Textile Comfort Testing

Textile Comfort Testing


To be competitive, modern clothing besides having good mechanical and technological properties and being of easy care must possess good comfort characteristics. Comfort performance has obvious importance for daily fashion wear, specialized medical applications, varying types of athletic gear, and protective ensembles for military, industrial, and first responder personnel. At all stages of the development process NTRC Comfort Lab offers unique opportunities to quantify, study, evaluate, and compare the comfort of textile materials knits, woven, nonwovens, and composite systems.

Testing Facilities: 

Moisture Management Test

Moisture management test can precisely measure the liquid management properties of performance and other technical fabrics.  The NTRC Comfort laboratory has the moisture management testing capabilities to satisfy the growing demand to verify moisture management performance. 

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

AATCC - 195

Liquid Moisture Management Properties of Textile Fabrics

 

Fabric Drying Rate Test

The measurement of drying rate (the effectiveness of sweat removal through wicking and evaporation) has become a key test to evaluate the performance of moisture management fabrics.

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

AATCC 201

Drying Rate of Fabrics: Heated Plate Method

AATCC 199

Drying Time of Textiles: Moisture Analyzer Method

 

Air Permeability Test

The air permeability of a fabric is a measure of how well it allows the passage of air through it. It is an important test because it influences the comfort properties of the final product. It is applicable to all type of fabrics including woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, air bag fabrics, blankets, napped fabrics, knitted fabrics, layered fabrics, and pile fabrics.

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

ASTM D 737

Standard Test Method for Air Permeability of Textile Fabrics

 

Water Vapors Permeability Test

To maximiz the comfort and function of outdoor and active wear the breathability feature has become a major consideration in consumer market. NTRC Comfort laboratory enables the manufactures and retailers to evaluate the breathability or water vapors permeability of textiles and footwears. 

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

ISO 8096

Water-resistance properties of Rubber or plastics-coated fabrics 

BS 7209

Specification for water vapour permeable apparel fabrics

 

Fabric Stiffness Evaluation

Fabric stiffness or flextural rigidity is measured by circular bend method and can be used for all types of fabrics, including woven, knitted and nonwovens, of any fiber content.

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

ASTM D4032

Standard Test Method for Stiffness of Fabric by the Circular Bend Procedure

 

Fabric Hand Evaluation (Phabrometer®)

PhabrOmeter® system measures the sensory perceptions and hand assessment, and acts as powerful tool for quality assurance of sheet type fibrous products such as woven and knitted fabrics, nonwovens, papers, tissues and leathers products.

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

AATCC TM202

Relative Hand Value of Textiles: Instrumental Method

 

Thermal and Water vapor resistance (Sweat Guard Hotplate method)

The comfort of textile material is mostly related to the transfer of heat and water vapors though textiles structure. Sweating Guard Hotplate also referred as Skin Model is a professional instrument that helps to evaluate the thermal comfort properties of performance and technical fabrics.  

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

ISO 11092

Measurement of thermal and water-vapor resistance under steady-state conditions (sweating guarded-hotplate test)

ASTM F1868

Standard Test Method for Thermal and Evaporative Resistance of Clothing Materials Using a Sweating Hot Plate

 

Thermal and Water vapor resistance (Permeatest)

This test is particularly relevant for assessing the thermal resistance and vapor permeability of clothing and footwear materials, primarily under steady-state ambient conditions.

Standard Test Method    

Title 

 

ISO 11092

Measurement of thermal and water-vapor resistance under steady-state conditions

 

Kawabata Evaluation System (KES)

The Kawabata Evaluation System (KES) is a series of most sensitive instruments used to measure those textile material properties that enable predictions of the aesthetic qualities perceived by human touch including stretch, flexibility, drape, thickness, softness and surface friction. NTRC Comfort Laboratory have KES facilities to make objective evaluation of hand properties of textiles fabrics. 

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

KES – FB1

Tensile & Shear test of textile fabric

KES – FB2

Pure bending test of textile fabric 

KES – FB3

Compression test of textile fabric

KES – FB4

Surface roughness/smoothness test of textile fabric

KES – FB7

Cold and warm feeling test of textile fabric 

 

Touch Properties of Fabrics (FTT)

Function of FTT is same as KES but FTT measures skin touch comfort properties objectively and quantitatively in one simple test. The fabric touch tester is able to measure multiple physical properties of fabric specimens including thermal transmission, bending, compression and surface friction aspects in both warp and weft directions in one single trial.

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

N/A

Measurement of touch properties of fabric


 

Fabric Drape Test

Fabric Drape refers to the rigidity of the fabric. NTRC Comfort Laboratory have advanced level Fabric drape tester, it measures and calculate the co-efficiency of drape of fabrics using image processing technology. It can be used to test the drape property of all kinds of fabrics. 

Standard Test Method  

Title 

 

BS 5058

Method for the assessment of drape of fabrics