Transport properties and permeability of textile materials

Abstract

Heat and mass transfer through textile fabrics play a crucial role in achieving optimal thermal comfort perception by a person. The governing properties of textile fabrics by which they influence heat and mass transfer from the human skin to the environment are thermal transport capacity, water vapor permeability, and air permeability. The transfer of liquid moisture through textiles is important for thermal comfort during frequent changes in physical activity or climate. Despite numerous studies on the transport properties of textile materials over the past years, investigation in this subject area is still needed. This special issue includes five articles that offer valuable information on the subject. Both commercial and specially designed textile structures were investigated within the presented studies with the ambitious goal of providing a new understanding of their transport properties. Within the first four papers presented, certain aspects of heat and mass transfer through textile materials were analyzed at the three scale levels: microscopic (fiber type), mesoscopic (yarn geometry and fineness), and macroscopic (fabric porosity) levels. The fifth article dealt with the influence of the seam type and the sewing thread fineness on the transport properties of the seamed structure.

Keywords

• thermal comfort
• air permeability
• thermal insulation
• moisture permeability
• porosity