Effect of different materials on wicking property of the plated fabrics

Abstract

Cloths serve as barrier between environment and human body. It allows the transport of heat and

moisture out of the body to the environment. Thus provide the thermo-physiological comfort by

controlling the transportation of heat and moisture from body to the environment. Moisture

management is crucial for thermo-physiological comfort [1]. For thermo-physiological comfort it

is required to release sweat immediately from the body to the environment to reduce the skin

humidity. For moisture management double layered fabric with different combination of yarn on

outer and inner layer of the fabric are used[2]. The outer layer (in contact with environment) is

made with hydrophilic yarn while the inner layer (in contact with body) is made with

hydrophobic yarn. The function of inner layer is to transport and remove the sweat from the body

while that of outer layer is to spread and evaporate the sweat to the environment. Instead of using

double layer fabric, single layered plated fabric was used to perform the same function. Different

structures and combination of different hydrophilic and hydrophobic yarn were used in outer and

inner side of the fabric. It was concluded that for proper moisture management, the hydrophilic

yarn should be used on outer side of the fabric and hydrophobic yarn should be used on inner

side of the plated fabric.

Different researchers made plated fabric with the combination of natural fiber cotton on outer

side and synthetic fiber polyester, polypropylene and nylon in inner side.[3] But their moisture

management properties are not as higher as required in high exertions work load. Another

problem with these fabric is that their moisture spreading and evaporation speed is low. The

outer side of fabric takes much time to dry.

The aim of this study is to find the single layer plated fabric composition which will give

maximum sweat transportation with minimum time without any chemical treatment and have the

high spreading and evaporation speed. For this purpose two hydrophilic yarns (100% Cotton and

100% Modal) was used on outer side and synthetic yarn (Polyester and Micropolyester) were

used in inner side of the plated fabric.

It was found that by using a combination of modal (on outer side) and cool max (on inner side)

maximum moisture transportation was obtained. With this combination not only moisture

management but also air permeability and thermal insulation were also improved without extra

treatment. This fabric have much higher evaporation rate and low drying time.

Introduction

Wicking is the spontaneous movement of fluid through a porous substrate, along solid surfaces,

driven by capillary forces. It is an important property for fabrics used in sportswear, industrial

uniforms, and protective services (e.g. firefighters, police, and soldiers) due to its effects on

thermal and sensorial comfort (Simile & Beckham, 2012). Engineering of clothing and textile

products is essential to obtain physiological and psychological comfort and, more fundamentally,

to insure suitable physical conditions around our body for survival. The clothing comfort is

dependent upon the low stress mechanical, thermal and moisture transfer properties of the fabrics

(Uttam, Mukhopadhyay, & Ishtiaque, 2013). It is very important that body should keep

temperature and moisture balance according to different environmental conditions. Thermal

comfort is the satisfactory feel for the thermal conditions of the environment. Therefore, comfort

is based on fabric properties related to moisture management other than their thermal properties

(ner & Okur, 2013). In order to make the wearer feel comfortable, the fabric worn next to the

skin should have two important properties. The first property is to absorb the perspiration from

the skin surface, and the second property is to transfer the absorbed moisture into the

atmosphere. Diffusion and wicking are the two important moisture properties through which the

moisture is transferred to the atmosphere (Taylor, Patil, Kane, & Ramesh, 2009). Moisture

transport in textile materials directly affects the end-use performance of the products. The

behavior of the yarns and fabrics while in contact with liquid is an important indicator of the

comfort features of the textiles. The capillary movement of any liquid within the textile structure

is called as wicking. The wicking performance of the fabrics and clothing assemblies is

significantly affected by the wicking performance of the yarn. Many parameters, such as fibre

type, fibre composition, number of fibres in yarn cross-section, fibre configuration in yarn, yarn

structure, twist level and twist distribution determine the wicking performance of knitted fabrics

(Erdumlu & Saricam, 2013). Moisture vapor transmission through fabric takes place by three

processes; 1) sorption on the inner layer and desorption on outer layer by hydrophilic sites of the

fabric (Barnes & Holcombe, 1996), 2) diffusion of moisture vapor through pores of fabric

(Sachdeva, 2005), and 3) forced convection by moving air over fabric (Manshahia & Das, 2013).

Analysis of the transverse wicking characteristics of clothing fabric is also as important as that of

longitudinal wicking. The transfer of perspiration from the skin to the fabric involves movement

of liquid from one surface of the fabric to the other, then across the fabric thickness and finally in

the lateral or transverse direction of the fabric (Raja, Prakash, Ramakrishnan, & Koushik, 2014).

Many research workers have investigated on the various aspects of fabric comfort such as

behavior of different finishes, effect of fabric structure, yarn material and effect of yarn

structures. Das, Kothari, and Balaji reported the characteristics of cotton-shrinkable acrylic

blended yarns and the fabrics produced from intimate blended ring spun yarns (Taylor,

Mukhopadhyay, Ishtiaque, & Uttam, 102AD). Das and Ishtiaque studied the comfort

characteristics of fabrics made of twist less and hollow yarn structures. Das and Mal and Das,

Zimniewska, and Mal reported the characteristics of cotton-shrinkable acrylic blended bulked

yarns and fabrics produced from different spinning technology yarns (Taylor, Wardiningsih, &

Troynikov, 2012). Ishtiaque, Das, and Singh and Das, Ishtiaque, and Singh reported the impacts

Commented [SA1]: Researchers refrence

Commented [SA2]: What has been reported

of some of the spinning process parameters on the characteristics of micro-porous yarns and the

characteristics of fabrics made out of them. The fabric structural characteristics influence the

thermal transmission through insulation and permeability characteristics (Taylor, Jhanji, Gupta,

& Kothari, 2014). Das and Yadaw carried out a detailed study to understand the phenomenon of

moisture vapor transmission through bulked fabrics which may affect the heat stress and the

performance of wearer. Ozdil and Marmarali studied the effect of yarn properties on thermal

comfort characteristics of knitted fabrics (Raja et al., 2014).

Literature shows that both raw material and fabric structural parameters are important in

determining fabrics wicking and comfort properties of the fabrics. The aim of the current study is

to examine the effect of fabric structural parameters and yarn material on fabric liquid-moisture

transport properties. For this purpose, single jersey knitted fabrics of different stitch length and

yarn materials were produced and their wicking and moisture management properties were

compared.

Materials and methods

The materials used in this study of the wicking property of plated knitted fabrics were Modal

fibers, cotton, micro-polyester and polyester. By using these materials, four types of plated

knitted fabrics were produced. The four fabric samples were prepared in such a combination that

the hydrophilic yarns such as cotton and Modal appear on the technical face of the plated fabric

while hydrophobic yarns such as polyester and micro-polyester appear on the technical back of

the plated fabric. The yarn counts used in this study are,

Combed Cotton 30/1

Polyester 75 Den /36 f

Micro-Polyester - 75 Den /36 f

Modal - 75 Den /36 f

Fabric specifications of four types of samples are given in Table 1.

Table 1 Fabric specifications

Fabric GSM Stitch Length (cm) Wales/cm Course/cm Stitch Density

(Stitches/cm2)

Front Back Cotton/Modal Polyester

Combed

Cotton Polyester 349 0.302 0.3 19.68 25.19 496

Combed

Cotton

Micro

Polyester 293 0.316 0.284 17.32 23.22 402.17

Modal Polyester 336 0.345 0.325 18.11 24.80 449

Modal Micro

Polyester 283 0.32 0.3 16.92 24.41 413

These yarns were knit on a Single Jersey circular knitting machine of Dia/Gauge, 30/26 to

produce Plain structure of plated fabrics. The purpose of using hydrophobic fibers on the

technical back was to achieve the wicking of liquid water by capillary action and not to absorb

but to adsorb the water on the surface of the fibers. The plated fabric produced from the knitting

process has following specifications.

The tests performed in this study along with the international standards are given below.

1. Fabric Areal density (ASTM)

2. Air Permeability (ASTM-D737)

3. Thickness (ASTM-D1777)

4. Moisture Management Test (AATCC 195-2009)

5. Pilling Test (ICI Pilling Box Test) (BS-5811)

Fabric areal density was measured by G.S.M cutter which cuts the fabric sample in circular

form and areal density of the sample was

Gram per unit area is mostly used to measure the weight of the fabric in a unit area. In this test,

the fabric swatches (dimensions) of four samples were taken to measure their GSM (grams per

square meter). Air permeability test (ASTM-D737) was used to measure the rate of air flow

perpendicular through the fabric under prescribed air pressure. The standard ASTM-D1777 for

thickness testing was used to find the thickness of textile fabrics. The fabric whose thickness is

to be measured is kept on a flat anvil and a circular pressure foot is pressed on it from the top

under a standard fixed load. The Dial indicator directly gives the Thickness in mm. Moisture

management standard (AATCC 195-2009) is used for the measurement and evaluation of liquid

moisture management properties of the textile fabric. The test measures the spreading speed of

water on top and bottom surfaces, its absorption and then evaluates the data to give the final

index% of liquid transportation in fabric. The results obtained from this test are based on the

water resistance, water repellency and water absorption characteristics of the fabric structure

including fabrics geometric and internal structure and the wicking characteristics of its fibers

and yarns. Pilling in fabric is produced due to the entangling of the protruded fibers. The

entangled balls are called Pills and they are more likely to produce in the fibers which have

high strength and less flexural rigidity. The principle of this test states that the specimens of

fabric are mounted on the polyurethane tube. The tube is then subjected in the pilling box which

rotates for a certain period of time. The abrasion of fabric with the walls of box protrude fibers

and cause fabric to pill. (BS-5811)

Results and Discussion

Moisture Management

Table 2 Moisture management test result of cotton/polyester fabric

The results given in the

Table 2 show that the absorption rate and wetting time of inner side (technical back) is less than

that of the outer side (technical face). The possible reason behind this behavior is that the

polyester is a hydrophobic fiber and have a very little moisture regain of 0.4% while cotton

(hydrophilic in nature) have moisture regain of 8.5%. Therefore, the absorbency rate of outer

side is higher than that of inner side. The difference is also visible in wetting time and spreading

speed. The wetting time of polyester is less because the water is not absorbed in the polymeric

structure but it is adsorbed on surface and spreads through capillary action. On the other hand,

Wetting Time Top (sec)

Wetting Time

Bottom (sec)

Top Absorption

Rate (%/sec)

Bottom Absorption

Rate (%/sec)

Top Max

Wetted Radius (mm)

Bottom Max

Wetted Radius (mm)

Top Spreading

Speed (mm/sec)

Bottom Spreading

Speed (mm/sec)

Accumulative one-way transport index(%)

OMMC

cotton/polyester 4.286 4.596 30.0235 44.0134 15 15 2.2406 2.1771 109.9288 0.3703

cotton/micro-

polyester

4.276 4.196 30.3385 41.437 15 20 2.4282 2.5813 107.6476 0.3943

modal/polyester 4.677 4.436 21.357 60.6957 15 20 2.2557 2.5616 417.9632 0.771

Modal/micro-

polyester 4.276 3.715 15.5325 45.8963 15 20 2.4065 2.9897 484.749 0.7655

Wetting Time Top (sec)

Wetting Time

Bottom (sec)

Top Absorption

Rate (%/sec)

Bottom Absorption

Rate (%/sec)

Top Max

Wetted Radius (mm)

Bottom Max

Wetted Radius (mm)

Top Spreading

Speed (mm/sec)

Bottom Spreading

Speed (mm/sec)

Accumulative one-way transport index(%)

OMMC

cotton/polyester 4.286 4.596 30.0235 44.0134 15 15 2.2406 2.1771 109.9288 0.3703

cotton/micro-

polyester

4.276 4.196 30.3385 41.437 15 20 2.4282 2.5813 107.6476 0.3943

modal/polyester 4.677 4.436 21.357 60.6957 15 20 2.2557 2.5616 417.9632 0.771

Modal/micro-

polyester 4.276 3.715 15.5325 45.8963 15 20 2.4065 2.9897 484.749 0.7655

cotton is more absorbent due to which water is absorbed in its polymeric structure and wetting

time is increased for the same area as compared to the given area of polyester. The polymeric

structure of the polyester and its narrow paths wicks the water away to the cotton surface where

it is absorbed and then dried. The accumulative one way transport index % show the value of

fabrics ability to transport water from surface to the other in a specific time. (explain please)

The results given in the shows that the spreading speed of water on micro-polyester is less than

that of combed cotton. It is because of the reason that the wicking action of the micro-polyester

is more due to the narrow spaces and high surface energy.

The results of this table shows that the Modal have high absorption rate with less wetting rate. It

makes it an excellent alternative of the cotton in terms of absorbency. Similarly, Modal have

high spreading rate, its combination with polyester makes it an excellent wicking and absorption

machine for sweat. The polyester with high surface energy and less diameter wicks the water and

transfer it to Modal surface where it is quickly absorbed and spread for the evaporation.

The testing results of this single jersey plated fabric depicts the fabrics tendency to transport the

water. This combination of Modal and Micro Polyester has highest accumulative one way

transport Index (%) among all the other plated fabrics used in this study. The reason lies in the

unique properties of Micro polyester and Modal. The narrow channels in the micro polyester

structure reduce the wicking time and quickly transfers the water from skin to outer surface

where Modal quickly absorbs the water and spreads it to be evaporated.

Air permeability

Table 6. Air permeability results

Fabric Pressure

(Pa)

Temp

(oC)

Humidity

(%)

Air Permeability

(mm/sec)

Front Back Face Back Mean

Combed

Cotton Polyester 100 31.1 54 57.8 59.9 59

Combed

Cotton

Micro

Polyester 100 31.1 54 56.9 60.5 59

Modal Polyester 100 31.1 54 113 102 108

Modal Micro

Polyester 100 31.1 54 90 91.4 91

The above table shows that the air permeability of the plated fabric having Modal and Polyester

has highest air permeability value which makes it exceptional breathable as compare to other

plated fabrics.

Thickness

Table 7 Thickness results

Fabric Weight Applied

(ounces) Thickness (mm)

Face Back

Combed Cotton Polyester 8.6 0.76

Combed Cotton Micro Polyester 8.6 0.78

The table shows that the thickness of the fabric with modal and micro polyester is higher than

other fabrics with the same application of load. This is because of the air particles present in the

fabric with resist to further compression.

Pilling

Table 8 Pilling results

Modal Polyester 8.6 0.78

Modal Micro Polyester 8.6 0.8

Fabric Time in ICI

Pilling Box Pilling (Grading)

Front Back Face Back

Combed

Cotton Polyester 4 Hours

1 (Very Severe

Pilling) 2 (Severe Pilling)

Combed

Cotton

Micro

Polyester 4 Hours 4 (Slight Pilling) 4 (Slight Pilling)

Modal Polyester 4 Hours 1 (Very Severe

Pilling)

1 (Very Severe

Pilling)

Modal Micro

Polyester 4 Hours 5 (No Pilling) 5 (No Pilling)

The pilling results of all the fabrics shows that modal fabric with micro polyester combination

has highest resistance to pilling with same duration. With make the Modal fabric with micro

polyester an excellent fabric.

Conclusions

It is concluded from this study that wicking properties of plated fabrics depends upon the

material used on plating side of the fabric. More the hydrophobicity of the material more will the

wicking properties. Also finer the fibers more will be the surface area and moisture will be

transported easily. The fabric made by using modal on front and micro polyester show better

moisture management properties. The moisture evaporation rate of fabric with this combination

is much higher than other fabrics with different combination given in the list.

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