Comfort Of Fabrics Research Articles

Correlation of Air Permeability to Other Breathability Parameters of Textiles.

In the field of textile comfort of smart textiles, the breathability of the material is very important. That includes the flow of air, water and water vapours through the textile material. All these experiments are time consuming and costly; only air permeability is much faster and economical. The research is performed to find correlation between these phenomena of breathability and to predict the permeability based on only the air permeability measurement. Furthermore, it introduces a new way of expressing the Ret (water vapour resistance) unit according to SI standards as it is connected with the air permeability of garments. The need to find a correlation between air permeability and water vapour permeability is emphasised in order to facilitate the assessment of clothing comfort. The results show that there is a strong relation between air permeability and water vapour permeability for most of the textile material.

Synergistic Effect of Screen-Printed Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Phosphorylated Cellulose Nanofibrils on Thermophysiological Comfort, Thermal/UV Resistance, Mechanical and Electroconductive Properties of Flame-Retardant Fabric.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and phosphorylated nanocellulose fibrils (PCNFs) were used as functional screen-print coatings on flame-retardant (FR) fabric, to improve its thermal resistance and thermophysiological comfort (wetting, water vapour and heat transmission) properties, while inducing it with electrical conductivity and UV protection. The effect of PCNF printing, followed by applying a hydrophobic polyacrylate (AP), on the same (back/B, turned outwards) or other (front/F, turned towards skin) side of the fabric, with and without the addition of 0.1–0.4 wt% SWCNTs, was studied by determining the amount of applied coating and its distribution (microscopic imaging), and measuring the fabric’s colour, air permeability, thickness, mechanical, flame and abrasion resistance properties. Due to the synergistic effect of PCNF and SWCNTs, both-sided printed fabric (front-side printed with PCNF and back-side with SWCNTs within AP) resulted in an increased heat transfer (25%) and an improved thermal resistance (shift of degradation temperature by up to 18 °C towards a higher value) and UV protection (UPF of 109) without changing the colour of the fabric. Such treatment also affected the moisture management properties with an increased water-vapour transfer (17%), reduced water uptake (39%) and asymmetric wettability due to the hydrophilic front (Contact Angle 46°) and hydrophobic back (129°) side. The increased tensile (16%) and tear (39%) strengths were also assessed in the warp direction, without worsening the abrasion resistance of the front-side. A pressure-sensing electrical conductivity (up to 4.9∙10−4 S/cm with an increase to 12.0∙10−4 S/cm at 2 bars) of the SWCNT-printed side ranks the fabric among the antistatic, electrostatic discharge (ESD) or electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding protectives.

Comfort Evaluation of Wearable Functional Textiles.

Wearable E-textile systems should be comfortable so that highest efficiency of their functionality can be achieved. The development of electronic textiles (functional textiles) as a wearable technology for various applications has intensified the use of flexible wearable functional textiles instead of wearable electronics. However, the wearable functional textiles still bring comfort complications during wear. The purpose of this review paper is to sightsee and recap recent developments in the field of functional textile comfort evaluation systems. For textile-based materials which have close contact to the skin, clothing comfort is a fundamental necessity. In this paper, the effects of functional finishing on the comfort of the textile material were reviewed. A brief review of clothing comfort evaluations for textile fabrics based on subjective and objective techniques was conducted. The reasons behind the necessity for sensory evaluation for smart and functional clothing have been presented. The existing works of literature on comfort evaluation techniques applied to functional fabrics have been reviewed. Statistical and soft computing/artificial intelligence presentations from selected fabric comfort studies were also reviewed. Challenges of smart textiles and its future highlighted. Some experimental results were presented to support the review. From the aforementioned reviews, it is noted that the electronics clothing comfort evaluation of smart/functional fabrics needs more focus.

A study of the physical properties and bending stiffness of antistatic and antibacterial knitted fabrics

Different fiber blends, knit patterns, and treatments may be applied to increase the functionality and comfort of knitted fabrics. In this research, the physical properties and bending stiffness of 1 × 1 rib and half-milano rib fabrics with four fiber blends (90% cotton/10% antistatic PET, 80% cotton/20% antistatic PET, 70% cotton/30% antistatic PET, and 65% cotton/35% antistatic PET) applied to each knit pattern were studied. The effect of fabric direction (course and wale), technical side (face side and back side), and treatment (dying, softening with Aquasoft® SI hydrophilic softener, and Polygiene VO-600 antibacterial finish) on the physical characteristics and bending stiffness of the fabrics was evaluated. The results revealed that dyeing and softening increased the fabric area density and both wale and course densities and decreased fabric thicknesses compared to the control fabrics. The antibacterial finish applied to the softened samples did not change the physical properties. Bending stiffness in the course direction was lower than in the wale direction, and it was higher for technical face samples than for technical back ones. The 1 × 1 rib knitted fabrics showed lower stiffness than the half-milano rib fabrics. Treatment of the investigated fabrics decreased bending stiffness for both treatment sample groups compared to the control group.

Moisture Vapor Permeability and Thermal Wear Comfort of Ecofriendly Fiber-Embedded Woven Fabrics for High-Performance Clothing.

This study examined the moisture vapor permeability and thermal wear comfort of ecofriendly fiber-embedded woven fabrics in terms of the yarn structure and the constituent fiber characteristics according to two measuring methods. The moisture vapor permeability measured using the upright cup (CaCl2) method (JIS L 1099A-1) was primarily dependent on the hygroscopicity of the ecofriendly constituent fibers in the yarns and partly influenced by the pore size in the fabric because of the yarn structure. On the other hand, the moisture vapor resistance measured using the sweating guarded hot plate method (ISO 11092) was governed mainly by the fabric pore size and partly by the hygroscopicity of the constituent ecofriendly fibers. The difference between the two measuring methods was attributed to the different mechanisms in the measuring method. The thermal conductivity as a measure of the thermal wear comfort of the composite yarn fabrics was governed primarily by the pore size in the fabric and partly by the thermal characteristics of the constituent fibers in the yarns. Lastly, considering market applications, the Coolmax®/Tencel sheath/core fabric appears useful for winter warm feeling clothing because of its the good breathability with low thermal conductivity. The bamboo and Coolmax®/bamboo fabrics are suitable for summer clothing with a cool feel because of their high thermal conductivity with good breathability. Overall, ecofriendly fibers (bamboo and Tencel) are of practical use for marketing environmentallyfriendly high-performance clothing.

Understanding the difference in softness of Australian Soft Rolling Skin wool and conventional Merino wool

Softness is one of the key elements of textile comfort and is one of the main considerations when consumers make purchasing decisions. In the wool industry, softness can reflect the quality and value of wool fibers. There is verifiable difference in subjective softness between Australian Soft Rolling Skin (SRS) wool and conventional Merino (CM) wool, yet the key factors responsible for this difference are not yet well understood. Fiber attributes, such as crimp (curvature), scale morphology, ortho-to-cortex (OtC) ratio and moisture regain, may have a significant influence on softness performance. This study has examined these key factors for both SRS and CM wool and systematically compared the difference in these factors. There was no significant difference in the crimp frequency between these two wools; however, the curvature of SRS wool was lower than that of CM wool within the same fiber diameter ranges (below 14.5 micron, 16.5–18.5 micron). This difference might be caused by the lower OtC ratio for SRS wool (approximately 0.60) than for CM wool (approximately 0.66). The crystallinity of the two wools was similar and not affected by the change in OtC ratio. SRS wool has higher moisture regain than CM wool by approximately 2.5%, which could reduce the stiffness of wool fibers. The surface morphology for SRS wool was also different from that of CM wool. The lower cuticle scale height for SRS wool resulted in its smoother surface than CM wool. This cuticle height difference was present even when they both had similar cuticle scale frequency.

Development and Characterization of Knitted Fabrics for Better Sensorial Comfort Properties in Sportswear by Using Grey Rational Analysis

ABSTRACT Sportswear textile is the interface between consumers, clothing and the environment in conjunction with human physiology. In this study, multi-response optimization of sensorial comfort properties of terry and fleece knitted sportswear fabrics was planned by varying areal densities (GSM) and fiber content under Taguchi-based gray rational technique. The L36 Taguchi orthogonal array was used to develop thirty-six samples out of which 18 samples were washed in order to determine the effect of washing, areal density and fiber content on sensorial comfort of fabrics. From the results it was revealed that washing process caused positive influence on crease recovery rate, smoothness score, and resilience while slight reduction in drapability and softness was observed after washing process. It was found that as the polyester content was increased from 20 to 40% the sensory characteristics of both terry and fleece fabrics were increased. Similarly, the areal density of fabric also caused significant influence on sensory attributes of clothing comfort. Based on Taguchi gray rational optimization, the optimum fabric parameters were found to be terry fabric, after wash, 240 GSM and 60/40 cotton: polyester content for simultaneously achieving good sensorial comfort properties for sportswear fabric.

Increased Comfort of Polyester Fabrics.

The hydrophilicity of fibers is directly related to the comfort of a fabric and represents one of the most important aspects of a textile. Therefore, polyester (PES) modification has focused on an increase in moisture content and a subsequent improvement of the user’s experience. Based on the glycerol hygroscopic properties, the main objective has been the enhancement of the hydrophilicity of polyester by glycerol treatments. Furthermore, microwave irradiation and alkaline treatment have been applied, in order to increase glycerol adhesion. Treated PES samples were characterized by performing moisture content, negative ion, water diffusion and water vapor resistance analyses. The effect of different treatment conditions such as bath ratio (1/10 or 1/15), temperature (40, 60 or 100 °C), time (2 or 5 min) and microwave radiation intensity (300 or 500 W) was evaluated. The moisture content of treated PES results indicated that by decreasing the bath ratio and increasing the time and temperature the moisture gain can reach almost 14%, which can be easily related to increases in the weight of the fiber. The treatment with alkali was done and led to the highest moisture increase. Treatment with 500 W microwave irradiation led to higher glycerol retention after rinsing. Different experimental conditions were applied to the glycerol-treated PES fabrics, and a clear improvement in moisture content was obtained increasing the comfort. The results were compared with the ones obtained for cotton and wool, where the moisture is higher than non treated PES.

Thermo-physiological Clothing Comfort of Wool-Cotton Khadi Union Fabrics

ABSTRACT Khadi is a handspun and handloom woven textile fabric made up of natural textile fibers, predominantly cotton and wool. Khadi mainly intended for apparel purposes. Hence, the thermo-physiological properties of wool-cotton blended khadi fabric are crucial in studying fabric comfort. In this study, the 18 types of wool-cotton blended khadi fabrics are produced on a handloom by using wool-cotton blended yarn as warp; and woolen yarn comprised of three different mixes of Australian Merino (AM) wool and JK crossbred (JKC) as weft yarn. Two different weft yarns of 41.7 and 31.2 Tex were prepared using these mixes. The thermo-physiological properties of fabric viz. air permeability, water vapor transmission, and thermal resistance were studied. The air and water vapor permeability, and thermal resistance of wool-rich blended fabrics were found higher compared to cotton-rich blends. The air permeability is negatively influenced by the fabric cover factor. The coarser weft yarn gives higher air permeability while lower water vapor permeability. The thermal resistance is found to have a positive relationship with fabric cover factor. The wool content in yarn and weft yarn linear density largely influences the thermo-physiological comfort properties of the khadi fabric.

Antimicrobial behavior, low-stress mechanical properties, and comfort of knitted fabrics made from poly (hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate)/polylactide acid filaments and cotton yarns

This article presents a systematic investigation of the knitted fabrics made from various blends of intrinsically antimicrobial poly (hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate)/polylactide acid filaments and cotton staple fibers. The effects of blend yarn, fabric structures, and distributions of fibers on antimicrobial properties of resultant yarns and knitted fabrics were studied. The relationships among fiber distribution, blend ratio, and anti-microbial properties were experimentally determined for three blend yarns made by sirofil, wrap-spun, and core-spun spinning technologies. The fabrics made from the sirofil-spun and wrap-spun yarns show better anti-microbial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans than those of the core-spun yarns, according to the standard AATCC100-2012 Antibacterial Finishes on Textile Materials (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, 2012). An alternative blending method of co-knitting of the pure poly (hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate)/polylactide acid yarns and cotton yarns achieved excellent antimicrobial effects. Furthermore, a wearing trial of underwear made from the blended knitted fabrics was conducted in a nursing home. The wearing comfort of the garments, low-stress mechanical and surface properties of fabrics were evaluated objectively by the Kawabata Evaluation System of Fabric (KESF) system and subjectively by a questionnaire survey to users.

Effect of Lycra Weight Percent and Loop Length on Thermo-physiological Properties of Elastic Single Jersey Knitted Fabric

Abstract The aim of this work is to estimate the effect of loop length and Lycra weight percent (Lwp) on the geometrical and thermo-physiological comfort of elastic plain knitted fabric. Fifty single jersey knitted fabric samples were produced at five levels of Lycra weight percent (Lwp) (4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, and 8%) and loop length (2.7 mm, 2.9 mm, 3.1 mm, 3.3 mm, and 3.4 mm) with full plaited (fp) and half plaited (hp) of bare Lycra. The thermo-physiological comfort properties (thermal conductivity, absorptivity, and water vapor permeability), air permeability, and geometrical properties were measured at standard of each one. The results showed that the elastic single jersey knitted fabric thickness ranged between 3.12 times and 4.2 times of the yarn diameter (d). The fabric thickness increased when loop length is increased and decreased when Lwp is increased. The thermal conductivity, absorptivity, and water vapor resistance (WVR) decreased with Lwp increasing.

Effect of silicone based softener on fabric handle properties made by ring, rotor and MVS yarns

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to produce yarns from three different spinning techniques, i.e.Murata Vortex Spinning (MVS) ring spinning and rotor spinning. Those yarns were then used to produce fabrics. Then, the effect of silicone softener on tactile comfort of fabric was investigated.Design/methodology/approachThree different yarns, i.e. Ring, Rotor and MVS yarns, were used to make fabrics using CCI sample loom which were then subjected to post treatments like desizing, scouring and bleaching. After the completion of the dyeing process, silicone-based softener was used to improve the hand feel of fabrics. The structures of three yarns were evaluated using Scanning electron microscopy. The fabrics were evaluated against compression, bending and surface properties using Kawabata evaluation system.FindingsThe fabric made of MVS yarn depicted more geometrical roughness, coefficient of friction and bending rigidity but less compressibility as compared to fabrics made with other yarns. It was observed that softener concentration has a direct relationship with thickness and bending rigidity of the fabric, and inverse relationship with coefficient of friction and geometrical roughness of the fabric.Originality/valueMVS yarn has some superior properties over rotor and ring spun yarn like high production rates, high resistance to pilling, clear appearance and stability against deformation but has disadvantage that it has less compressibility. Therefore, softener is applied on the fabric, to address this issue, so that it could also be used for apparels application.

The comfort of knitted fabrics: interaction of sportswear and athlete’s body

The properties of the material used for the production of sportswear, as well as the properties of the sportswear, directly affect the heat exchange and sweat transfer that occurs at the interface between the skin and the environment. Thermography is a valuable method that provides insight into the patterns of temperature distribution on the surface of human skin that change during sports training or intense exercise. Such patterns can be further used to improve the design of sportswear. The experiment presented in this paper focuses on studying the changes in body temperature of the participating subjects during two typical types of training in football (condition training and tactical training). The duration of each training session was 60 minutes and measurements were taken after each of the total 10 training sessions. The thermal camera was used to measure the upper body temperatures of the players and the professional software was used for further processing of the thermal images. In the analysis of the thermal data, the average temperatures for 9 anterior and 9 posterior zones of the upper body were obtained. The results related to the changes in average temperature for each observed anterior and posterior zone and two types of football training are presented and discussed.

The Prickle effect comes from Fabrics made of South American Camelid (Alpaca and Lama) Fibers. Mechanical and/or Genetic Solutions. A review

In this paper we intends to analyze the physical attributes that determine the comfort of fabrics made of South American Camelid fibers (Lama and Alpaca), the effect on their value and their possible mechanical and/or genetic solutions. While emphasis has always been on mean fiber diameter, the fiber frequency exceeding 30 microns has a key role in quality. This is essential for light fabrics, where the effect of prickle plays a critical part in consumer´s choice. Yet the genetic solution of the problem lies in the slow selection response. Dehairing provides an immediate solution, though excessive fiber breakage should be addressed. It is concluded that the textile fiber quality of South American Camelids is promissory if the presence of objectionable fibers is solved, resulting in a tolerable frequency for consumers (<3%). This process could be explored via genetic selection or applying dehairing technology. This implies a true paradigm shift with regard to the classic textile processing of Alpaca and Lama fibers. This would enhance the fiber softness to touch, together with other important features that would render the fiber price more competitive

(Invited) Fabric Pressure Sensors for Longitudinal Monitoring of Human Motion in Natural Environments

Apparel with embedded self-powered sensors can revolutionize human behavior monitoring by leveraging everyday clothing as the sensing substrate. The key is to inconspicuously integrate sensing elements and portable power sources into garments while maintaining the weight, feel, comfort, function and ruggedness of familiar clothes and fabrics. We use reactive vapor coating to transform commonly-available, mass-produced fabrics, threads or premade garments into comfortably-wearable electronic devices by directly coating them with uniform and conformal films of electronically-active conjugated polymers. By carefully choosing the repeat unit structure of the polymer coating, we access a number of fiber- or fabric-based circuit components, including resistors, depletion-mode transistors, diodes, thermistors, and pseudocapacitors. Further, vapor-deposited electronic polymer films are notably wash- and wear-stable and withstand mechanically-demanding textile manufacturing routines, enabling us to use sewing, weaving, knitting or embroidery procedures to create self-powered garment sensors. We will describe our efforts in monitoring heartrate, breathing, joint motion/flexibility, gait and sleep posture using loose-fitting garments.

Moisture-Wicking and Solar-Heated Coaxial Fibers with a Bark-like Appearance for Fabric Comfort Management.

Maintaining the human body's comfort is a predominant requirement of functional textiles, but there are still considerable drawbacks to design an intelligent textile with proper moisture absorption and evaporation properties. Herein, we develop moisture-wicking and solar-heated coaxial fibers with a bark-like appearance for fabric comfort management. The cortex layer of coaxial fibers can absorb moisture via the synergistic effect of the hierarchical roughness and the hydrophilic polymeric matrix. The core layer containing zirconium carbide nanoparticles can assimilate energy from the body and sunlight, which raises the surface temperature of the material and accelerates moisture evaporation. The resulting coaxial fiber-based membrane exhibits an excellent droplet diffusion radius of 2.73 cm, an excellent wicking height of 6.97 cm, and a high surface temperature of 61.7 °C which is radiated by simulated sunlight. Moreover, the designed fabric also exhibits a significant UV protection factor of 2000. Overall, the successful synthesis of such fascinating fibrous membranes enables the rapid removal of sweat from the human body textile, providing a suitable and comfortable microenvironment for the human body.

Analyzing Thermophysiological Comfort and Moisture Management Behavior of Cotton Denim Fabrics

Abstract Comfort properties of garments are influenced by fiber properties, fabric properties, and applied finishes. Denim garments are widely used apparels, and they are processed with different industrial finishing treatments. Finishing treatments and fabric weight have a great influence on the thermal comfort of denim fabrics. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effects of finishing treatments (rigid, bleaching, resin, softener) on the thermophysiological comfort and moisture management properties of denim fabrics considering three weight categories (light, medium, heavy). The thermophysiological comfort (thermal resistance, thermal absorptivity, air permeability, water vapor permeability tests) and liquid moisture transport capabilities (transfer wicking and drying behavior of fabrics) were measured and analyzed statistically. As a result of the study, fabric weight and finishing had been found to be important parameters for the comfort properties of denim fabrics. As a conclusion, it could be stated in the light of the results that the fabric weight type (light, medium, heavy) had a significant impact on the fabric thermophysiological comfort properties.

The Effect of Softeners Applications on Moisture Management Properties of Polyester/Cotton Blended Sandwich Weft-Knitted Fabric Structure

Prolonged drying times of terry fabrics is a problem as they can not be re-used until completely dry. To resolve this issue, we have designed a sandwich polyester in the mid-layer with low moisture content that could reduce the drying time with excellent wicking properties. These fabrics are widely used as activewear and sportswear. The effect of different softeners on the moisture management properties of weft-knitted terry fabrics’ for various applications has also been studied. Terry knitted fabrics were prepared using a circular knitting machine. Six different softeners were applied with three different concentrations, i.e., 10 g/L, 15 g/L, and 20 g/L, on the fabric using the pad-dry-cure method. Moisture management tests and rubbing fastness tests were performed to analyze the applied softener’s effect on the fabric comfort and moisture management performance. Results revealed that softener type (i.e., cationic, anionic, and non-ionic) and concentration levels considerably affect the moisture management capability of terry knitted fabrics.

A self-adaptive particle swarm optimization based K-means (SAPSO-K) clustering method to evaluate fabric tactile comfort

This article proposes a new clustering algorithm of the self-adaptive particle swarm optimization (PSO) based K-means (SAPSO-K) to evaluate the fabric tactile comfort and compared with other algorithms. In this study, the efficient characterization of Quick-Intelligent Handle Evaluation System (QIHES) method was used to detect the mechanical properties, where 10 feature indexes were extracted from the testing force-displacement curves. The correlation analysis was used to determine the appropriate clustering data set and the different number of groups was applied to determine the optimal cluster number. Moreover, subjective evaluation was conducted and compared with the conventional clustering algorithms of K-means, agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC), PSO-based K-means(PSO-K) and SAPSO-K. The results show that the clustering results based on 10 indexes are significantly better than the eight indexes with good correlation, which indicate the performance of the stretching stage has a certain degree of influence on the fabric tactile comfort. The PSO-K and SAPSO-K algorithms have the minimum average relative error compared to the subjective rating values (RV) as 4.455 with the optimal cluster number as 5. Nevertheless, SAPSO-K achieved the best fitness of 6.192 after eight iterations, while PSO-K needs 136 times. Therefore, the SAPSO-K clustering algorithm is the most effective and reliable method to predict the RV and evaluate the tactile comfort with good accuracy.

Evaluation of comfort and thermal properties of stretch denim fabric by applying different softeners

Denim plays a vital role in the fashion industry. But today’s fashion not only concern about its aesthetic property but also its comfortability. Objective: This study was aimed to explore the effect of different softeners on the comfort and thermal feeling properties of stretch denim fabric. Method/analysis: For the understanding of comfort, feeling, and thermal properties of stretch denim fabric in conjunction with enzyme wash and stone enzyme wash; different softeners like cationic, anionic, nonionic, micro silicone, macro silicone, and nano-silicone softeners were applied accordingly. Then water vapor permeability and comfort property tests were conducted to understand the effect of different softeners on comfort and thermal properties of stretch denim fabric. Findings: Comfort, feeling, and thermal properties of stretch denim fabric were affected by using different kinds of softeners. Enzyme and stone enzyme washed stretch denim fabric treated with silicone-based softeners illustrated better feeling performance regarding the smoothness, softness, and warmness sensation. For water vapor permeability analysis, nonionic softeners showed better performance for both cases of enzyme wash and stone enzyme wash rather than others. Furthermore, nonionic and anionic softeners displayed lower performance for thermal conductivity during compression and recovery than silicone-based and cationic softeners in context with both Enzyme wash along with stone enzyme wash treated stretch denim fabric. Novelty: This research is a novel work regarding the understanding of comfort and thermal feeling properties of stretch denim fabric by applying different softeners together with enzyme wash and stone enzyme wash. Keywords: Denim; softener; water vapor permeability; thermal conductivity; smoothness; warmness