In recent years, the studies of thermal characteristics have gained importance since it is directly related to clothing comfort. One of the ways of achieving clothing comfort is through moisture management of textiles. Moisture management refers to the controlled movement of water vapor and perspiration from the surface of the skin to the atmosphere through the fabric. The aim of this research is to study the thermal comfort characteristics of selected knitted fabrics by analyzing the thermal behavior of moisture management finished (MMF) fabrics, in order to find the suitability of the product for different climatic conditions. The knitted fabrics made from yarns of micro-denier polyester filament, spun polyester, polyester/cotton, filament polyester, and 100% cotton were used for the study. Thermal characteristics such as thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, thermal absorptivity, relative water vapor permeability, and water vapor resistance were analyzed for the MMF fabrics. The test results indicated that the knitted fabrics produced from different nature of yarns have greater influence on thermal characteristics, when they were converted into fabrics. The MMF treatment have significant effect on thermal behavior of micro-denier polyester knitted fabrics with respect to thermal conductivity, thermal absorptivity, water vapor permeability, and water vapor resistance. Among the five fabrics, it was observed that micro-denier polyester fabrics gives faster heat transfer, quicker evaporation of sweat from the skin through the fabric, and also cooler feeling at initial touch.

Clothing comfort is an important aspect for any garment used for sportswear and leisurewear. Every human being sweats during different kinds of activities. An important feature of any fabric is how it transports this water out of the body surface so as to make the wearer feel comfortable. Hence, wetting and wicking properties are critical aspects during wearing of clothes. Polyester micro-fibers have twin characteristics of durability and comfort. The usage of continuous filament micro-denier polyester yarn for sportswear and leisurewear clothing has a practical significance in clothing comfort. In this study, polyester filament yarn were taken and made into single jersey knitted fabrics. Five different fabrics were made from 150 denier polyester yarns constituting different number of filaments, namely, 34 filaments, 48 filaments, 108 filaments, 144 filaments, and 288 filaments. Moisture management finish was applied to the five types of single jersey knitted fabrics and the effect of filament fineness on comfort characteristics of moisture management finished polyester knitted fabrics was analyzed to achieve suitability for making sportswear. From the tests, it was observed that the fabric containing 108 filaments in yarn gives better wetting, higher wicking, and optimum moisture vapor transmission. A new test method was introduced to find out the transverse wicking behavior of the fabrics. Filament fineness and surface area of yarn play a vital role in deciding the comfort characteristics of the fabric, as also moisture management finish treatment which enhances it.

A study on physical and mechanical properties of copper core yarn, stainless core yarn, glass core yarn, and copper ply yarn woven fabric composite materials through ANOVA has been reported. Copper, stainless steel, and glass filaments are selected as the core, and cotton is selected as the sheath. The various combinations of copper, stainless, and glass core yarns are produced by DREF II Friction spinning machine, and core yarns are converted into woven fabric composite materials by loom. The physical and mechanical properties of copper core yarn, stainless core yarn, glass core yarn, and copper ply yarn woven fabric composite materials have been measured using various instruments. It is observed that there is strong and significant difference between the tensile strength of warp direction and weft direction of core yarn woven fabric composite materials. The flexural rigidity and bending modulus of core yarn fabric increases with an increase in core content of copper, stainless steel, and glass filament.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the thermal comfort properties of single jersey knitted fabric structures made from bamboo, tencel and bamboo-tencel blended yarns. Design/methodology/approach – Bamboo, tencel fibre and blends of the two fibres were spun into yarns of identical linear density (30s Ne). Each of the blended yarns so produced was converted to single jersey knitted fabrics with loose, medium and tight structures. Findings – An increase in tencel fibre in the fabric had led to a reduction in fabric thickness and GSM. Air permeability and water-vapour permeability also increased with increase in tencel fibre content. The anticipated increase in air permeability and relative water vapour permeability with increase in stitch length was observed. The thermal conductivity of the fabrics was generally found to increase with increase in the proportion of bamboo. Research limitations/implications – It is clear from the foregoing that, although a considerable amount of work has been done on bamboo blends and their properties, still there are many gaps existing in the literature, in particular, on thermal comfort, moisture management and spreading characteristics. Thus the manuscript addresses these issues and provides valuable information on the comfort characteristics of the blended fabrics for the first time. In the evolution of this manuscript, it became apparent that a considerable amount of work was needed to fill up the gaps existing in the literature and hence this work which deals with an investigation of the blend yarn properties and comfort properties of knitted fabrics was taken up. Originality/value – This research work is focused on the thermal comfort parameters of knitted fabrics made from 100 per cent tencel yarn, 100 per cent bamboo yarn and tencel/bamboo blended yarns of different blend ratios.

In this research work, copper core yarns with cotton/polyester sheaths were produced by friction spinning machines and their woven fabrics were made by looms with varying fabric structures for electromagnetic (EM) shielding purposes. The effect of varying structures, varying materials, varying numbers of layers, core sheath ratio, and lay-up angle on EM shielding effectiveness were studied. The shielding effectiveness of copper core yarn fabrics was measured by using a Network Analyzer -EM shielding test (ASTM D4935-99) in the frequency range from 2018,000 MHz.