Evaluation of Thermal and Moisture Comfort Properties of Natural and Synthetic Fabrics Used in Abayas
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Abstract
For the present work, no original laboratory evaluation of the abaya fabrics was performed, and therefore wearer comfort is given special consideration in the selection of fabric for the abaya, to an unusual degree, since the ambient temperature in some of the hottest inhabited climates on earth may exceed 45-50 °C. This paper, however, presents a comparative study of the thermal and moisture comfort characteristics of natural, regenerated cellulosic, and synthetic textiles applicable to the construction of the abaya that was conducted entirely on the basis of synthesis of literature-based secondary experimental data from peer reviewed textile and clothing-comfort research. A systematic search, screening and comparison of literature reporting thermal resistance and thermal conductivity, air permeability, water-vapour permeability, moisture absorption, moisture management and drying behaviour of cotton, linen, viscose, modal/Tencel, polyester, nylon and their blends was conducted, differences in test methods and conditions between the reported works were explicitly recognized. The published evidence suggests that it is not only the type of fibre that determines the performance of thermal comfort, but also the fibre composition, fabric weight, thickness and structure, and that polyester-containing structures outperform cotton in air permeability, moisture transport properties and drying properties despite having much lower moisture absorption properties; and that hygroscopic natural fibres offer superior moisture buffering properties during transient conditions. In warm-humid climate, evidence suggests that high water absorption and water-vapour permeability are beneficial properties of fabrics, while in hot-dry climate and static wear, fabrics with less water absorption are beneficial. The synthesis indicates that lightweight, highly porous constructions – both fine synthetic and regenerated cellulosic fibres – might be the most promising comfort pathway for abaya fabrics and controlled wearer trials with abaya assemblies might be the most important evidence gap.
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