Tecnologia da Moda e Engenharia Têxtil

Design Effect on Wear Comfort Properties of Polyester Knitted Fabrics

Mohamed Ghaith Chakroun*, Sofien Benltoufa, Adel Ghith and Faten Fayala

Fabric’s design serves as a manufacturing tool to meet several consumers’ requirements. Comfort is the prime need in sportswear, it is affected by the properties of fibers, yarns, and fabrics. A confident understanding of these factors is essential in the design and the conception of functional clothes. The construction specifications and design of knitted fabrics have a great influence on the comfort level of the end use garment. This study aims to investigate the wear comfort properties of knitted fabrics with distinct patterns and colors. For this purpose, five structures were prepared by combining plain, float and tuck stitches. Then, yellow and black colorations were applied. The wear comfort properties investigated are the air and the relative water vapor permeability, and the drying time. Tests were conducted on knit hoses and on the finished yellow and black variants. Results show that wet treatments affect differently the wear comfort properties of fabrics. Fabrics with tuck stitches are less permeable to air and water vapor and take longer time to dry after wet treatments. Incorporating floats permits improving air permeability and drying time. However, yellow fabrics are more breathable and dried longer than black ones.