Water vapour permeability as a factor of the thermophysiological comfort of knitted fabrics

Comfort is not a feature of textile material, but a pleasant feeling in humans affected by many factors, including the characteristics of textile material. Comfort is an important factor for consumers that influences the decision when buying clothes and determines customer satisfaction with products. Thermophysiological comfort refers to the feelings of hot, cold, dry, wet and is influenced by environmental factors such as heat, moisture and movement on the air. In recent years, interest in knitted products has been growing owing to the simple technology for their production, low costs and a high level of comfort of knitted garments. Knitting technology faces rapid changes in terms of the requirements of fashion and customer performance. Knitted fabrics should not only have stretch and provide freedom of movement, but they should also be soft and easily transmit vapor from the body. The demands of consumers regarding the quality of clothing are changing in accordance with the development of textile technology and the rise in the standard of living. Assuring the thermal stability of the human body is one of the most important functions of clothing. Knitted fabrics are hygroscopic and have good thermal conductivity. They have the ability to submit multiple uses without significant changes in external appearance. Clothing that manages the moisture, thus enabling the body to feel dry and comfortable, is one of the main criteria for quality clothing. The ease with which the knitted fabric transports moisture from the body depends on the characteristics of the fiber, that is, the raw material composition, but even more so from the geometric characteristics of the knitted fabric. The paper examined the permeability of water vapor in cotton knitted fabric for underwear made from cotton yarn of the same fineness, embedded in three different interlacing, single jersey, double jersey 1: 1 (rib) and interlock jersey. According to the results, the two-sided interlacing double jersey 1: 1 (rib) and interlock jersey have shown better water vapor transport, which means that t-shirts made from these knitted fabrics will absorb the sweat faster from the body, giving them a feeling of greater comfort. The choice of appropriate clothing for a particular purpose should be made on the basis of user requirements, the thermal characteristics of the material and the interaction between the material and the user in different environments