Sweat Transport Research Articles

Surface modification of polyester fabrics using low pressure air radio frequency plasma

In this study, the feasibility of using ambient air low pressure plasma to switch polyester's interaction with water from hydrophobic to hydrophilic is demonstrated. The increase in wettability was achieved by the introduction of carboxylic and amide groups. The presence of these functional groups was probed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as high-speed photography. Having water wettable polyester surfaces can be advantageous to the textiles and apparel industry as most of their manufacturing processes are water based. Potentially, the ability of having tunable hydrophilic/hydrophobic behaviour on the surface of polyester, the one side hydrophilic, may open new avenues for smart clothing aimed at moisture and sweat transport management.

Quasi-steady-state and steady-state models for heat and moisture transport in textile assemblies

Heat and moisture transport plays an important role in many engineering areas. In many sweat transport systems, such as clothing assembly, the moisture concentration (or sweat) is relative small and the air concentration reaches a steady state quickly. In this paper, a quasi-steady-state multi-component and multi-phase model for heat and moisture transport in porous textile materials with phase change is proposed. An analytic form of the air concentration is obtained in terms of the mixture gas (vapour and air) concentration and temperature. The new model is described in the form of a single-component flow with an extra air resistance (permeability), involving only the vapour concentration (or pressure), temperature and water content. The existence of the classical positive solutions of the corresponding steady-state model is proved. Two types of clothing assemblies are investigated numerically. The comparisons among the experimental measurements and numerical results of the fully dynamic model, the proposed quasi-steady-state model and steady-state model are also presented. Numerical results show that the proposed quasi-steady-state model is realistic and less complicated.

Thermal comfort of aeroplane seats: influence of different seat materials and the use of laboratory test methods

This study determined the influence of different cover and cushion materials on the thermal comfort of aeroplane seats. Different materials as well as ready made seats were investigated by the physiological laboratory test methods Skin Model and seat comfort tester. Additionally, seat trials with human test subjects were performed in a climatic chamber. Results show that a fabric cover produces a considerably higher sweat transport than leather. A three-dimensional knitted spacer fabric turns out to be the better cushion alternative in comparison to a moulded foam pad. Results from the physiological laboratory test methods nicely correspond to the seat trials with human test subjects.