An investigation of thermal comfort properties of Abaya woven fabrics

Abaya is a traditional Muslim woman’s outer garment. It is black in colour, and must be worn over the normal day-to-day clothing according to Islamic law. It is mandatory to wear Abaya in Arabian Gulf countries irrespective of the outside environmental temperature, which can be up to 50°C. Having many layers of clothing including Abaya makes it extremely uncomfortable for the wearer in a hot environment. Thermal comfort performance is, therefore, essential for fabrics used for Abaya. This study investigated some commercially available woven Abaya fabrics for thermal resistance, air permeability, thermal comfort, vapour resistance and fabric structural and surface properties. The results indicated that the Abaya fabrics with different weave structures, fibre composition and fabric weight have greater influence on the fabric thermal comfort performance.     

Analysis of thermal comfort properties of fabrics for protective applications

Protective clothing protects the body from external influence like heat, chemicals, mechanical hazards, bad weather, etc. by shielding the human body from harsh environmental effects. The maintenance of thermal balance is one of the most important aspects of protective clothing. The study aims to investigate the thermal comfort properties of woven hybrid fabrics produced with high performance core spun yarns. For this purpose, meta-aramid, e-glass, Technora® and Dyneema® fibres were combined using core yarn spinning method in order to enhance the protective performance characteristics. The effects of the core/sheath ratio and type of core materials on the thermal comfort characteristics were investigated and evaluated statistically. The results revealed that, core/sheath ratio, types of core materials have significant effects on thermal comfort characteristics of the fabrics. As the core ratio increases from 19 to 56%, the air permeability of the fabrics increases whereas their thermal conductivity and thermal absorptivity properties decrease. Meta-aramid/E-glass core fabrics can be preferable for protective clothing due to high air permeability and thermal conductivity values.     

Multi-response optimization of thermophysiological comfort properties of polyester filament woven fabrics

Microfilament woven fabrics are used in many products such as sportswear, rainclothes, windproof clothes, sleeping bags and surgical gowns and for these products, thermophysiological comfort properties are of prime importance. In this study, it is intended to investigate the effects of filament linear density and weft sett on thermophysiological comfort properties. Also, an optimization model was developed to determine the optimum filament linear density and weft sett for the best response variables of air permeability, water vapour permeability and thermal resistance. Four different weft sett and five different filament linear densities were applied in weft direction with three different weave types. In doing so, 60 woven fabric samples were produced. According to ANOVA results and experimental observations, it is observed that, the effect of filament linear density on air and water vapour permeability was minor on microfilament range, whereas the differences between conventional filament and microfilament sample groups are considerable. Also, higher weft sett causes decreasing of air and water vapour permeability. On the other hand, there is no obvious consistent trend for thermal resistance of samples with different filament linear density and weft sett.     

Study on effect of blend ratio on thermal comfort properties of cotton/nylon-blended fabrics with high-performance Kermel fibre

This study presents the thermal comfort properties of woven fabrics made of Kermel, cotton/nylon and cotton/nylon /Kermel-blended yarns. Our aim in this study is to combine the high comfort properties of cotton/nylon fibres with high thermal protective properties of Kermel fibre in different woven fabrics. Thus, Kermel (100%), cotton/nylon (50:50) and four blends of the 50% cotton fibres with nylon and Kermel (40:10, 30:20, 20:30 and 10:40) were spun on a ring-spinning frame and twisted into two-folded yarns with the same yarn count of 30/2(Ne) and twist level of 560 TPM. Using the produced yarns, woven fabrics with identical characteristic and structure were also produced. Then, the thermal comfort and physical properties of fabrics were studied in terms of fabric porosity, thermal resistance, thermal conductivity, water vapour resistance and air permeability. The results show that the porosity, air permeability and thermal resistance increase with Kermel fibre blend ratio. Conversely, the water vapour resistance decreases with increase of Kermel fibre blend ratio up to 40%, while 100% Kermel-woven fabric exhibits a higher water vapour resistance value. Nevertheless, the thermal conductivity of cotton/nylon-blended Kermel woven fabric is unchanged with increase of Kermel fibre blend ratio up to 40%, whereas at 100% Kermel fibre blend ratio, the lowest thermal conductivity is obtained. The obtained results implied that woven fabric produced from cotton/nylon (50/10) blended with 40% Kermel fibre resulted in proper thermal comfort properties.     

Thermophysiological comfort properties of selected knitted fabrics and design of T-shirts

Thermal comfort is one of the most important components of comfort which shows physiological, psychological, and physical harmony between human body and environment. The heat and moisture transfer capacity of fabric from skin to environment affects the thermal comfort of garments. The transfer capacity depends on the characteristic features of raw materials and fabric structural properties. In this study, it is aimed to determine the advantages of knitted fabric types, taking into account the environmental condition and activity level by measuring the thermal comfort properties such as air permeability, wicking, moisture management, thermal and water vapor resistances. Two knitted structures composed of tuck and float combinations and six raw materials were chosen for the fabrics produced. According to the measurement results, the polyester and cotton/Coolmax fabrics with float stitches have had good liquid moisture transport properties. Besides, high air permeability and low water vapor resistance have been obtained in viscose and Tencel LF fabrics with tuck stitches. On the basis of the results obtained in this investigation, and taking into consideration thermal behavior of human body, four women’s and five men’s T-shirts are designed. These T-shirt designs may be helpful for further approaches on the optimization of thermal comfort for sports activities in hot environment.     

Comfort properties of bamboo/cotton blended knitted fabrics produced from rotor spun yarns

The comfort characteristics of bamboo/cotton-blended knitted fabrics made from rotor-spun yarns were studied in this research work. Five different blend proportions namely 100% bamboo, 100% cotton, 50:50 cotton:bamboo, 70:30 cotton:bamboo and 30:70 cotton:bamboo were used to produce rotor-spun yarns of 30^sNe_c. The yarn samples developed out of these different blend proportions were evaluated for yarn strength and elongation, yarn unevenness, yarn imperfections and used to produce single-jersey-knitted fabrics. All the fabric samples were dyed and finished. Fabric samples were evaluated for geometrical properties such as course/inch, wales/inch, stitch density and thickness apart from measuring comfort properties such as airpermeability, thermal conductivity, thermal resistance and water vapour permeability. The results indicated that 50/50 bamboo/cotton-blended knits have comparable fabric quality in terms of comfort properties with respect to 100% bamboo fabrics.     

A study on thermal properties of single-jersey knitted fabrics produced from ring and compact folded yarns

This paper presents a study on the thermal properties of single-jersey knitted fabrics manufactured using ring, compact and ring/compact folded yarns. The variations in thermal properties depending on the yarn twist and traveller weight of folded yarn single-jersey knits were discussed. It was found that the thermal resistance of knitted fabrics generally increases as the traveller weight decreases, and also water vapour permeability reduces as the traveller weight decreases. The water vapour permeability and air permeability of knitted fabrics increase as the twist increases. The thermal conductivity of knitted fabrics decreases as the twist increases. The air permeability and water vapour permeability values were higher for compact folded yarn fabrics as compared to those values of ring and ring/compact folded yarn fabrics. It is observed that yarn twist and traveller weight have affected different thermal properties of single-jersey folded yarn fabrics.     

Thermo-physiological comfort characteristics of polyester air-jet-textured and cotton-yarn fabrics

Air-jet-textured polyester yarns were produced using two feed yarns differing in filament fineness and number of filaments. By varying the overfed rates of feed yarns and changing their positions in core and effect, five textured yarns were produced. Woven fabrics were prepared using these textured yarns as weft and cotton yarns in warp. To study the effect of air-jet-texturing parameters on the thermo-physiological comfort characteristics of fabric, the woven fabrics were tested for thickness, thermal properties, transverse wicking and air permeability. It is observed that thermal conductivity and resistance of fabrics are not influenced by the texturing parameters/textured yarn structure. These properties are mainly dependent on the entrapped air present in fabrics. Thermal absorptivity is a transient phenomenon of heat flow reflecting that the ‘warm-cool feeling’ effect of fabrics depends on smoothness/roughness of fabric surface. Fabrics with smooth surfaces have higher thermal absorptivity values as they provide a large area of contact with human skin. The roughness of fabrics depends on the number of surface loops and filament fineness. Transverse wicking of fabrics depends on the size, continuity and alignment of the capillaries present in the core of textured yarns.     

蛋白纱织物服用舒适性探讨

 织物的服用性能包括耐用性、舒适性、外观性。不同季节服装对织物在这 3方面的权重要求不同 ,夏季服用织物着重考虑其舒适性。蛋白纱织物作为夏季服用织物较多 ,因此 ,对其舒适性的要求显得很重要。     

酚醛纤维织物热湿舒适性的灰色聚类分析

为了解酚醛纤维织物的热湿舒适性,将酚醛纤维织物应用于消防领域,以酚醛纤维织物及消防服常用的阻燃棉布、芳纶1313 织物、聚酰亚胺织物为研究对象,对隔热性、保温性、透湿性、透气性和输水性这5 个指标进行测试,研究相同面密度的不同种类织物的热湿舒适性。利用灰色聚类分析理论对5 个指标进行聚类分析,对这4 种织物在不同环境下的热湿舒适性能做了综合评价。结果表明：在高温条件下,酚醛纤维织物具有较好的热湿舒适性,聚酰亚胺织物与阻燃棉布次之,芳纶1313 织物最差;在低温条件下,酚醛纤维织物也具有良好的热湿舒适性,聚酰亚胺织物次之,芳纶1313 物与阻燃棉布最差。     

Establishing thermal comfort: characterization of selected performance and physical properties of fabrics used in hospital operating room uniforms

The purpose of this research was to characterize selected thermal properties of clothing fabrics available to operating room (OR) workers at the University of Alberta Hospital and to relate the thermal properties to fabric structural characteristics. In this study, we measured the thermal resistance and air permeability of fabrics obtained from surgical gowns, scrubs and warm-up jackets currently in use in ORs in a specific hospital. The results showed that the fabrics from which the surgical gowns were made provide the highest thermal insulation with lowest air permeability, while the warm-up jackets’ fabrics had the greatest air permeability with low thermal insulation values. The clothing options available to workers in the OR fall well below the predicted clothing insulation values for thermal comfort. For workers in the OR, such as anaesthesiologists, who are predominantly sedentary throughout their work shift, the lack of thermally insulating clothing options has consequences for their overall thermal comfort. This study comprises part of a larger ongoing study investigating improving the OR workers thermal comfort through clothing.     

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。     

织物透湿性测试新方法

新型织物透湿性测试装置用防水透湿PTFE薄膜包覆透湿圆柱筒的底部,形成饱和水蒸气,使用干燥氮气流作为载体,将透过织物的水蒸气带走,通过测量出口氮气流的相对湿度来确定织物的透湿量。实验结果表明,这种测试方法能在5 min内准确地评价织物透湿性,试样透湿量的变异系数小于1%。该方法具有测试时间短,重复性好,灵敏度高和成本低的特点,可用于纺织生产厂家对产品透湿性的日常质量控制。     

Effect of blend proportion on thermal behaviour of bamboo knitted fabrics

This study presents the thermal comfort properties of single jersey knitted fabric structures made from cotton, regenerated bamboo and cotton–bamboo blended yarns. Cotton, bamboo fibre and blends of the two fibres (100% cotton, 100% bamboo, 50:50 cotton:bamboo, 67:33 cotton:bamboo, 33:67 cotton:bamboo) were spun into yarns of identical linear density (20?tex). Each of the yarns so produced was converted to single jersey knitted fabrics with loose, medium and tight structures. The thermal conductivity of the fabrics was generally found to decrease with increase in the proportion of bamboo fibre. The relative water vapour permeability and air permeability of the fabrics were observed to increase with increase in bamboo fibre content. Statistical analysis also indicates that the results are significant for air permeability, thermal resistance, thermal conductivity and relative water vapour permeability of the fabrics.     

Permeability properties of single jersey fabrics made of hollow yarns

In this work effect of using hollow yarns on the permeability properties of the single jersey knitted fabrics were studied. Firstly yarns were produced by ring spinning machine using cotton, viscose and acrylic fibres in the mantle and water soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibre in the core. Single jersey fabrics were knitted and PVA core was removed subsequently by washing process to create hollow yarn. Weight, air permeability and water transmission rate properties of fabrics were measured before and after washing and compared with reference fabrics. Due to the removal of PVA fibres from the yarn core after washing treatment, air permeability and water vapour transmission rate of the all kind of single jersey fabrics which were produced with hollow yarns increased as well as weight of the fabrics decreased which will cause more comfort during any exercise. It was also found that mantle fibre type and PVA ratio have significant effect on the fabric properties.     

Effects of spandex drawing ratio and weave structure on the physical properties of cotton/spandex woven fabrics

In this experimental study, we investigated the effects of spandex filament drawing ratio and weave structures on the properties of cotton/spandex woven fabrics. One-way analysis of variance was used to explore the significant effects of the independent variables on the fabric properties. A regression analysis was also used to derive regression relationships between each of fabric properties and spandex filament drawing ratio. Our findings show that the spandex drawing ratio and structures of the woven fabrics significantly affect the physical and mechanical properties of the cotton/spandex woven fabrics. Cotton woven fabrics containing spandex show higher contraction, crease recovery, and flexural rigidity with increasing spandex drawing ratio, whereas the rest of fabric properties decreases with the increasing drawing ratio. Because of higher contraction and then higher weight, thickness, and cover factor of cotton/spandex fabrics, unexpected results of fabric air permeability and breaking elongation were detected.     

Studies on moisture transmission properties of PV-blended fabrics

Moisture transmission properties are most important for fabric comfort. We have studied the moisture transmission properties of the plain-woven fabric produced with polyester–viscose-(PV) blended yarns. PV-blended yarns of varying blend proportion, yarn count and twist levels have been used for fabric manufacture. A three-variable Box and Behnken factorial design technique has been used to study the interaction effects of the above variables on the aforesaid characteristics of fabrics. The interactive effect of these three variables on the air permeability, water vapour permeability, in-plane wicking and vertical wicking of PV-blended fabrics has been studied and the response surface equations for all the properties have been derived; also, the design variables have been optimized for all the moisture transmission-related properties. Most of the moisture transmission characteristics were found to be affected significantly by blend proportion, count and twist levels at 95% level of significance with the present variables.     

羊毛与37.5涤纶混纺针织物的热湿舒适性研究

选择8种不同的羊毛与普通涤纶、37.5涤纶混纺针织物试样,测试试样的密度、面密度、未充满系数和厚度等基本参数,以及回潮率、透气率、芯吸高度、瞬间接触凉感(Q-max)及恒定加热条件下的干、湿态升温性能等织物的热湿舒适性能,分析和评价了针织物的基本参数对其热湿舒适性能的影响。试验结果显示,与普通涤纶相比,采用37.5涤纶有助于提高织物的回潮率、芯吸高度和Q-max;透气率随针织物未充满系数的增大而增大;当织物的纤维组成成分基本一致,组织结构相同时,针织物的面密度越大,透气性越差;含37.5涤纶的纬平针织物的瞬间接触凉感性能较好。     

贴身穿羊毛混纺面料的热湿舒适性能对比

选取常见的4种羊毛混纺纱线制成轻薄羊毛混纺面料,然后对其热湿舒适性能进行测试与综合评价.结果 表明:混纺试样均使羊毛织物的导热性和透气性增强;羊毛/莱赛尔混纺织物的热湿舒适性综合表现最佳;羊毛/Coolmax涤纶混纺织物及羊毛/丙纶混纺织物的热湿舒适性综合表现较好,在温度适宜的条件下仍可用作贴身穿面料.     

Impact of structural variations in hollow yarn on heat and moisture transport properties of fabrics

The use of hollow/microporous yarns plays an important role in enhancing the thermo‐physiological comfort properties of fabrics. Depending on structural variations in hollow yarn, heat and moisture regulation behaviours of fabrics can be affected significantly. In this study, three types of hollow cotton yarn fabrics, produced by introducing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) filament in the core, PVA staple fibres in the blend and PVA filament in doubling with cotton spun yarn, are studied. All three types of pre‐hollow yarns and reference yarns are made with a variation in spinning technique (single roving/double roving) to prepare eight single jersey knitted fabrics. The hollow/microporous structure of the yarn is created by dissolving the PVA fibres using hot washing of the fabrics. On overall evaluation of the fabric’s thermo‐physiological comfort properties, the doubled hollow yarn fabrics are found to be better than other fabrics. In general, thermal resistance, thermal absorptivity, wicking and drying properties of all types of hollow yarn fabrics increase after repeated laundering, while air permeability, water vapour permeability and water absorbency of hollow yarn fabrics mostly decrease. In contrast with fabrics made from yarn produced through single roving technique, use of double roving technique only improves fabric water vapour permeability.