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