Development of a protocol to assess fabric suitability for testing liquid moisture transport properties

Abstract

The multi-dimensional liquid moisture transport through fabrics can be measured using the moisture management tester (MMT), with fabrics being categorized according to how liquid spreads on the top (inner) and bottom (outer) surfaces of a fabric. As the overall moisture management capability (OMMC) is heavily weighted on the one-way liquid transport capability (R), some fabrics which exhibit a ‘water penetration’ type profile are typically too high in OMMC, as no liquid spreading occurs within the fabric but instead pools in the lower sensors of the test instrument. Therefore, in this paper, a protocol for handling test data which exhibits the ‘water penetration’ type profile is recommended in order to manage the high variability of MMT test data and identify fabrics which are not suitable for evaluation using the MMT.

Keywords:

• moisture management tester (MMT)
• water penetration
• knit fabrics

Acknowledgement

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Mark’s Work Wearhouse Ltd. for their contribution toward this study.