An investigation about comfort and protection performances of disposable and reusable surgical gowns by objective and subjective measurements

This study was conducted to investigate comfort and microbial protection performances of two reusable and two disposable surgical gowns by subjective wear trials conducted on eight healthy Dentistry faculty students under environmental conditions suitable for a surgical operation. Protection performances of the gowns were tested by a modified bacterial resistance test. Physiological and psychological data were obtained during wear trials. All objective and subjective results were evaluated in the light of standard physical, mechanical, permeability, and resistance (thermal and water vapor) characteristics of the fabrics. According to the results, thermal comfort performance of the woven gown produced from microfiber polyester was the best according to subjective wear trial and microbial resistance test results. Disposable nonwoven gowns had lower comfort performances despite their higher permeability and lower resistance values. Moreover, chest skin temperature, arm microclimate temperature, and arm relative humidity are the physiological parameters significantly correlated with subjective comfort evaluation results.     

Sex-related differences in clothing-microclimate and subjective perceptions while wearing two outdoor jackets during submaximal exercise in a cool environment

Abstract

This study aimed to identify sex-related differences in clothing-microclimate and subjective perceptions while wearing two outdoor jackets in a setting that is representative for outdoor sports at a leisure level. Ten male and 10 female subjects were testing a thin one-layer jacket and a wind- and waterproof three-layer membrane jacket in a climatic chamber (12?°C, 40% relative humidity) during rest, exercise and recovery. Relative humidity, temperature and sweat residues in the clothing system, perceptions of comfort and physiological parameters were measured. For females, relative humidity, sweat residues and loss of body mass were significantly lower without significantly influencing perceptions of comfort. It can be concluded that sex has a strong effect on clothing-microclimate in outdoor jackets with drier microclimate for females. Furthermore, our findings suggest that females are more sensitive to humidity within the clothing system and that they cool easier, especially in periods of rest.     

Force attenuation capacity and thermophysiological wear comfort of vertically lapped nonwoven fabric

Hip-protective pads are designed to prevent hip fracture in elderly women. Two types of vertically lapped nonwoven fabrics were evaluated for suitability as materials for hip-protective pads. The force attenuation capacity of pads made from these fabrics was studied using drop impact tests, and performance relevant to thermophysiological wear comfort measured using a sweating guarded hot plate. The results indicate that vertically lapped nonwoven fabrics are suitable materials for soft hip-protective pads. They provide effective protection for the hip bone, and have similar force attenuation capacity to closed-cell foam. The inter-fibre and voids in nonwoven structures enable moisture to escape to the environment, and the experimental vertically lapped nonwoven fabric pads had significantly higher ability to transfer moisture than closed-cell foam pads.     

基于NI LabVIEW平台的织物动态热湿测试仪开发

 针对织物动态热湿舒适性能客观评价的问题,开发了一台基于NI LabVIEW平台的织物动态热湿测试仪。该仪器是模拟出汗皮肤微气候织物3级系统,通过LabVIEW虚拟仪器程序实时测量待测织物覆盖于模拟出汗皮肤表面时,其内外两面温湿度值的变化情况,对待测织物的动态热湿舒适性能进行评价。实验证明该仪器具有良好的控制精度及重复精度。使用该仪器对4种不同纤维织物进行研究,通过对微气候内的温湿度变化曲线及织物内外层温湿度差曲线的分析,对4种织物的动态热湿舒适性能进行评价。     

Thermal properties of combat uniforms treated with microencapsulated octadecane and change in clothing microclimate via thermal manikin

This study examined how the heat storage property and the heat release property of three different PCM (Phase Change Material) treatment concentrations of combat uniform fabrics affected microclimate inside clothing after the octadecane-treated fabrics were made into garments. Three combat uniforms were constructed with fabrics treated by three different octadecane concentrations (0, 8, and 16%) at the same curing temperature of 113.6 °C. The thermal properties of the octadecane-treated fabrics were acquired by using DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) analysis. Also, water vapor and air permeability were measured before the thermal comfort of the octadecane-treated combat uniforms was evaluated. And then, a thermal manikin was used to measure skin temperature, skin humidity, and microclimate temperature, while the chamber was set at various environmental temperatures (0, 0–35, 35, and 35–0 °C). And, to analyze the differences among skin temperature, skin humidity, and microclimate temperature of the garments according to the three different octadecane concentrations, ANOVA and a post hoc test were conducted. As a result, heat of fusion and heat of crystallization (ΔH_f and ΔH_c) were observed to increase as the octadecane concentration increased. The 8% octadecane-treated fabrics had 3.56 J/g of ΔH_f, 3.80 J/g of ΔH_c, and the 16% octadecane-treated fabrics had 7.46 J/g of ΔH_f, 7.44 J/g of ΔH_c. Also, the more octadecane was added, the less water vapor and air permeability had the fabrics because many open spaces were covered due to the microcapsules after octadecane treatment. It might influence on clothing microclimate. However, the 8% octadecane-treated garment (G1) exhibited less differential skin temperature and humidity and clothing microclimate temperature than the 16% octadecane-treated garment (G2) even though the octadecane concentration was lower. It means that the 8% octadecane-treated garment exhibited better thermal performance than the 16% octadecane-treated garment. This is because the higher octadecane concentration caused the fabric to become stiffer, thereby causing the still air layer to decrease the thermal insulation efficiency and the octadecane treatment was not affected. It differed from the result of the thermal properties (ΔH_f and ΔH_c) of the octadecane-treated fabrics. The reason for this result is that when the thermal manikin wore the octadecane-treated garments, various factors had effects on thermal properties such as environmental aspects, physiological aspects, and clothing aspects.     

Thermo-physiological and comfort properties of Ugandan barkcloth from Ficus natalensis

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2005 proclaimed that Ugandan barkcloth largely produced from mutuba tree (Ficus natalensis) as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. An exploratory investigation of thermo-physiological and comfort properties of barkcloth, a nonwoven material produced through a series of pummeling processes from mutuba tree in Uganda, is fronted. Barkcloth was extracted from the F. natalensis tree in Nsangwa village, Buyijja parish in Mpigi district, Central Uganda. Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, thermal absorptivity, thermal resistance, fabric thickness, and peak heat flow density were measured using an Alambeta device, whereas a Permetest device was used for the measurement of the moisture vapour permeability and evaporation resistance. The study was carried out under relative humidity of 40% and at a laboratory room temperature of 24°C and the results show that the thermal conductivity is in the range of cotton fabrics rendering barkcloth from F. natalensis, a comfortable fabric. The lower value of thermal absorptivity of barkcloth compared to the value of cotton renders the fabric a warm feeling when in contact with the skin. Barkcloth had a higher moisture vapor permeability compared to cotton and other fabrics, meaning its clothing comfort properties are reasonable.     

Study on microclimate conditions for woven fabrics from cotton-acrylic bulked yarn

The present work is concerned with the study of the microclimate conditions with plain woven fabrics produced with cotton-acrylic high-bulk yarns. Cotton-acrylic bulked yarns of various yarn counts, proportion of shrinkable acrylic fibre and twist levels have been prepared as per the three-variable three-level factorial design technique proposed by Box and Behnken to study the interaction effects of the variables on the microclimate conditions. The influence of these three variables on various microclimate conditions i.e. initial increase in microclimate temperature and relative humidity without air flow and drop in microclimate temperature and relative humidity when air flows at 1.12?m/s through the outer surface of fabrics. The response surface equations for all the microclimate parameters have been derived and the contour plots were obtained to analyse the interactive effect of all the variables on microclimate parameters. These bulked fabrics show higher initial increase in microclimate temperature without air flow and lower drop in microclimate temperature with air flow as compared to equivalent 100% cotton fabrics. All the variables were found to have significant effects on microclimate parameters.     

Wool fabric having thermal comfort management function via shape memory polyurethane finishing

Abstract

In this study, wool fabrics were treated with shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) at different concentrations (5–20?wt%) by using pad-dry-cure process. Transition temperature (T_g) of the SMPU was suitable for body temperature so as to create a fabric having smart breathability and insulation. FT-IR and SEM analyses were conducted for assessing polymer and wool fabric interactions. Air, water vapor permeability (WVP), and water absorption capacity tests of raw and SMPU treated fabrics were carried out within temperature range covering points lower and above T_g of the polymer (20–65?°C). Effects of relative humidity (RH) on WVP were also investigated with the tests carried out under differing RH values (20–80%). According to the results, wool fabrics treated with 10?wt% SMPU had the best smart transfer capability changing according to temperature and relative humidity. Its absorption capacity was also superior with its acceptable hand values according to bending rigidity results.     

Effects of inner and outer clothing combinations on firefighter ensembles’ thermal- and moisture-related comfort levels

The special clothing ensembles firefighters wear should provide not only thermal protective performance but also thermal- and moisture-related comfort. The comfort property of protective clothing has great influence on work efficiency. In this study, inner clothing was designed to combine with firefighters’ protective clothing in order to create different clothing ensembles. Two separate wear trials were carried out under the temperatures of 28°C (warm) and 15°C (cool), respectively; cardiopulmonary indexes, temperature and relative humidity under clothing microclimate and subjective sensations were evaluated. These objective and subjective experimental data were analysed to differentiate clothing ensembles’ thermal- and moisture-related comfort properties. The effect of different inner clothing items, combined with the firefighters’ protective clothing, on the overall comfort level of the clothing ensembles was also investigated. The results showed that there were significant differences in the thermal, moisture and clingy sensations of various clothing ensembles under the temperature of 28°C (warm), but the differences were not significant under the temperature of 15°C (cool), except for clingy sensation. Combined with the same firefighter clothing, there was no significant difference in the thermal- and moisture-related comfort properties, but the differences in clingy sensation were significant. The clothing ensembles with polyester inner clothing were not very good for providing thermal and moisture comfort. The clingy comfort of clothing ensembles with linen inner clothing was better than those with cotton or polyester inner clothing.     

Investigation of electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of needle punched nonwoven fabrics with staple polypropylene and carbon fibres

Conductive needle punched nonwoven fabrics are developed from staple polypropylene (PP) and varying weight fractions (10, 20 and 30 wt.%) of staple carbon fibres. A fibrous webs of staple PP and carbon fibres were formed at a wool-type carding machine, and these webs subsequently bonded on needle punching machine with 132 punches/cm² and 13.5 mm needle penetration depth. The electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE), absorption and reflection characteristics of as-produced needle punched nonwoven fabrics were determined using a network analyser as specified in ASTM D4935-10 in the frequency range 15–3000 MHz. The surface resistivity measurements were carried out in accordance with ASTM D 257-07 standard. These results indicate that the EMSE values increase incrementally with frequency in the 15–3000 MHz range. The nonwoven sample with 30 wt.% carbon fibre showed the lowest surface resistivity of 3.348 kΩ and corresponding highest EMSE of ~42.1 dB in the 3000 MHz frequency range. In comparison, the highest EMSE values from 10 to 20 wt.% staple carbon fibre were found to be 15.6 and 32.2 dB in the 3000 MHz frequency, respectively. It was observed that the absorbance and reflectance curves of each nonwoven fabric move at opposite directions to each other. It was found that as the amount of carbon fibre in the nonwoven fabric increases, absorbance values decrease, but reflectance values increase. The resultant nonwoven fabric samples are expected to be used as garment interlining after thermal bonding and wall interlayer in the future.     

辐射降温纳米纤维医用防护服面料及传感系统集成

针对传统医用防护服的穿着舒适性差、功能单一等问题,采用静电纺丝法制备了具有辐射降温功能的二氧化硅/聚偏氟乙烯(SiO₂/PVDF)纳米纤维,采用热压法将SiO₂/PVDF纳米纤维与非织造布制成新型防护服面料(SiO₂/PVDF-NWF)。测试了SiO₂/PVDF纳米纤维的结构和红外光透过率,以及新型防护服面料的穿着舒适性、防护性、辐射降温性能。结果表明:在质量分数为15%的PVDF纺丝液中,当SiO₂粒径为2 μm,SiO₂与PVDF的质量比为0.15时,SiO₂/PVDF纳米纤维的红外光透过率最好;将传统防护服上的部分面料替换为SiO₂/PVDF-NWF,测试人员穿着时的服内温度比传统防护服低2 ℃,相对湿度下降5%。此外,在辐射降温防护服面料上集成了血氧、温湿度和定位传感器,构筑了多功能防护系统,其在医疗应急方面具有广阔的应用前景。     

针织运动服的通风设计与热湿舒适性评价

为研究通风孔和通风道设计对人体运动热生理及主观舒适感的影响,采用针织挑洞工艺与凸条工艺设计了2款运动服,在人工气候舱中进行着装人体实验,评价所研发运动服对人体皮肤温度、衣下湿度、汗液蒸发率等客观生理指标,以及主观热感觉、湿感觉、黏体感、舒适感的影响。结果表明:具有通风孔设计的服装能显著增加人体汗液蒸发,降低衣下湿度,同时受试者的主观热、湿、黏体及不舒适感也显著下降;在通风孔基础上进一步增加通风道设计的服装,由于衣下空气层厚度的增大,使得服装的热阻也增加,未能起到进一步改善人体热生理及舒适感的作用;在运动服的设计中,应当在控制服装热阻的前提下尽量提高通风性能。     

打孔和压花处理对热风非织造材料面层性能的影响

为给纸尿裤面层选择提供更好的依据,首先对平纹热风非织造材料面层的纤网微观结构进行分析,随后分别对平纹、打孔和压花3种热风非织造材料面层的机械、穿渗和液态水传递性能进行测试和表征。结果表明:平纹热风非织造纤网中纤维呈平铺态,纤维之间的黏结呈点状,液态水在纤网中的纵向传递是通过上、下层纤维间的接触完成的;打孔和压花处理能增加纤网中纤维间的孔隙和改变纤维的排列方向,进而加快平纹热风非织造材料面层的穿透速度,提高液态水的纵向传递能力,使平纹热风非织造材料面层的蓬松度分别提高11.64%和21.31%,回渗量分别增加3.13%和7.0%,此外压花对热风非织造材料面层柔软性影响最大,使柔软度降低了9.81%。     

热湿舒适性智能织物的研究进展

针对当前空调制冷与供暖中造成的能源消耗激增与实现“双碳”的全球目标之间出现巨大矛盾,实现由智能织物对人体自身热湿舒适性调节从而降低能耗成为亟需解决的问题。根据当前热湿舒适性智能织物的研究,概述了人体热湿舒适性调节原理;介绍了由高性能材料(如高红外线反射、高导热、高红外线透过材料)制备的热湿舒适性智能织物以及通过纤维或织物结构控制实现的智能织物(如保暖、吸湿快干、智能热湿调节织物)。分析了不同调节方式的智能织物制备方法及现阶段面临的困难和挑战;提出可制备新型热湿刺激响应纤维,通过纤维的低成本、大规模生产达到智能热湿调节织物的生产及广泛应用;展望了热湿舒适性智能织物在“双碳”背景下,推动智能服装发展的应用前景。     

Thermo-physiological comfort properties of double-face knitted fabrics made from different types of polyester yarns and cotton yarn

Double-face knitted fabrics with hydrophobic inner and hydrophilic outer layers are characterised by their advantageous thermo-physiological comfort property that facilitates the transport of sweat from skin to outer fabric layer where it can be evaporated easily. In this study, for the production of double-face knitted fabrics, cotton yarn as hydrophilic yarn type and five different polyester filament yarns consisting of standard polyester, hollow polyester, micro polyester, textured polyester and textured micro polyester as hydrophobic yarn type were used. In order to determine the thermo-physiological comfort properties of the fabrics, air permeability, water vapour permeability, thermal conductivity, thermal resistance and overall moisture management capacity were measured. The results were comparatively analysed using statistical methods. The experimental results demonstrated that the polyester-type yarns and the combinations of them with the cotton yarn in fabric layers affected the thermo-physiological comfort properties significantly. The fabrics with polyester-type inner face and cotton outer face showed the best moisture transmission properties.     

Preparation and characterization of ZnO-PP nanocomposite fibers and non-woven fabrics

In this work, zinc oxide nanorods are synthesized by polyvinyl alcohol-based sol-gel Pyrolysis method and also applied to prepare the antibacterial ZnO/polypropylene nanocomposite fibers and non-woven fabrics. The fibers are produced by the melt spinning and the nonwoven is produced by thermo banding method. The samples are characterized by SEM and TEM. The antibacterial activity of the fibers is qualitative assessed by the agar diffusion and parallel streak and quantitative test methods for percentage reduction of bacteria colonies. The topographical analysis of the treated fiber and untreated fiber are studied and compared. The results show that the treated fibers and non-woven fabrics have the significant antibacterial and antiallergic properties. In addition, the samples show good mechanical strength and UV protection.     

Evaluation and improvement of thermo-physiological comfort properties of firefighters’ protective clothing containing super absorbent materials

In this research, super absorbent materials were incorporated into the internal layer of the firefighters’ protective clothing with the aim of increasing absorption of sweat to improve the thermo-physiological comfort properties. The performance properties were evaluated following the standard test methods (ISO 6942:2002 and ISO 9151: 1995(E)) and the thermo-physiological comfort-related properties were evaluated by measuring the transport properties such as air permeability, water sorption and evaporation, thermal resistance and water vapour resistance of the fabric assemblies with super absorbent materials. The results indicated that it is possible to improve the comfort properties of the protective clothing by the incorporation of super absorbent materials into the internal layer. The use of super absorbent materials is likely to help in the absorption of sweat in higher amount and keeping the skin and internal microclimate dry, which in turn improves the comfort level. The performance properties of all the combinations satisfied the requirements for firefighter’s clothing as mentioned in AS/NZS 4967-2009.     

Modelling and simulation of heat transfer by convection in aerogel treated nonwovens

Simulation and numerical modeling are becoming increasingly popular due to the ability to seek solutions for a problem without undertaking real-life experiments. For the problems of heat transfer, these techniques to generate relevant data by incorporating different changes to the input parameters. Heat transfer property of textile materials is a major concern since it influences comfort properties of clothing. In this paper, numerical simulation was applied to evaluate the heat flux, temperature distributions, and convective heat transfer coefficients of the fibrous insulating materials treated with aerogel. The computational model simulated the insulation behavior of nonwoven fabrics without and with aerogel. Ansys and Comsol were used to model and simulate heat transfer. The simulation was performed assuming laminar flow and since the Mach number was < 0.3, the compressible flow model with Mach number < 0.3 was used. The results of simulation were correlated to experimental measurements for validation. Furthermore, aerogel-treated fabric samples showed better thermal performance. Using this model, the heat transfer properties of the nonwoven fabrics treated with aerogel can be optimized further.     

抗菌空气过滤材料的制备及其性能研究

利用nano-Ag/nano-TiO2对丙纶熔喷非织造材料进行抗菌功能改性,通过改变等离子体处理时间、nano-Ag/nano-TiO2配比、改性处理时间、改性温度等工艺参数,成功制备出具有抗菌功能的熔喷非织造空气过滤材料,并进行了相关性能测试。结果表明:nano-Ag/nano-TiO2改性的最佳工艺为nano-Ag/nano-TiO2配比36:1,反应温度30℃,改性时间10 min。Nano-Ag/nano-TiO2成功附着在材料表面,且未破坏材料原有纤维结构,过滤性能没有发生大的变化,与未改性的材料一样具有较好的过滤性能。PP熔喷非织造材料经nano-Ag/nano-TiO2改性后,具有明显的抗菌杀菌功能,且有较好的抗菌持久性。     

灰色理论在麻织物热湿舒适性研究中的应用

利用灰色理论评价麻织物的热湿舒适性,通过测试不同规格麻织物的传热、透气、导湿和吸湿性能,用灰色关联度分析法与蚕丝织物各热湿性能指标构成的参考数列进行比较,排出了夏季服用麻织物热湿舒适性能的优劣次序,为热湿舒适性能的研究提供了理论依据。实验证明:在高湿与低湿状态下,厚度和总紧度对织物的透湿性能产生的影响是不同的;在低湿条件下,紧度产生的影响效果比厚度大,而在高湿条件下,厚度产生的影响因素占据主导地位。