The influence of differently tanned and finished bovine leather on thermophysiological properties was investigated. In addition, it was investigated whether sampling has a significant influence on ...the thermophysiological properties. The back of the tested leathers is thicker than the neck because of better microstructure regularity and uniformity as well as thicker and denser distributed fibrils than in the neck parts. The neck parts have a greater proportion of air-filled spaces between the fibrils, resulting in a higher thermal resistance of the leather neck parts. Considering the thickness of synthetic and chrome-tanned leathers (dyed and hydrophobized), the thinner chrome-tanned leathers (0.063 W m−1 °C−1 for the neck part, 0.090 W m−1 °C−1 for the back part part) have almost the same thermal conductivity as synthetic ones (0.065 W m−1 °C−1 for the neck part, 0.089 W m−1 °C−1 for the back part). Their thermal and water vapour resistance show considerable differences. There is no significant difference in water vapour resistance of the neck and back part of chrome tanned, dyed and hydrophobized leather (25.27 m2 Pa W−1 for the neck part; 25.15 m2 Pa W−1 for the back part) in contrast to equally treated synthetically tanned leather (30.38 m2 Pa W−1 for the neck part; 26.96 m2 Pa W−1 for the back part).The presented study could help in choosing the appropriate point of sampling, tanning as well as finishing agents for obtaining satisfying thermophysiological comfort in the wide range of leather application.
Thermo-physiological properties are very much connected to water vapour and air permeability. There are multiple standards with different working principles to determine the exact performance of any ...textile material. However, most of these tests are time-consuming and work on the steady state principle, whereas few devices work on heat flux, where results can be obtained much more quickly. The research article covers the testing of 8 unique shirt samples on these devices compared that on a novel device created by the author to see how much the results differ from each other. Lastly, a theoretical approach was used to determine any correlation between air permeability and water vapour permeability. The research work helps in understanding the working of different devices used for water vapour permeability and allows a reduction in time by using a predictive approach with just the results from the air permeability machine.
Polyurethane (PU) foam is one of the most common materials used in the development of pressure relieving cushions. However, it suffers from reduced efficiency in terms of thermophysiological comfort, ...cost, recycling and importantly, creating a suitable environment for the prevention of pressure ulcers. The paper presents research carried out at the University of Bolton, in the development of pressure relieving cushion applications using three-dimensional (3D) warp-knitted spacer fabrics. This research includes the development of a novel technique for measuring pressure distribution while under simulated loading conditions. Using this system, novel and smart 3D knitted spacer cushions were developed, with the following features: (1) a shaped/contoured surface was able to redistribute high pressure points normally located in vulnerable areas of an immobile and seated person. (2) Peak pressures were reduced and distributed evenly over a much larger area of the cushion than PU foam. (3) They are well-ventilated, comfortable, washable and non-flammable and can be easily recycled.
The paper focuses on the application of ultrasonic energy in textile laundering. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in ultrasonic energy application in textile industry; however, ...the effect of ultrasonic laundering on the thermophysiological properties of knitted fabrics has not been studied yet. This study was conducted by using polylactic acid (PLA), cotton, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and poly acrylic (PAC) fibres containing yarns and their blends. Knitted fabrics, single pique, were made from these yarns by using weft knitting machine. The fabrics were washed ten times for 15 and 60 minutes under 40 °C by using conventional and ultrasonic washing methods. The main aim was to determine the effect of washing methods on the thermophysiological properties of the fabrics. It is also aimed to analyse and evaluate the thermophysiological properties of the PLA fabrics. The incorporation of 100 % PLA and cotton/PLA yarns into single pique knitted fabrics has been attempted to produce for the first time and studied their thermal comfort properties. The results show that the washing processes have a critical importance for the tested fabrics in terms of thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, thermal absorbtivity, water vapour permeability, and heat loss. It has been also demonstrated that the fabric cleaning by using ultrasonic method enhanced the properties of tested fabrics such as thermal conductivity and % recovery. It was also noted that 15 minutes ultrasonically washed fabrics had significantly lower thermal resistance as compared to conventionally washed fabrics.
The main objective of this study is to develop a novel copper treatment method and characterise the effect of treatment on the thermophysiological comfort properties of the treated fabrics. It is ...also aimed to analyse and evaluate the thermophysiological properties of the PLA fabrics. The study was conducted by using polylactic acid (PLA), cotton and their blend yarns. The knitted fabrics, single pique, were made from these yarns by using weft knitting machine. The fabrics were treated with two copper solution concentrations (5 % and 10 %) at 20 minutes ultrasonic energy. The results show that the treatment has a critical effect on the tested fabrics in terms of thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, thermal absorbtivity, water vapour permeability, and heat loss. The results also clearly demonstrated that the PLA fabric was successfully treated with the copper solution, and the coated fabrics showed significant change as compared to their untreated counterparts in terms of tested parameters.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.20.1.1853
The knee is the most used joint in the human body and is also most prone to injuries. Knee braces are medical devices used in the treatment of some form of injuries providing compression and warmth ...to the joint thus promoting healing. They can also be used for protection in several contact sports. At the moment there are no regulations governing the textile materials used in braces. The authors believe that knitted spacer fabrics have the desirable mechanical and comfort properties which could make these materials suitable for some medical applications. Commercially available knee braces have been tested and analyzed for their mechanical as well as thermophysiological properties. A range of novel spacer fabrics have been designed, developed, and characterized for comparison with commercial products. It has been found that knitted spacers can be engineered in terms of yarn type and structure used in each of the three layers in order to match and even outperform the properties exhibited by commercially available products, such as neoprene and other knitted fabrics, including composite materials. The test results obtained for a range of existing and novel products studied in this work have been explained in terms of their raw material, structure, and finishing treatments applied to them.
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