Date Approved

6-17-2014

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department or School

Technology Studies

Committee Member

Subhas Ghosh, Ph.D., Chair

Committee Member

Giri Jogaratnam, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Julie Becker

Abstract

The comfort fabric market continues to grow and become more competitive. Consumers expect their active wear to deliver performance beyond simply being a barrier between their body and the environment. Textile manufacturers have taken notice, and there is a wide range of comfort fabrics on the market. This research tests fabric samples from leading comfort fabric technologies: phase change materials, nanotechnology, modified fiber structure and blends, as well as the original comfort fiber, cotton. The most widely recognized comfort fabric properties concern the thermal and moisture management of a fabric. Using a guarded sweating hot plate, standardized test methods, and industry accepted test methods, this research tests and compares the values for thermal resistance, evaporative moisture resistance, and vertical liquid wicking. Results indicate that the fabric's structure, thickness, and fiber type play as important a role in a fabric's comfortability as the technology applied.

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