Experimental Techniques for Measuring Parameters Describing Wetting and Wicking in Fabrics

Once capillary pressure and permeability are determined for saturations ranging from near zero to 100%, liquid transport related to both wicking and wetting behavior can be described by Darcy's equation. The purpose of the work reported here is to assess and develop experimental techniques that allow capillary pressure and per meability to be measured over a wide range of saturations. Cotton and polypropylene fabrics are the test materials. Capillary pressure head is measured as a function of saturation for cotton and polypropylene fabric samples using the column test, and permeability is measured as a function of saturation using the siphon test. The siphon test works for cotton but not for polypropylene. A new method using a transient measurement technique is developed to determine the permeability of both samples as a function of saturation; it works well for both samples.