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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Investigating the effect of material and weave design on comfort properties of bilayer-woven fabrics

The paper focuses on the development of a bilayer-woven fabric and investigating the effect of weave design and material type on its comfort properties. Face layer was plain woven with cotton yarn, while two different weave designs (2/2 and 3/1 twill) and four different materials (cotton, polyester, micropolyester and nylon) were used for the back layer. The comfort properties of fabric, including air permeability (AP), thermal resistance, water vapour resistance and overall moisture management capacity, were determined. It was found that both the layers of fabric as a whole contribute to the comfort properties of bilayer fabric. The highest AP was exhibited by fabrics having both layers of cotton, while 3/1 twill samples have a lower value of thermal resistance as compared to the 2/2 twill samples. The results further showed that micro polyester woven in 3/1 twill weave exhibits better comfort properties.     

Steady-state thermal comfort properties of fabrics incorporated with microencapsulated phase change materials

This study focused on assessing the thermal comfort properties of the fabrics incorporating microencapsulated phase change materials (microPCMs) under steady-state condition. Air permeability and water vapor permeability of the fabrics were also investigated. Poly(methyl methacrylate)/n-hexadecane microcapsules were applied to the cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics using pad-cure methods. Thermal comfort properties of the fabrics were measured using Alambeta. The results indicated that the thickness of the fabrics incorporated with microcapsules increased depending on the amount of microcapsules added on the fabric. Thermal conductivity of the fabrics treated with polyurethane (PU) resin decreased while addition of microPCMs had almost no effect on the thermal conductivity. However, thermal resistance of the fabric increased as the fabric thickness increased or the thermal conductivity decreased. Air permeability and water vapor permeability of the fabrics treated with microPCMs were found to be lower than those of pristine fabrics while water vapor permeability of the fabrics treated with PU was found higher than pristine fabrics.     

A study on thermophysiological comfort properties of fabrics in relation to constituent fibre fineness and cross-sectional shapes

The present study reports the effect of linear densities and profiles of polyester fibres on the physiological properties of their fabrics. Four different polyester fibre finenesses along with microdenier and four cross-sectional shapes (circular, scalloped oval, tetrakelion and trilobal) were selected to produce two sets of 2/1 twill fabrics; one composed of 100% polyester and the other 67:33 P/V blends. In studying the thermophysiological component of the clothing comfort, heat, air and moisture transmission characteristics of the fabrics were assessed. The principal thermal properties, such as thermal absorptivity, thermal resistance and thermal conductivity, were experimentally evaluated, using the Alambeta instrument. The study of the obtained results established the fabrics of non-circular cross-sections as against circular ones, and increase in the linear density results in higher thermal resistance, lower thermal conductivity and lower thermal absorptivity. Wicking behaviour of fabrics was studied under two conditions–wicking from an infinite liquid reservoir (transverse wicking) and wicking from a finite liquid reservoir (single drop wicking into the fabrics). Increase in fibre linear density enhances transplaner wicking but slows down the spreading speed of water drops. Air permeability and moisture vapour permeability are found to be positively correlated with fibre decitex. The role of fibre cross-sectional shapes in influencing mass-flow characteristics is quite considerable. Use of non-circular polyester in place of a circular one augments the wickability of liquid water along with the permeability of air and moisture vapour through the fabrics, revealing their high porosity, which assists air and moisture to propagate. Mixing viscose into polyester brings down the air permeability and moisture vapour transmission rate (MVTR) of fabrics. Results show that moisture absorption of viscose is an important factor in influencing the moisture transport characteristics including both wickability and MVTR of 100% viscose and P/V-blended fabrics.     

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.     

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。     

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.     

Clothing comfort and yarn packing relationship: Part II – Transmission characteristics of fabrics

The effects of ring frame process parameters affecting the packing of yarn, namely yarn twist, spindle speed and draft at ring frame, on fabric transmission characteristic have been reported in the present paper. The detailed results on the yarn characteristics and low-stress mechanical properties, due to change of these ring frame parameters, have been reported in Part I of this series. It has been observed that there is very strong evidence that by changing the above ring frame process parameters, which affect the packing factor of yarn, the transmission characteristics of the fabrics can be manipulated. The yarn packing factor is directly related with the yarn diameter. All the studied ring frame process parameters have direct relationship with air permeability, thermal conductivity and relative water vapour permeability, i.e. with the increase in these ring frame parameters the above fabric transmission parameters increase, but water retention characteristics show opposite trend. Thermal absorptivity was found to be related with the fabric surface roughness.     

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.     

纤维横截面对环锭纱和喷气纱织物舒适性的影响

描述了纤维横截面形状对涤棉和涤粘环锭纱织物及喷气纱织物的影响.纱线结构在影响衣服舒适性的众多因素中扮演着重要角色.事实证明用喷气纱制成的面料在透气性、透湿性和吸湿性方面优于环锭纱面料.非圆形截面的涤纶纤维制成的面料具有较好的透气性、导湿性、吸湿性、绝热性和芯吸性.除了绝热性能外涤粘混纺面料的其他各项性能均比涤棉混纺面料好.     

Thermophysiological comfort properties of polyester weft-knitted fabrics for sports T-shirt

In sportswear industry, the usage of synthetic material is increasing due to its excellent water transport characteristic. This study aims to evaluate the thermo-physiological comfort properties of different sports fabrics and to investigate the effect of fabric physical property and knitting parameter on comfort-related properties of commercial sportswear fabric. Vertical wicking test, wettability test, dry rate test as well as air resistance test were conducted on 17 types of polyester-knitted fabrics obtained from market. Analysis of variance and multiple-comparison least significant difference test was performed to select the best fabric for sportswear. A single jersey fabric sample No. 16 made of 75D/100f in 145 g/m² as determined to be the best fabric for sports T-shirt due to its excellent wicking property, faster water absorbency, quicker dry rate, and lower air resistance. It is likely that finer filament, low fabric mass, and proper density are associated with best property. Besides, it is found that higher mass was associated with higher air resistance, higher porosity was associated with faster dry speed, and faster vertical wicking rate was associated with shorter water absorption time for fabrics tested in this study.     

珍珠纤维针织物的热湿舒适性

通过透气性、瞬间冷感、透湿性和毛细效应常规对比试验,对珍珠纤维、珍珠纤维P棉、牛奶纤维P羊毛P棉莫代尔、莫代尔P棉、粘胶纤维等11 种针织面料进行了测试,研究了珍珠纤维针织物的热湿舒适性。结果表明,珍珠纤维、珍珠纤维P棉针织物具有良好的湿传递性能,且优于纯粘胶织物,但它们的瞬间冷感差别不大     

Wicking and drying properties of conventional ring- and vortex-spun cotton yarns and fabrics

This study investigated the vertical wicking, water absorption and drying properties of vortex- and ring-spun combed cotton yarns and knitted fabrics comparatively. The yarns were produced in three different counts as 30 Ne, 40 Ne and 50 Ne. The experimental results revealed that vortex-spun yarns had lower yarn and fabric wicking and water absorption values than ring-spun yarns. In addition, it was observed that yarn type did not have a significant impact on the drying time of the fabrics.     

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。     

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.     

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。     

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.