Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to consider the thermal-physiological comfort performances of a sport shirt made of a polyester (PES) fabric with incorporated activated carbon. After having characterized the modified PES fabric in Part I, the results of a wear trial campaign are shown and discussed in this work. Design/methodology/approach -The wear trials have been carried out under a controlled physical activity. A short-and-intense effort and an intermittent effort of milder intensity were carried out twice by each volunteer: once wearing a shirt made of the modified PES fabric and the other one wearing an analogous shirt made of a conventional PES fabric. Findings -When sweating was moderate, the modified PES shirt was judged as more comfortable on the average. As the effort became harder, the modified PES fabric turned out to be less comfortable than the conventional one. In the final recovery stage, the conventional PES was still more comfortable than the modified PES. This behaviour was justified according to the findings of Part I: at the beginning, the prevailing effect was the adsorbing ability of carbon particles that buffer sweat impulses, giving the user a pleasant dry sensation. Then, when sweating became intense, the lower evaporative cooling of the modified PES fabric became the key factor governing the physiological comfort of the garment. This is confirmed by a slightly higher skin temperature measured during the modified PES fabric trials. Finally, a post-exercise chill sensation was felt with the modified PES fabric, due to a longer drying time. Originality/value -The paper presents a comprehensive study of the thermo-physiological comfort of a fabric containing activated carbon particles.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the thermo‐physiological comfort of a knitted polyester (PES) fabric which contains activated carbon particles in the back‐side.Design/methodology/approachAccording to the manufacturer's intention, the activated carbon particles, added in the PES extrusion process, give permanent attributes to the garment, such as odour resistance, UV protection and evaporative cooling. These features should make the modified PES ideal for sportswear. Standard fabric characteristics (morphology, mass per unit area, thickness) have been evaluated for two similar fabrics, the one containing the modified PES yarn and the other one made of conventional PES yarn. The investigated thermo‐physiological properties were air permeability (AP), water vapour resistance (Ret ), thermal resistance (Rct ), thermal conductivity and diffusion, drying rate, vertical wicking, horizontal liquid diffusion area and buffering capacity. They have been measured in controlled thermal and humidity conditions in a climatic chamber.FindingsThe modified fabric is more hydrophilic than the conventional one, thanks to the carbon particles sorption ability. Thus, the liquid management of the modified PES fabric was found to be better. On the other hand, liquid desorption was slow and the drying time was longer. Moreover, the dry heat and the vapour transfer were found slightly worse for the modified PES, probably due to the lower AP.Originality/valueThe paper shows a comprehensive fabric characterization of a functionalized fabric, highlighting the positive and negative effects of activated carbon particles on the liquid, vapour and heat management.

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