Moisture-absorbing and sweat-wicking textile products are a type of functional textile products that have developed rapidly in recent years, especially in sports, leisure, outdoor and travel apparel products. has become a bright spot guiding the market and consumption.
Moisture-wicking fabrics may seem complicated, but they are not a completely high-tech problem. It can be designed from the aspects of moisture-absorbing and moisture-conducting fibers, fabric structure, etc.
In order to simply and quickly implement related functions, the moisture-absorbing and sweat-wicking fabrics currently on the market are thin Most of them are fabrics, including single-sided fabrics, double-sided fabrics or multi-layer fabrics.
Fiber
The moisture wicking performance of fiber depends on its chemical composition and physical structure. The gaseous moisture that evaporates from the skin surface is first absorbed by the fiber material (i.e., hygroscopic), and then releases moisture through the material surface; while the liquid moisture on the skin surface is formed by the pores (pores, micropores, grooves) inside the fiber and the gaps between the fibers. The capillary effect produced by the voids causes the adsorption, diffusion and evaporation of moisture on the surfaces between materials (ie, moisture release).
The forms of fiber moisture conduction can be mainly divided into two situations: infiltration and wicking. The former refers to the conduction of liquid water along the surface of single fibers or fiber aggregates in the form of infiltration, and the latter It refers to the capillary wicking effect of liquid on the fiber aggregate or single fiber holes. Among them, infiltration is the basis and premise of wicking. The infiltration of fibers can be characterized by measuring contact angle, infiltration force, spreading speed and other indicators. The wicking of fibers can be characterized by two indicators: wicking height and wicking speed.
The results of the two effects lead to the migration of water. The former effect is mainly related to The chemical composition of the fiber macromolecules is related, and the latter effect is related to the physical structure of the fiber.
Moisture-absorbing and sweat-wicking fibers generally have a high specific surface area, with numerous pores or grooves on the surface, and their cross-sections are generally of special shapes. The capillary effect is used to enable the fibers to quickly Absorbs moisture and sweat from the skin surface and spreads it to the outer layer to bring hair.
The development of moisture-absorbing and moisture-conducting fibers
The earliest products in China that introduced the concept of moisture-absorbing and sweat-absorbing or moisture-absorbing and quick-drying fibers were developed based on the characteristics of natural fibers. Functional textile products.
In order to improve the discomfort caused by the characteristics of cotton fiber that is easy to absorb moisture but not easy to dry, people began to consider whether the yarn or fabric structure can be changed, or even through post-finishing To speed up the conduction and evaporation of water, so as to achieve the effect of moisture absorption and quick drying. The polyester cover cotton product that was once popular at that time is a typical example.
Later, with the development of fiber technology, moisture-conducting and quick-drying (domestic custom called moisture-absorbing and quick-drying) products based on differentiated synthetic fibers as the main raw materials have begun to enter the market.
Chemical moisture-absorbing and sweat-wicking fibers mainly use special-shaped fiber cross-sections (Y-shaped, cross-shaped, W-shaped, bone-shaped, etc.) to form grooves on the fiber surface, and use the wicking of the grooves The moisture-conducting structure quickly absorbs moisture and sweat from the surface of the skin and excretes it instantly. The fibers on the surface of the cloth diffuse the sweat and evaporate it quickly, thereby achieving the purpose of absorbing moisture and perspiration, regulating body temperature, and keeping the skin dry and cool.
At present, the most widely used and most effective ones are moisture-absorbing and sweat-wicking fibers produced by cross-section deformation. For example: DuPont’s Coolmax fiber in the United States, Taiwan’s Far East Textile’s Topcool fiber, Taiwan’s Zhongxing Textile’s Coolplus fiber, etc.
Weaving
In the weaving process, through the jacquard process design, the fabric thickness, jacquard and elastic areas are reasonably arranged to meet the needs of the human body. In addition to the requirements for breathability, lifting and elasticity, the fabric itself has a certain moisture absorption and perspiration function.
For example, the RSJ5/1 EL warp knitting machine can be used to design appropriate jacquard weave to form meshes of different sizes in the fabric to ensure smooth air circulation of the fabric and make the fabric have excellent conductivity. Moisture breathable performance.
Fabric structure
One-way moisture-conducting double-sided knitted fabric is developed using a structural method. The fabric adopts single-sided plating jacquard weave, rib change weave or double rib change weave. The inner layer is made of hydrophobic fibers such as fine denier polyester, polypropylene and other woven honeycomb or mesh dots. Tissue structure, the outer layer is made of hydrophilic fibers such as cotton, wool, viscose, etc. to weave a high-density tissue structure, which increases the differential capillary effect of the inner and outer fabrics and can also achieve one-way moisture conduction function.
One-way moisture guide
In addition, use When developing moisture-absorbing and sweat-wicking fabrics from multi-layered fabrics, the inner layer is generally made of acrylic.Special filaments such as polyester and polyester, the middle layer is a hygroscopic layer made of cotton yarn, and the outer layer is made of fibers with high strength and good permeability. It can be woven with double rib composite tissue, which can also achieve sweat conductivity and moisture absorption of knitted fabrics. Breathable and soft to the touch.
Three-layer structure moisture-absorbing and sweat-wicking fabric (1 is the outside of the outer layer of the fabric, That is, the moisture absorption and moisture storage and release layer of the fabric; 2 is the middle part of the outer layer of the fabric, which is the wicking and moisture-conducting layer of the fabric; 3 is the inside of the outer layer of the fabric, that is, the strong moisture absorption and moisture storage layer of the fabric; 4 is the middle part of the fabric The layer is the middle layer of the elastic film of the fabric (formed after melting and shaping the polyurethane fiber); 5 is the inner layer of the fabric, which is the moisture-absorbing and quick-drying layer of the fabric)
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