Effect of Skin Vibration and Friction on Tactile Sensations of Clothing Materials

Sense spots are distributed on the surface of the skin, and skin vibration affects the touch sensation. The Kawabata evaluation system method is used for hand evaluation of fabrics to provide reproducible tactile sensation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of mechanical stimulation of the skin on the fabric hands. The measurement of physical properties of clothing materials and the touch test were conducted on 12 types of textiles. Regarding physical properties, mechanical, moisture, and heat properties, as well as air permeability, were measured. During the touch test, mechanical stimulations of the skin (skin vibration and friction) for touching the textiles with fingertips were measured and the tactile sensation of the textiles (roughness, stiffness, stickiness, dryness, thermal sensation, comfort sensation, and preference) was evaluated. The effect of physical properties of the textiles and mechanical stimulations of the skin on the tactile sensation was analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the mechanical stimulations of the skin yielded a significant effect on the feeling of roughness, stiffness, dryness, thermal sensation, comfort sensation, and preference. Furthermore, although the evaluations of comfort and preference for the touch of textiles were similar, the friction stimulus of the skin affected the comfort, while skin vibration affected the preference. In conclusion, it is necessary to evaluate the tactile sensation of fabrics in consideration of the mechanical stimulation of the skin. We anticipate that our assay will contribute to making comfortable cloth designs.