In Vivo Cutaneous and Perceived Comfort Response to Fabric

Using a modified Kawabata Thermolabo apparatus housed in a controlled envi ronmental chamber, we obtained measurements of heat transfer through a specially selected set of jersey knit textile fabrics. We then used analytical models to compute thermal comfort limits based on the experimental values and predetermined estimates of human metabolic activity. The jersey knit fabrics differed primarily on the basis of fiber content: the comparisons were between two knits, both made with 100% polyester fibers of different deniers, and a 100% cotton fabric. This research confirms the results of several previous studies that fabric structural features, not component fibers, are the most important controllers of thermal dissipation in the presence of moisture diffusion. Our results also show that heat transfer is highly related to fabric thickness, bulk density, and air volume fraction. Thermal transfer from a simulated sweating skin surface is strongly correlated with fabric porosity and air permeability.