Drying Performance of Fabrics on the Human Body

Area of Science:

• Textile Science
• Human Thermal Physiology
• Material Science

Background:

• Standard fabric drying tests do not replicate real-world conditions on human skin.
• Evaporative cooling and drying are crucial for sports and occupational apparel.
• Skin contact obstructs drying on one side while heating enhances it.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify fabric drying at the skin interface under realistic conditions.
• To compare drying rates between standard and simulated skin-contact methods.
• To understand the impact of heat and stretch on fabric drying performance.

Main Methods:

• Conducted fabric drying tests simulating: two-sided drying, one-sided drying, one-sided drying on a heated surface, and one-sided drying on a heated, stretched surface.
• Measured drying rates for various first-layer fabrics.
• Compared results to established benchmark methods.

Main Results:

• Drying rates varied significantly: two-sided (1.6 g/m² min), one-sided (1.1 g/m² min), heated surface (7.9 g/m² min), and heated/stretched surface (10.6 g/m² min).
• Contact with a heated surface and fabric stretch significantly increased drying rates (p < 0.05).
• Standard methods do not accurately reflect in-use drying performance.

Conclusions:

• Fabric drying is substantially influenced by skin contact and mechanical stretch.
• Findings are critical for accurate human thermal and clothing models.
• Optimized fabric design for evaporative cooling requires considering skin interface conditions.