EFFECT OF ELASTANE ON MOISTURE MANAGEMENT IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPORTSWEAR.

Nowadays, more and more articles for sportswear, but not only, include elastane yarns. Stretch clothing plays an important role in optimizing the performance of the wearer by providing freedom of movement, maximizing comfort, minimizing the risk of injury, and reducing friction. This study aimed to investigate the fabric moisture management properties with dependency on elastane yarn linear density. Experiments were conducted with two series of plated knitted fabrics. The ground yarns were: 30% Outlast^®Viscose / 70% Cotton, 14.75 tex, and a Dacron^® 702 WSD 1.7/38, 14.30 tex (Coolmax^®). The plating yarns were 22 dtex, 44 dtex, and 77 dtex Creora^®, plated at every feeder by using the electronic feeder. The Outlast^®/Cotton material is superior in water vapour transmission and Colmax^® in drying capacity, regardless of the fineness of the elastane yarn. In terms of liquid water management, correctly selecting the appropriate linear density of elastane yarn can optimize the functionality of sportswear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]