Moisture management | Objectives, Technical application, Concepts

Moisture management

Moisture management can be defined as the controlled movement of water vapor and liquid water (sweat) from the surface of the skin into the atmosphere through the fabric. This action prevents sweating on the side of the skin. Moisture management is one of the major performance criteria in today's garment industry, which determines the comfort level of those fabrics. In order to maintain a comfortable and cozy condition, clothing must be designed to maintain the body’s thermal balance in a wide range of environmental conditions and body activity. It should be met works without interfering with the evaporation of moisture caused by sweat and thus does not interfere with the control of body temperature. All of these desirable phenomena come under a technical scope, called “moisture management”. "Breathability" means that air, including water vapor, can pass through the fabric.

The liquid water excreted by the body is known as sensory sweating. In order to remove it from the body, it must pass through the fabric structure and then evaporate from the outside of the fabric. When evaporated, heat is removed which helps control body temperature. Water vapor or insensitive sweat can pass through the opening between the fibers and yarn in a breathable fabric. When water vapor is produced by the body, the heat is removed by providing a direct cooling effect.

Objectives of moisture management for fabric

i. To transport moisture to the atmosphere as quickly as possible - for evaporation, the moisture must first reach the clothing page. It is caused by capillary energy, also known as wicking. Capillary strength increases as the gaps between the individual fibers become thinner. This means that the finer the fibers, the smaller the gaps, and the better the moisture transport.

ii. To evaporate moisture as quickly as possible-the evaporation of absorbed moisture does not depend on the type of fiber, but rather on the surface of the fabric used. The larger the surface, the finer the fiber, and the more fiber there is on the surface, the faster the moisture evaporates.

iii. To make the skin feel dry - It is unpleasant to wear clothes that have a moist feeling. However, there is a difference between the materials in that the amount of water from the layer makes the textile feel moist. Where cotton can absorb a certain amount of water without feeling moisture, polyester feels wet and clammy despite having a small amount of moisture. Moreover, coarse textiles absorb more moisture than thin fabrics and their surface does not expand significantly in the process. This is why it takes a long time to dry thick clothes.

Technical application toward moisture management

100% cellulose fiber clothing is widely used for general sports clothing and streetwear, but the only fabric actively consumers and sportswear manufacturers are made from synthetic fibers promoted for high-performance sportswear there is a view that cellulosic fibers are unsuitable for use in sportswear for high activity where sweat production is required.

The causes of this aspect of cellulosic fabrics are real and need to be addressed if cellulosic is used in sportswear should be increased. Cellulosic fabrics absorb water into the fiber structure and become heavier. This tension of the fabric leads to sticking to the skin and when the activity stops the fabric can feel cold against the skin.

A high level of moisture absorbed into the fabric means a long drying time. However, cellulosic fabrics are usually synthetic fabrics that are considered more comfortable when worn for normal daily activities. They are preferred for a wide range of costume fabrics where visual aesthetics, handles, and comfort are important. In this area, synthetic fiber where price and easy-care performance are considered more important.

In order to provide these positive properties of cellulose fibers and to overcome the negative aspects of performance are needed new methods. A successful cellulosic-containing fabric must have a much lower absorption capacity better than 100% cellulosic but better than cellulosic fiber to give visual aesthetics, handles, and touch. The fabric will have excellent moisture-handling ability and will be easy to care for. Can manage moisture includes the use of microfiber technology or the application of various soft finishes such as molecular silicon layers to improve both the hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties of a fabric. Hydrophilic cloth or waterproof-breathable some progress in the moisture management of textiles. Water-resistant and moisture-permeable materials can be divided into three main categories - high-density fabric, resin-coated materials, and film-coated. Items that manufacturers select for casual, athletic, ski, or finished clothing need outdoor clothing.

Moisture management indices

Moisture management is assessed using a Moisture management tester (MMT). The device measures the moisture on different sides of the fabric to get the moisture transfer indicator. Wetting time (top/bottom), absorption rate (top/bottom), maximum wet area (top/bottom), scattering speed (top/bottom), accumulated one-way transport indicator, and overall moisture-management capacity (OMMC) end of various garments Measurements are made to determine the suitability of the fabric for use. The results are classified into six categories, namely water-repellent fabric, slow-absorbing fabric, fast-absorbing, and slow-drying fabric, fast-absorbing and quick-drying fabric, water-penetration fabric, and moisture-management fabric.

The results are reported based on the moisture-management index in the below chart to determine the MMT grade of different fabrics. Overall moisture management indicates how the fabric will work when applied to a specific situation.

Index                                Grade               1               2                3               4                      5

Wetting time                      Top              ≥ 120 No     20–119       5–19          3–5                 3

                                                              Wetting      Slow          Medium       Fast         Very fast

                                         Bottom       ≥120 No       20–119       5–19          3–5                 3

                                                             Wetting       Slow          Medium       Fast         Very fast

Absorption rate                  Top              0–10 Very 10–30        30–50        50–100          100

                                                                Slow         Slow         Medium        Fast         Very fast

                                         Bottom          0–10 Very 10–30       30–30          50–100          100

                                                                 Slow         Slow      Medium          Fast         Very fast

Maximum wetted radius   Top               0–7 No       7–12        12–17          17–22              22

                                                               Wetting       Slow      Medium          Large        Very large

                                         Bottom          0–7 No        7–12       12–17          17–22              22

                                                               Wetting         Slow    Medium          Large        Very large

Spreading speed              Top               0–1 Very      1–2          2–3               3–4                 4

                                                               Slow          Slow    Medium           Fast          Very fast

                                         Bottom         0–1 Very       1–2         2–3               3–4                 4

                                                                Slow           Slow    Medium           Fast           Very fast

One-way transport capacity               −50          − 50 to 100  100–200          200–400          400

                                                             Poor               Fair      Good           Very good      Excellent

Overall moisture management           0–0.2      0.2–0.4         0.4–0.6            0.6–0.8            0.8

                                                            Poor         Fair              Good          Very good      Excellent

Different concepts of moisture-management textiles

The term moisture management is often used as an advertising slogan. However, ideas among textile manufacturers differ on how to achieve optimized moisture management. To bring different effects, a suitable fiber material is used or subsequent finishing is applied. It is also possible to combine specialized fibers and finishes.

Hydrophobic textiles absorb very little moisture. This can lead to insufficient transmission of moisture away from the skin and an unpleasant damp feeling. Moreover, the water that is not transported to the outer surface is no longer available to cool the body.

i. Hydrophilic textiles are known for their ability to absorb moisture. The emerging fluid is efficiently absorbed and transported to the surface of the skin for evaporation. However, after exercise, a large amount of fluid must evaporate, which can cause strong cooling and freezing.

ii. Combinations of internal hydrophobic and outer hydrophilic layers are designed to quickly transport moisture from the skin and evaporate from the outside. The material's special construction enables the transport of moisture from the inside to the outside of the textile. Duble-sidedness of fabric is achieved either by processing different materials during production or by the different coating of the fabric surfaces.

iii. Partial hydrophobic fabrics are made by an application for example by a puncture technique of hydrophobic coating on the inside of the hydrophilic fabric. The concept is that moisture can be transmitted through hydrophilic “windows”, while hydrophobic regions do not absorb water and remain dry, giving the skin a dry feeling.

iv. By their extreme fineness, microfibers create particularly small gaps and have a large surface area. This creates a high capillary effect for moisture transport and rapid evaporation.

v. Special fibers are designed to increase capillary strength and moisture transport using special profiles. The larger surface area of these fibers promotes evaporation.

Moisture management finishes of textiles

Moisture management finishes improving the ability of textiles to absorb moisture from the skin, transport them to the outer surface and release them into the surrounding air. Similarly, moisture management finishes increasing the moisture-holding capacity of the end fibers. The new generation of softening agents that are part of the moisture management finish are able to greatly improve the performance of the garment. This type of finish is usually applied to towels, underwear, sports shirts, and other things where moisture absorption is important. Manufacturers of sportswear are constantly striving to improve the moisture management properties of clothing, so there is a lot of potential for growth in this area.

Moisture management fabric is widely applied in sportswear, high-value casual wear, and uniforms. The concept of this technology is the rapid drying rate and the efficient movement of moisture away from the skin. The process of moisture management fabric can be divided into five states.

I. Taking moisture from the surface of the skin.

ii. Removing moisture away from the skin and transporting it through the fabric surface.

iii. Spreading moisture into the fabric structure.

iv. Moisture absorption in suitable fibers: ‘Dynamic’ fabrics usually have an ‘outer layer’ of hydrophilic fibers that absorb and store sweat from the skin surface.

v. Moisture evaporates from the fabric surface.

Areas of application of moisture management technology

i. Inner-wears

ii. Athletic wear (active sportswear)

iii. Performance wear (climbing, walking, skiing)

iv. Comfort wear (nightwear)

v. Military (multi-climate clothing)

vi. Health (hospital bed linens, wound dressings)

vii. Agricultural technology (Geo-textiles, greenhouse screening panels, soil moisture control)

viii. Technical solutions (Formula 1 protective clothing, firefighting, industrial clothing)

ix. Industrial (filter & valve technology, building, packaging)

x. Upholstery (transport)

Conclusion

For comfort features of textiles with different end-use applications, in the general textile sector, technical textiles, and in other cases, moisture management plays a key role. Based on moisture management, tailors can be made for textiles with their specific end-use. Clothing manufacturers are changing them to pay attention to the high-efficiency end-use of moisture management cloth. As a sports manufacturer and active outdoor wear trying to improve their functionality collection will see further development of the field in the future moisture management fabric.