Related Experiment Videos
Physiological comfort of biofunctional textiles
1Department of Clothing Physiology, Hohenstein Institutes, Boennigheim, Germany. v.bartels@hohenstein.de
Current Problems in Dermatology
|June 13, 2006
Summary
Biofunctional textiles must be comfortable for market success. This study effectively measures wear comfort, finding that while some biofunctional textiles match traditional ones, others negatively impact comfort, especially skin sensorial aspects.
Area of Science:
- Textile Science
- Wearable Technology
- Material Science
Background:
- Wear comfort is the primary consumer demand for clothing.
- Biofunctional textiles require excellent wear comfort for market viability.
- Assessing comfort is crucial for developing advanced textiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To effectively measure the thermophysiological and skin sensorial wear comfort of biofunctional textiles.
- To predict wear comfort votes based on objective measurements.
- To validate these predictions with subjective wearer trials.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Skin Model and a skin sensorial test apparatus for objective measurements.
- Developed a method to predict wear comfort votes from instrumental data.
- Conducted wearer trials with human test subjects for validation.
Main Results:
- Objective measurements accurately predicted subjective wear comfort perceptions.
- Biofunctional textiles can achieve wear comfort comparable to non-biofunctional materials.
- Certain biofunctional treatments, particularly those creating hydrophobic, smooth surfaces, significantly reduce skin sensorial comfort.
Conclusions:
- Validated methods exist for measuring and predicting biofunctional textile wear comfort.
- Biofunctional textiles can be designed for high wear comfort, but careful treatment selection is necessary.
- Hydrophilic treatments and spun yarns are recommended to enhance thermophysiological and skin sensorial comfort, avoiding issues associated with hydrophobic treatments and filaments.