing on the thermal properties of woven fabrics for a tailored garment. Four distinctive pairs of fabrics were investigated, where the weft density, weft yarn count or type and finishing were varied within the fabrics in each pair. Several thermal properties such as conductivity, diffusivity, absorptivity, resistance, the ratio of maximal and stationary heat flow density and the stationary heat flow density were measured using an Alambeta device. The results obtained showed that variation of the weft yarn count and finishing have a significant effect on several thermal properties. Increasing the weft count increased the thermal conductivity, absorptivity, resistance and the ratio of maximal and stationary heat flow density. The application of oilproof and waterproof finishing affected thermal diffusivity, thermal absorptivity and thermal resistance. Milled finishing contributed to increasing the thermal resistance.