Study on Comfort Characteristics of Moisture Management Finished Microdenier Polyester Knitted Fabrics

The influence of stitch length and knit structure on comfort characteristics of moisture management finish microdenier polyester knitted fabrics was determined to identify the suitable stitch length and knit structure. In order to study this effect, microdenier polyester filament yarn of 150 denier containing 108 filaments was taken. The yarn was converted to three knit structures such as single jersey, single airtex, and honeycomb, each containing three different stitch lengths of 2.6, 2.9, and 3.2 mm. The effect of stitch length and knit structure on comfort characteristics of moisture management finish knitted fabrics was significant. It was observed that single jersey fabrics showed quicker sinking times for the wetting test. In the wicking test, the wicking length increased continuously with stitch length for treated fabrics. In transverse wicking test for one drop of water and to reach saturation point, single jersey fabric shows a larger water spreading area. The time taken to reach saturation point is also shorter. In the moisture vapor transfer test for reduction in height and weight of water, single airtex fabrics show higher values. In the air permeability test, the single jersey structure exhibited higher air permeability values. It was observed that the single jersey structure with 2.9-mm stitch length had a superior performance with respect to comfort characteristics.