The hot summer has arrived, and coolness and comfort are one of the most important needs of consumers when choosing clothing. Many businesses will promote the concept of “ice silk” in summer, claiming that it can make the wearer feel cooler. Many people think that cool fabrics are cooler to wear than fabrics with good heat dissipation.
When consumers buy clothing and bedding in summer, they should not just rely on the coolness of the fabric when they touch it. They should pay more attention to whether the fabric has continuous heat dissipation function. There are three main methods to achieve continuous heat dissipation function: Moisture wicking, fast heat conduction and external physical cooling can also be combined with a variety of methods.
The following is a brief explanation with an example.
There are many products that use moisture absorption and perspiration methods to continuously dissipate heat, which can be divided into two categories: natural fibers and chemical fibers.
Let’s first talk about hemp fiber among natural fibers. This is the preferred natural material for summer clothing. Flax, hemp, and apocynum are all good choices. Taking flax as an example, flax fiber has good hygroscopicity, good moisture-wicking and perspiration properties, and has natural antibacterial and deodorizing properties. The cross-section of the fiber is irregular polygonal, and the cellulose cells have a lumen structure, arranged in parallel, and bonded together by pectin in the fiber.
The irregular outer structure and inner cavity structure of this fiber help to form a capillary effect, speeding up moisture conduction and perspiration. Sweat evaporates on the fiber surface and absorbs surrounding heat, making the human body feel cool. Comfortable, it is more comfortable to use on clothing or bedding.
The moisture absorption and perspiration function of chemical fibers is achieved by improving the capillary effect through special-shaped cross-sections. For example, hollow fibers, cross-section fibers, triangular cross-section fibers, etc. are a commonly used method to enhance the function of fabrics to conduct moisture, sweat, and diffuse body heat. The artificially modified chemical fiber with special-shaped cross-section will help to form a capillary effect, speeding up moisture conduction and perspiration. At the same time, the special-shaped cross-section increases the specific surface area of the fiber, speeding up the evaporation rate of sweat, making the human body feel dry and cool. .
This type of fiber is a series of polyester fiber products with excellent moisture absorption and perspiration properties, and is often used in sports knitted clothing. For example, some fibers have a cross-shaped cross-section and four grooves on the surface, which accelerates the diffusion and evaporation of sweat from the body surface to the fabric surface.
There are some mats on the market now that are woven with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers. Because the fibers conduct heat quickly and have a smooth surface, they have a lasting effect similar to bamboo mats in an environment below body temperature. Cool feeling.
Clothes equipped with external cooling equipment can also cool the human body. For example, individual combat uniforms equipped with a liquid cooling system or an air cooling system and an external power supply can provide soldiers with long-lasting cooling in hot environments; a vest designed with ice pack pockets can hold multiple ice packs, which is beneficial to the front of the human body. Rapid cooling of the chest and back area, and long-lasting cooling can be obtained by replacing ice packs.
Textile science is still exploring the use of new fibers, changing the chemical and physical structure of fibers, innovating fabric composition and weaving structure, and adopting new finishing technologies to enhance the moisture-wicking performance of fabrics. In order to be as comfortable as possible, consumers can choose appropriate clothing based on the usage scenario when purchasing clothing.
For example, if you are going to do a lot of exercise, you should choose moisture-absorbing and quick-drying knitted fabrics; if you are doing daily activities in the office in the summer (it is cooler with air conditioning), you can choose cotton fabrics; if you are doing a small amount of activities outside the home, , you can choose fabrics made of cotton and linen blends or viscose fibers; if you need to be active in the sun, you also need to consider choosing fabrics with strong sun protection function to protect the skin from sunburn.
