Similarly, the polyester tends to get more and more breathable as its filament fineness increases because now there is less filament in the yarn cross-section which results in bigger size pores to provide more air to pass through.Īs a general rule of thumb, ask for loosely woven polyester clothing if you want a material to be highly breathable in terms of both airflow and water vapor permeability.įor a closely woven polyester fabric, the surface area and concentration of inter yarn spaces should be as high as possible to maximize the water vapor transmission through the woven fabric.įrom a manufacturing perspective, you need polyester fabric that has a high number of pores between the fibers no matter they are smaller in size because if you have a good density of pores then the water vapor permeation will happen more successively across the length than having big sized pores in an only particular area. If you’re seeking a highly breathable polyester fabric then always go for microfibers because the surface area of microfiber is 10-15% larger than ordinary yarn.Īnd, the larger surfaces area means more pores and air gaps are there, but they are small enough to provide some good water resistance too. Polyester fabrics produced from microfilament are more breathable than conventional fiber fabrics. So the sweat or vapors can evaporate because the necessary heat of absorption is extracted from the sweat itself, which leads to a heat transfer from liquid to a gaseous state, this result in the cooling effect which helps the body to maintain temperature and cool down when it gets too hot. Their pores can be as small as possible but they need to be big enough for a water vapor molecule to pass from one side of the fabric to another side of the fabric. Now it does not mean that you need to get a fabric where you can see through it. So now I am going to explain the factors affecting the breathability of polyester understandably.įor polyester to be breathable, the pores between the fibers, between the yarn, and inside the yarn must be big enough for water vapor to escape.Īnd pores size is directly related to the thickness, density, filament fineness, weft sett values, and weaving tightness. Sweating Hot Plate Test: It is quite different from the previous two tests because in this the evaporative resistance of the fabric and the moisture lost by the garment when heat is applied are measured.įor general people, there is no need to look at how these tests are performed because it is not the chemistry/physics lab. Inverted Cup Test (ICT): The ICT aims to measure how much water is absorbed. Upright Cup Test: The objective of this test is to measure the rate of moisture vapor transmission through the garment. There are many ways to get the RET value but the most common are – the upright cup test, the inverted cup test, and the sweating hot plate test. Ok what about polyester fabric, honestly, I can not give the exact value because as it is man-made fiber the value of this fabric can go anywhere from 6 to 30 but one thing is quite clear that no matter polyester will show some sign of breathability. Read Also: Can Polyester Be 100% WIndproof? The RET of polyester fiber when it is not fabricated is obviously 30+ because plastic is not breathable at all and as you polyester is made up of plastic. Now, you may ask what is the RET of polyester. Meaning, the lower the value of RET the more breathable the fabric will be.Īnd according to scientific studies, the RET score 0-6 shows extreme breathability, and 30+ means not breathable at all. RET tells us the capacity of a fabric to stop water vapors to penetrate to go out in surroundings. In science, the breathability of any fabric is measured using the Thermal Evaporative Resistance (RET) coefficient. The breathability of polyester does not merely mean the flow of air through the fabric but it means how easily the fabric allows the water vapor permeation. To know how breathable typical polyester fabric is, we have to know what exactly the word ‘breathable’ means in the world of textiles. 17 Refrences How Breathable Is Polyester? (Explained)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |