A comparative study of commercially available comfort fabrics

<p>The comfort fabric market continues to grow and become more competitive. Consumers expect their active wear to deliver performance beyond simply being a barrier between their body and the environment. Textile manufacturers have taken notice, and there is a wide range of comfort fabrics on the market. This research tests fabric samples from leading comfort fabric technologies: phase change materials, nanotechnology, modified fiber structure and blends, as well as the original comfort fiber, cotton. The most widely recognized comfort fabric properties concern the thermal and moisture management of a fabric. Using a guarded sweating hot plate, standardized test methods, and industry accepted test methods, this research tests and compares the values for thermal resistance, evaporative moisture resistance, and vertical liquid wicking. Results indicate that the fabric's structure, thickness, and fiber type play as important a role in a fabric's comfortability as the technology applied.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Technology Studies

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Finnie, Melinda Elizabeth

Contributors dc:contributor

• Subhas Ghosh, Ph.D., Chair
• Giri Jogaratnam, Ph.D.
• Julie Becker

• Comfort
• Fabrics
• Moisture
• Textiles
• Thermal
• Wicking
• Materials Science and Engineering

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/707

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2086