Thermal Comfort and Electrostatic Properties of Socks Containing Fibers with Bio-Ceramic, Silver and Carbon Additives

Abstract

Socks are an important part of our clothing used in everyday activities. In order to ensure thermal comfort during wear in cool outdoor or indoor conditions, and for health improvement, socks must have effective thermoregulation properties. Chemical far-infrared (FIR) fibers with different bio-ceramic compounds incorporated into socks’ structures can provide an improved thermoregulation effect to the wearer of the socks. Fibers with silver and carbon additives incorporated in their structures can also affect the thermoregulation properties of socks. Moreover, these conductive additives avoid the unpleasant effect of static electricity of socks. The main parts of the different investigated structures of the socks were made in a plush pattern. The plush loops were formed by using functional Resistex® Bioceramic, Shieldex® and two modifications of Nega-Stat® fiber yarns. The main thermal comfort (thermal efficiency, microclimate and heat exchange temperatures, thermal resistance, water vapor permeability) and electrostatic (surface and vertical resistances, shielding factor, half time decay of charge) properties of the socks were investigated. Based on the obtained results of the thermal comfort and electrostatic characteristics of the different investigated structures of socks, the optimal static dissipative (half-time decay <0.01 s, shielding factor—0.96) plush knitting structure with 55% Resistex® Bioceramic and 31% bicomponent Nega-Stat® P210 fibers yarns was selected. Comparing the control sample without FIR and the knitted structure with conductive additives, we can draw the conclusion that the heat retention capability of the selected socks was improved by 1.5 °C and the temperature of their created microclimate was improved by 2 °C.

Usage Durability and Comfort Properties of Socks Made from Differently Spun Modal and Micro Modal Yarns

“…The thermal resistance of socks has been measured under steady state conditions using the thermal foot model [ 3 , 16 , 36 ] and the sock-shaped hot plate [ 22 , 23 ]. The thermal resistance of the sock fabrics was measured by a standardized method according to EN ISO 11092:2014 using a sweating guarded hot plate [ 2 , 30 , 37 ]. Since this test requires rectangular seamless samples measuring 510 × 510 mm, the thermal resistance of the sock fabrics was also measured on the smaller knit samples using the Permetest or Alambeta tester (equivalent to ISO 8301:1991) [ 16 , 21 ] and calculated as the quotient of the fabric thickness and thermal conductivity parameters of the sample [ 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”

“…It has been found that the abrasion resistance of socks knitted in a single jersey structure can be increased by a number of measures: the use of yarns with a higher linear density, yarns with a higher twist coefficient and folded yarns, the addition of polyester fibers in blends and the addition of elastic yarns (polyamide or elastane filaments) to the structure [ 4 , 15 , 33 ]. In recent research, highly functional socks were knitted in the plain single jersey pattern in full plating using three-ply and two-ply twisted yarns composed of various high-performance fibers with PCMs, insect repellent, bio-ceramic, silver and carbon additives [ 2 , 37 ]. The use of spiral auxiliary yarns consisting of various combinations of high-performance para-aramid, elastomeric, polyamide, polyester and conventional cotton fibers has also been investigated for the development of abrasion-resistant socks [ 13 ].…”

In vitro experimental study on effect of fiber denier, yarn doubling, and specialty treatments on physical and thermal behaviors of knitted sports socks

“…1,2 Socks are the clothes put on feet to attain needed comfort and performance attributes. [3][4][5][6] Knitting technology is the most preferred technique for socks engineering. Knitting has surpassed weaving as the most widely regarded textile manufacturing process due to its simplicity and comfort characteristics.…”