Role of filament cross-section in properties of PET multifilament yarn and fabric. Part I: Effect of fibre cross-sectional shape on transmission behaviour of fabrics

The transmission property of a fabric is a key factor that affects clothing’s comfort and decides the functional potential of clothing. The dependence of filament cross-section with varying shape factor (SF) on air, moisture and thermal transmission behaviour of fabric is determined in case of polyester multifilament woven fabrics. The linear density of each filament is kept identical for all 12 cross-section shape filaments. The SF of filament cross-section is an important factor which remained the prime factor to influence the transmission behaviour of fabric samples directly in many cases. Other indirect factors that influence the transmission behaviour of fabrics when the SF is identical are yarn structure, inter-fibre and inter-yarn space. Twelve different novel cross-sectional shapes are considered to make the multifilament woven polyester fabrics. The fabrics made from multifilament yarns having different SFs show that relative moisture vapour permeability and air permeability decrease with the rise in SF. Wickability increases with the rise in the SF of a filament cross-section. Multilobal, hexalobal and plus shapes were made a part of novel cross-sectional shapes in order to develop fabrics of higher comfort index.