The primary need of man to dress has changed as time passed because different fibers are used and yarn, fabrics and finishing have completely changed.
Welfare and comfort, that were almost fortuitous and bound to a certain kind of textile product, have become decisive components to make a product appreciated and successful, and they must be projected from the beginning when a particular item is conceived.
Today, multi functional products are more and more often projected and realized, where even contrasting performances must coexist and cohabit, such as for instance water resistance and air permeability, strong resistance and softness.
Fibers evidently play a central role, as well as ennobling proceedings to give to the fabric qualities it doesn?t have are important, especially in some specific applications, in those fabrics born and developed to assure comfort.
Comfort.
Definitions: welfare, lack of pain and of nuisance.
Different components are evidenced:
The physiological one
The physical-chemical one
The psychological one
The lack of comfort is stressed more than its positive presence.
Many researches have been carried out in order to find out causes and elements of lack of comfort in the textile area:
As far as raw materials are concerned, the chemical-macromolecular structure of the fiber plays a basic role, and
Thinness
Section
Crimp
As far as yarn is concerned:
Count
Torque
Hairiness
As far as textile surface is concerned:
Structure
Ennobling proceeding
Used additives
As far as clothes and ready products are concerned:
Style
Dimensions
Fibers, yarn, surfaces and clothes must be projected in a way so that they will have those values that are considered as decisive for comfort standards. Today it is still very difficult because subjectivity is very strong.
We must then be able to individualize the sensitive, significant sizes, to measure them, to settle the optimal values ( or threshold values) in order to give up to the project and to obtain materials whose characteristics answer to the optimal values.
Main research areas to realize this process concern:
Transport characteristics (liquids, gas)
Skin contact characteristics (hand)
Fabric draping and manufacturing characteristics
Some raw materials have an innate comfort that doesn?t need to be demonstrated, as it is considered as a priori.
So, some of them are considered as very comfortable:
Cotton
Silk
Wool
Raw materials made by man show a comfort that need to be demonstrated, because they are considered as less valid or non valid as far as comfort is concerned.
Multifunctional materials
Today, textile products are asked rival characteristics and performances. In some ways, it is characteristics that go beyond those of materials nature gives us:
Micro fibers
High-tech fibers
Polymeric structures in general
Today comfort is considered as a fundamental part when a textile product is valued. In some cases it is analyzed following an analysis technique called HPA (Human Perception Analysis).
This analysis is based on some main elements:
Warmth
Absorbing capacity and humidity
General comfort
Cloth convenience
Skin perception
Weight
Softness
Comfort describers
Aerial
Sticky
Sharp
Absorbent
Tacky
Tied
Tight
Wet
Knotted
Vivid
Warm
Tickly
Closing
Comfortable
Compelling
Itchy
Elastic
Thick
Flexible
Cold
Wrinkled
Impermeable
Downy
Light
Smooth
Medium lightness
Soft
Non absorbent
Non flexible
Doesn't allow movements
Non perspiring
Allow movements
Heavy
Closing
Rigid
Rough
Loose
Dry
Good feeling
Silky
Detached
Perspiring
Humid
Viscid
Physical aspects of comfort
thermal properties:
heat transmission
thermal protection
vapour-humidity transmission:
humidity permeability
influent elements in vapour permeability
liquid-humidity transmission:
water repellent capacity and water absorbance
humidity characteristics measurement
absorbent fabrics production
water resistant fabrics production
elements influencing transmission of liquids and humidity
air permeability
air permeability test
permeable fabrics production
correlation between permeability and other elements
size and style of items
esthetic comfort (subjective)
esthetic properties measurement
changes in esthetic behaviour
static electricity
electrostatic propensity measurement
static electricity effects
electrostatic laden reduction
noise
textile use to fight noise