Clothing Comfort Testing Equipments Dr Muhammad Mushtaq Mangat www.mushtaqmangat.org

Clothing comfort testing machines

  Testing of:   Heat transfer

  Moisture transfer   Rigidity

  Surface smoothness

Heat transfer

  Thermal conductivity

  Thermal resistance

  Thermal absorbtivity

  Maximum heat flux

Machines used to test thermal properties

  THERMO-LABO,

THERMO-LABO   Developed by YONEDA and KAWABATA in 1983.

  They have introduced the maximum level of the contact heat flow qmax [W/m2K] as a measure of this transient thermal

  Their instrument, called THERMO-LABO, was commercialised

  This instrument includes a BT box as a heat source and a water bath maintained at room temperature as a heat sink

  Using 6gf/cm2, the fabric specimen is held between the heat source and heat sink having a 10°C temperature difference between the plate and sink

  At steady state, power required is measured and thermal conductance is calculated as heat flow per temperature difference per unit area. Overall thermal conductivity is calculated as the product of the thermal conductance and fabric thickness (Conductivity = Conductance * Thickness [1]

Sweat Guarded Hotplate

Sweating Guarded Hotplate [2]

  The Sweating Guarded Hotplate, also called "skin model", used for accurate, repeatable measurements of the thermal resistance and vapor permeability of textiles in accordance with:

  ISO 11092

  ASTM F1868

  NFPA 1971

  EN 31092

  GB/T 11048-2008 [

Dry Guarded Hotplate

NEWTON THERMAL

MANIKIN [2] Thermal manikin system perfect for a broad range of clothing and environmental testing The Newton system is available in standard 20, 26, or 34-zone configurations The Newton body form is available as either a 50th percentile Western or Asian Male, in either dry or sweating formats.

Manikin PC2 Human Comfort

Software

The ManikinPC2 thermoregulatory model allows users to control Newton at variable activity levels that simulate the human metabolism while sleeping, resting, working, or exercising.[2]

STAN- Seat Test Automotive

Manikin

The Seat Test Automotive Manikin (STAN) was developed to evaluate the thermal comfort and moisture management of automobile seating. [2]

Thermal Hand Test

System

The Thermal Hand Test Manikin was developed to provide accurate measurements for all types of hand wear [2].

Thermal Head Test

System

The Thermal Head manikin can be used to generate accurate test measurements for all types of helmets and headwear. Can work under environmental conditions ranging from -20°C to +50°C.[2]

Thermal Foot Test

System

The Thermal Foot Test System is a sophisticated research tool that provides accurate test measurements for all types of footwear.[2]

ST-2XL - Comfort Test

System

The innovative ST-2XL Comfort Test System is a device developed to support and simplify in-house testing procedures and to help evaluate the need for more advanced thermal instrumentation tests.[2]

Integrated Chamber for the

SGHP-8.2 and SGHP-10.5

ALAMBETA

  ALAMBETA calculates all the statistic parameters of the measurement and exhibits the instrument auto-diagnostics, which avoids faulty instrument operation.

  The whole measurement procedure, including the measurement of thermal conductivity ,thermal resistance R, qmax, sample thickness and the results evaluation, lasts less than 3 -5 min.

  As the objective measure of warm-cool feeling of fabrics, so called thermal absorptivity b [Ws1/2/m2K] was introduced.

Heat flow between a skin and a fabric

Alambeta principle

  Contact between fabric and skin is created for a short time

  It is presumed that fabric is semi-infinite body of thermal capacity C [J/m3]

  To simulate the real conditions of warm-cool feeling evaluation, the instrument measuring head is heated to 32ºC, which correspond to the average human skin temperature, while the fabric is kept at the room temperature 22ºC.

  Similarly, the time constant of the heat flow sensor, which measures directly the heat flow between the automatically moved measuring head and the fabrics, exhibit similar value (0,07 sec), as the human skin. Thus, the full signal response is achieved within 0,2 sec.

Alambeta measures

  Thickness   Thermal conductivity   Thermal absorbtivity   Thermal resistance   Maximum heat flux

Permetest [Sensora]

A new fast response measuring instrument (Skin Model) for the non-destructive determination of water-vapor and thermal resistance or permeability of textile fabrics, nonwovens, foils and paper sheets

KES-F contains four machines

  :

  *    Tensile & Shear Tester: This instrument measures tensile properties by pulling the fabric in the direction of the warp and weft yarn. It also measures shear properties by pulling on the fabric at various angles to the direction of the yarn, causing the individual yarns to pull against one another as they would under normal use of the finished garments.

  *    Pure Bending Tester: In the bending test, a fabric sample is mounted through a narrow slit and then the sample is bent, with which we can have precise values of bending rigidity and bending moment.

  *    Compression Tester: In this instrument, a probe exerts force on a fabric sample to determine its compression properties.

  *    Surface Friction Tester: In this instrument, the co-efficient of friction is determined by passing a metal probe over a mounted swatch of fabric. The second probe measures geometrical roughness.

Qmax Warm / Cool

Touch Test [1] This evaluation is used to assess the surface warm / cool sensations of a garment fabric and indicates the instantaneous thermal feeling sensed when there is initial contact of the material with the skin surface.

Moisture Vapor Transm

ission Rate [1] The rate of moisture vapor diffusion through the material is determined according to the Simple Dish Method, similar to ASTM E96-80.

Gravimetric Absorbency

Testing System (GATS) his test indicates the lateral wicking ability of a fabric, or the ability of the material to take-up liquid spontaneously in the direction perpendicular to its plane. [1]

Moisture

Management

Tester (MMT) [1] The Moisture Management Tester (MMT) measures, evaluates and classifies liquid management properties of fabrics per AATCC Test Method 195.

Drying Time

To determine the drying rate, or time until dry, of a saturated fabric, the dry weight of the sample specimen is first recorded. The average maximum absorption capacity value (C) obtained during the demand wettability test (GATS) is used as the amount of water added to the test specimen [1].

Comfort wear test

Physiological Wear Test [1] 

Thermal image [1]

Hohenstein Institute Germany

Images from Hohenstein Institute Germany

summary

  From the beginning of 20th century people are striving to develop testing equipment as replacement of subjective evaluation

  Number of equipment were made and still it is going on

  Nevertheless, no replacement of subjective evaluation, which is final authority

References

  [1] http://www.tx.ncsu.edu/tpacc/comfort-performance/conductance-and-conductivity.cfm

  [2] http://thermal.mtnw-usa.com/products/guarded-hotplates/sweating