Relationship Between the Comfort Properties of Sport Wear and the Comfort Sensation of Athlete During Activity

In this study the relation of physical properties of fabric and the comfort feeling of athlete during physical activity is considered. To this end, four single-jersey weft knitted fabrics with various fibers blends were used to prepare sport T-shirts and then athletic comfort during wearing T-shirt and exercising in duration of 60 minutes was investigated, both subjectively and objectively. Furthermore, physical properties of applied fabrics including air permeability, water vapor permeability and thermal insulation properties were measured. Then, the relation of fabric characteristics and athletics comfort during activity was probed. Outcomes confirm that the increase in the body activity leads to the increment of the body temperature and sweating rate. Since cotton fiber absorbs and retains moisture, it keeps the skin wet during high activity level due to the high rate of sweating. On the other hand, polyester fibers owing to the high wicking ability and quick transfer of the moisture vapor to the environment, have better performance. Polyester fabrics with lower stitch density and loose structure have effective performance in terms of both dissipating extra body heat and moisture vapor to the surrounding and providing athletics comfort. The selection of proper sport wear is necessary since the level of physical activity affects the body heat and sweating rate