Fluid Transfer Properties of Functional Materials

Fluid transfer through materials is very important when dealing with materials that are in direct contact with human skin, such as materials used in the manufacture of sportswear. The ability of this group of materials to control this transfer in a defined way directly affects human comfort, which is now considered a must for optimal human performance. The results of the studies published to date point to certain influential parameters, including the material mass and thickness, the cross-section of the multifilaments, and the material pattern. For this research, a series of materials differing in yarn parameters were designed and fabricated. Water vapour permeability, wetting time, drying time, and wetting area are measured to compare the properties of the designed materials that describe the ability of the materials to transfer liquid. The results of the measurements are discussed in the context of the product application. It is shown that the recycled material has the highest value for water vapour permeability, but does not show different behaviour in terms of wetting time. It is also confirmed that the raw material has a greater influence on the water vapour permeability results than the thickness or the mass per unit area.