Predicting the Handle and Comfort of Military Clothing Fabrics from Sensory and Instrumental Data: Development and Application of New Psychophysical Methods

Sensory and instrumental fabric characteristics that contribute to military clothing comfort are analyzed in a series of studies. A standardized hand evaluation methodology is checked for its sensitivity and reliability and used to characterize thirteen military fabrics. A labeled magnitude scale of comfort is developed using consumer magnitude estimates of the semantic meaning of verbal phrases denoting different levels of comfort/ discomfort. The sensitivity and reliability of this "CALM" scale is assessed in two studies, and the scale is then used by consumers to rate the handle and comfort of the thirteen test fabrics. The descriptive sensory data and comfort data are combined with Kawabata data obtained on a subset of the fabrics, and the data are analyzed with a principal components analysis. Multiple regression analyses are performed using the component scores to predict consumer comfort from the sensory and instrumental data. The results show a high degree of predictability of comfort responses from a combination of sensory and Kawa bata parameters.