Evaluation of the comfort properties of functional knitted fabrics for people with special needs

Abstract

In this study, several comfort properties of knitted fabrics were investigated. Seven types of knitted fabrics made of combinations of natural fibres (e.g., cotton, wool, and bamboo), artificial fibres (e.g., modal) and synthetic fibres (e.g., polyester and acrylic) were produced. The knitted samples were subjected to several comfort tests, including air permeability, thermal resistance and water vapour resistance assessments. To determine the correlations among the comfort properties of the fabric, fabric structural properties, such as fabric weight and fabric thickness, were considered. Moreover, statistically significant differences were found in terms of dry thermal resistance, water vapour resistance and air permeability depending on the structural parameters of the fabric.