Moisture Transfer Through Chemically Treated Cotton Fabrics

A thermoregulatory model of the human skin is described, which allows quantitative measurements of moisture transfer through textile layers and its thermal effect on the heat loss of the human body. The influence of various finishes on the moisture-transfer properties of cotton fabrics was investigated with multiple-layer combinations. Finish ing processes which fundamentally change the behavior of fibers with respect to moisture were used. Cross-linking of. the cotton produces no decline in moisture transfer. Water-repellent finishing reduces the moisture transfer substantially, since the wettabil ity of the fibers is a parameter of the capillary conductivity of yarns and fabrics., To clarify this, measurements were carried out on viscose fabrics (extremely high-absorptive fiber) and on glass-fiber fabrics (of high wettability). The water-vapor permeability, according to the control-dish method was also investigated for comparison.Controlled wear tests to estimate the significance of these laboratory measurements are also described. They show that cross-linking of cotton improves the body-comfort prop erties of fabrics and garments.