Water/moisture vapor permeabilities and thermal wear comfort of the Coolmax®/bamboo/tencel included PET and PP composite yarns and their woven fabrics

This study examined the water and moisture vapor permeabilities and the heat retention rate related to the wear comfort of the woven fabrics made from different types of composite yarn, the sheath/core composite yarn structure and non-circular cross-section of the constituent filaments (Coolmax®) in the core region played a very important role with high fabric porosity by including a capillary absorption in the wicking property. The fabric structures with high porosity composed of Coolmax® sheath/core yarns, and spun yarns with non-circular cross-sectional fibers (Coolmax®) affected strongly the fast drying rate due to moisture vapor diffusion of composite yarn fabrics. The moisture vapor permeability of the composite yarn fabrics was highly dependent on the porosity in the sheath/core yarn structures, In addition, the heat retention rate of the composite yarn fabric was strongly influenced by the high porosity due to the sheath/core and bulky staple yarn structures as well as the low thermal conductivity of the constituent fibers.