Original article

Textile Research Journal

82(3) 211–219

Statistical modeling of water vapor ! The Author(s) 2012

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transport through woven fabrics DOI: 10.1177/0040517511433145
trj.sagepub.com

Seungsin Lee1 and S Kay Obendorf2

Abstract
Water vapor transport through textile structures is complicated and governed by various factors, including fabric
openness, fabric thickness, pore size, and intrinsic fiber properties. The objective of this study is to understand param-
eters that are critical in the moisture vapor transport through woven textiles and develop a predictive model that
describes water vapor transport of woven fabrics using those parameters. Fifteen woven fabrics with various fabric
thickness, weight, fabric construction, and staple fiber type were selected, and the water vapor transmission rate, fabric
thickness, fabric count, weight, yarn number, yarn twist, yarn diameter, and pore size distribution were measured. Based
on the mechanisms of water vapor transmission through porous textile materials, the fabric cover factor, solid volume
fraction, yarn twist factor, and yarn packing factor were computed and used as possible predictor variables in the
modeling. Moisture regains of fiber were obtained from literature and used as a possible predictor variable. Statistical
analyses were performed to examine the relationship between these parameters and water vapor transmission.
Statistical analyses revealed that fabric thickness, fabric cover factor, mean flow pore diameter of fabric, and moisture
regain of fiber were significant parameters affecting water vapor transmission through woven fabrics. The adjusted R2
value for the final model selected was 0.97. Influence of yarn twist factor and yarn packing factor were shown to be
insignificant at the 5% significance level for these experimental conditions.

Keywords
Water vapor transmission, woven fabric, fabric thickness, cover factor, pore diameter, moisture regain

Water vapor transport plays a significant role in deter-
mining the thermal comfort of a fabric since it repre-
sents the ability to transfer perspiration from the body.
It becomes extremely important in determining thermal
comfort in hot environments in which sweat production
and evaporation from the human body are the major
cooling mechanisms for maintaining thermal comfort
and avoiding heat stress. Free movement of moisture
vapor to the fabric surface is essential in cold weather
as well, since perspiration can cause fabric wetness,
resulting in freezing in winter.1
Water vapor transport through textile structures is a
complex phenomenon determined by various parame-
ters. The mechanisms of water vapor transmission
(WVT) through porous textiles involve diffusion of
water vapor through voids (openings) and diffusion
through individual fibers.2 Diffusion of water vapor
through the void spaces is controlled by the water
vapor pressure gradient across the two sides of the
fabric. Pores in woven fabrics can be interfiber and
interyarn; thus, the rate of diffusion is governed by
the yarn/fabric structure, including the size and concen-
tration of intra/interyarn pores and the fabric thick-
ness. Transport of water vapor through the fiber can
be either adsorption or absorption, depending upon the
fiber morphology. Absorption involves the diffusion of
water vapor through the polymer structure of the fiber
by permeation or solution and its desorption at the outer
surface. Thus, the ability of the fibers to undergo diffu-
sion depends on the hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature
of the fiber. Adsorption is a surface phenomenon with
1
Department of Clothing and Textiles, Yonsei University, Korea.
2
Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design, Cornell University,
USA.
Corresponding author:
Seungsin Lee, Department of Clothing and Textiles, Yonsei University,
Seoul 120-749, Korea
Email: SL158@yonsei.ac.kr
212
the adhesion of molecules of gas, liquid, or solids to a
solid surface that can result in a liquid wicking through a
fibrous assembly. There has been a great deal of research
on the diverse aspects of moisture vapor transport
through woven textiles, both experimentally and theo-
retically.3–12 Fourt and Harris3 studied the diffusion of
water vapor through woven fabrics, and reported that
the resistance of a woven fabric to the transport of mois-
ture vapor depends on the type of fiber, fabric thickness,
and the tightness of the weave. They also noted that
water vapor transport occurs primarily through the
voids in the material due to the readily available, low-
resistance pathway; thus, the nature of fibers itself only
contributes to vapor transmission when the volume
occupied by the fibers is considerably larger. Rainard4
showed experimentally and theoretically that the intrin-
sic permeability of a fabric was related to the amount of
voids present in the fabric and the void geometry.
Backer5 reported that air/gas permeability of a fabric
was dependent on the fabric thickness, pore size, and
the number of pores in a given area. In a study of the
geometry of fabric interstices as related to gas transport,
Backer6 observed that the different behavior of various
textile structures possessing equal projected pore areas
may be attributed to the nature of the interlacing of warp
and filling yarns. He also suggested that where fabrics
are woven with maximum tightness, it is likely that inter-
fiber spacings within yarns also contribute to transport.
However, if a reasonably circular yarn section is main-
tained in moderately tight fabrics, the relative flow-
resistance of the interyarn pores should dominate the
flow through the fabric.
Whelan et al.7 developed an analytical and experi-
mental model to predict WVT of textile fabrics based
on vapor flow through the uniform holes of a perfo-
rated metal plate. The model showed that diffusion of
water vapor through a perforated metal plate is a func-
tion of the thickness of the plate, the fractional pore
area of the plate, and the diameter of the individual
holes, which stresses the importance of fabric thickness
and porosity in WVT through woven fabrics. This plate
model, however, assumes that pore diameters are con-
stant throughout the thickness of the material and that
transmission through the solid areas of the plate,
corresponding to the contribution of fabric yarns and
fibers, is zero. Weiner8 proposed two mathematical
models to predict moisture vapor transmission in
terms of fabric geometry. One model was based on a
perforated plate theory in which moisture vapor diffuses
partly through the pores and through the non-perfo-
rated areas of the fabric. In the other model, he con-
siders the fabric as a relatively uniform mixture of fiber
and air and calculates the resistance to diffusion as the
sum of the components derived from fiber-space and
air-space resistances. Woo et al.9 presented an analytical
Textile Research Journal 82(3)
model to describe water vapor diffusion through non-
woven fabrics composed of non-hydrophilic fibers. They
found that fiber volume fraction and shape coefficient are
the most influential structural parameters affecting water
vapor diffusivity through non-hydrophilic nonwoven
fabrics.
Although theoretical models provide meaningful
insight into the relationship between the various
parameters and moisture vapor transport of porous
textiles, assumptions underlying their calculations are
often violated due to the complexity of a textile struc-
ture. As described by previous researchers,6 the yarns of
open-weave fabrics are often distorted both in and out
of the plane of the fabric to achieve static equilibrium
within the weave structure. In tightly woven fabrics,
there is an increased tendency toward flattening of the
yarns when they are bent over cross yarns, which vio-
lates the assumption in most theoretical models that
textile yarns act as inextensible, circular cylinders.
Furthermore, the pore structure in fibrous materials is
complex in that multiple pores have different shapes
and size distributions. Pore size may vary even along
a single pore path, and the material may contain closed
or blind pores that terminate inside the material, which
do not contribute to fluid flow through. The numerous
interrelated structural features of textiles make it hard
to generalize the analytical aspects of the mechanism of
flow-through fabrics.
From the aspect of providing information for prac-
tical situations, a statistical model would be useful as a
supplement to theoretical modeling. Statistical analyses
would further clarify the governing factors that impact
the transmission of water vapor through woven textiles,
reveal the relative significance of different variables,
and improve the understanding of the complex behav-
ior of moisture vapor transport through textile struc-
tures. Although previous studies elucidated influential
factors in moisture movement through woven fabrics,
much research has focused on parts of the elements con-
tributing to moisture vapor transport, rather than cov-
ering the contribution of all the elements. To have a
comprehensive understanding, a systematic approach
based on the mechanisms of moisture movement through
porous textiles is needed.
Our objectives in this study are to understand
parameters that are critical in the moisture vapor trans-
port through woven fabrics, to quantify the individual
contributions of those parameters to water vapor trans-
port, and to develop a statistical model to predict WVT
through woven fabrics.
Materials and methods
Fifteen woven fabrics with various fabric thickness,
weight, fabric construction, and staple fiber type were
Lee and Obendorf 213

selected. Fiber types included cotton, lyocell, nylon,
polyester, and polypropylene to represent different
levels of hydrophilic nature of fibers. For cotton fab-
rics, which are hydrophilic, fabrics with a range of
thickness, weight, and fabric count were chosen, so
that cotton fabrics from thin, open structures to
heavy, compact structures were included to assess the
influence of structural characteristics on moisture vapor
transport when intrinsic fiber properties are controlled.
Fabrics had no finishing treatments. Fabric descrip-
tions are given in Table 1.
Textile parameters
Fabric thickness. was measured according to ASTM D
1777-96.13 Measurements were taken with a Frazier
Compressometer using a 0.95 cm diameter presser foot
at 6.9 kPa of pressure at 10 randomly selected areas.
Mass per unit area. Mass per unit area (weight) was mea-
sured according to ASTM D 3776-96.14 Measurements
were taken for four randomly selected samples.
Fabric count. Fabric count, that is, number of yarns per
unit distance, was measured according to ASTM D
3775-03.15 Measurements were taken at five randomly
selected areas.
Yarn number. Yarn number was measured according
to ASTM D 1059-01.16 Measurements were taken
from 10 warp samples and 10 filling samples for each
fabric.
Yarn twist. Yarn twist was measured according
to ASTM D 1423-99.17 Measurements were taken
from 25 warp samples and 25 filling samples for each
fabric.

Table 1. Fabric descriptions

Fabric code Fiber Fabric count, yarns/cm; W  F Fabric weight, g/m2 Fabric thickness, mm Construction

W1 Cotton 34  28 108 (1) 0.206 (0.005) Plain

(0.2) (0.2)
W2 Cotton 13  11 540 (4) 1.000 (0.022) Plain
(0) (0.2)
W3 Nylon 6,6 20  18 125 (0.9) 0.323 (0.011) Plain
(0) (0.2)
W4 Polyester 20  20 126 (2) 0.301 (0.006) Plain
(0.2) (0.2)
W5 Polyester 16  13 179 (2) 0.402 (0.006) Plain
(0.2) (0)
W6 Polypropylene 16  13 189 (3) 0.552 (0.007) Plain
(0.2) (0)
W7 Cotton 31  11 316 (2) 0.615 (0.008) Rib
(0.2) (0.2)
W8 Cotton 35  11 209 (2) 0.474 (0.008) Rib
(0.2) (0)
W9 Cotton 22  16 359 (3) 0.601 (0.010) Plain
(0) (0)
W10 Cotton 45  20 278 (2) 0.480 (0.008) Twill
(0.2) (0.2)
W11 Lyocell 36  27 148 (3) 0.254 (0.014) Plain
(0.2) (0.3)
W12 Lyocell 28  20 205 (1) 0.421 (0.008) Plain
(0.2) (0.2)
W13 Cotton 29  19 358 (2) 0.683 (0.008) Twill
(0) (0.3)
W14 Cotton 34  11 445 (8) 0.813 (0.036) Rib
(0.2) (0.2)
W15 Cotton 18  18 474 (2) 0.972 (0.008) Twill
(0) (0)
Standard deviations in parentheses.
214 Textile Research Journal 82(3)

Yarn diameter. Yarn diameter was measured using a
microscope equipped with a calibrated micrometer
(ContinummTM, Thermo Nicolet Co., Madison, WI).
Measurements were taken from 50 warp samples and
50 filling samples for each fabric.
Pore size distribution. Pore size distribution was measured
by a Capillary Flow Porometer (Model CFP-1200-
AEX, Porous Materials, Inc., Ithaca, NY). Gas flow
rates through wet and dry samples versus differential
pressure were measured, and pore diameters of
through-pores at the most constricted part of the pore
were determined.18
Water vapor transmission
WVT rate was measured according to ASTM E 96-0019
using a dish assembly (Vapometer, Thwing-Albert
Instrument Company, Philadelphia, PA) for three samples.
Statistical analyses
Statistical analyses were performed on textile measure-
ments and water vapor transport data using the SASÕ
system (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Multivariate sta-
tistical methods, including multiple linear and multiple
polynomial regressions, all-subsets regression, and step-
wise regression were performed. Before the analyses,
data were centered by subtracting the mean for each pre-
dictor variable to reduce the degree of multicollinearity.
Results and discussion
Selection of textile parameters
interfiber space should be included in the modeling. In
order to be used in modeling, the concepts described in
the mechanisms of moisture vapor movement through
porous textiles should be expressed in appropriate var-
iables that are quantifiable.
In this study, the fabric cover factor was selected as a
possible predictor variable in the modeling to approx-
imate the contribution of interyarn spaces. The cover
factor is a measure of fabric tightness and describes the
compactness of the weaving of a given yarn system,
which could represent the relative magnitude of inter-
yarn space of a given fabric. The cover factor was cal-
culated from fabric counts and yarn diameters using the
following equation:
C ¼ ed1 þ pd2  epd1 d2 ð1Þ
where C represents cover factor of the fabric; e is the
number of warp yarns over 1 cm of fabric width; p is the
number of filling yarns over 1 cm of fabric width; d1 is
the diameter of the warp yarn (cm); d2 is the diameter of
the filling yarn (cm). Cover factors for the specimens,
which ranged from 0.71 to 1.00, are shown in Table 2.
The relative magnitude of interfiber space could be
quantified by textile parameters such as yarn twist
factor or yarn packing factor. The twist factor is a mea-
sure of ‘twist hardness’ of yarn and describes compact-
ness in yarns of the same size. The twist factor was
calculated using the following equation:
tpi
tw ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffi ð2Þ
Ne
Table 2. Fabric parameters

Fabric weight and thickness were measured for each spe- Fabric Yarn Yarn Solid
cimen. Fabrics ranged in mass per unit area from 108 to Fabric cover twist packing volume Moisture
540 g/m2, and varied in thickness from 0.206 to1.000 mm. code factor factor factor fraction regain, %21,22
Weight and thickness are presented in Table 1. W1 0.71 3.65 0.62 0.345 7.5
Based on the mechanisms of water vapor transport W2 0.96 5.30 0.41 0.355 7.5
through porous textile fabrics, water vapor may diffuse:
W3 0.78 2.92 0.46 0.340 4.5
(1) through the interyarn spaces; (2) through the inter-
W4 0.87 3.08 0.30 0.303 0.4
fiber spaces; (3) through the fiber substance itself. In
order to have a comprehensive understanding of W5 0.88 3.83 0.26 0.322 0.4
WVT through a textile fabric and to obtain an expres- W6 0.91 2.53 0.37 0.369 0.1
sion for the moisture vapor transport, the contribution W7 1.00 4.12 0.53 0.338 7.5
of each of these parts needs to be taken into account. W8 0.90 3.61 0.55 0.290 7.5
Woven textiles have complex geometric configura- W9 0.88 5.10 0.66 0.394 7.5
tions because of the fabric weave and yarn structure. W10 1.00 3.86 0.64 0.381 7.5
In woven structures, pores can be interfiber and inter- W11 0.78 3.64 0.70 0.386 12
yarn. The structure and dimension of intra- and inter- W12 0.86 3.67 0.50 0.322 12
yarn pores strongly depend on hardness of twist in W13 0.94 4.11 0.56 0.345 7.5
the yarn structure and compactness in the woven struc- W14 1.00 4.37 0.55 0.360 7.5
ture.20 Thus, textile structural parameters that could
W15 0.94 4.38 0.48 0.321 7.5
describe the relative magnitude of interyarn space and
Lee and Obendorf
where tw represents the twist factor of the yarn; tpi is
the twist in turns per inch; Ne is the yarn number in the
cotton system. Average twist factors of warp and filling
yarns for each specimen, which ranged from 2.53 to
5.30, are presented in Table 2.
The yarn packing factor, which describes the ratio of
the total fiber area to actual yarn area in the cross-
section of a multifilament yarn, was calculated as
follows:
4Nt
’¼ ð3Þ
  d2   S
where ’ represents the packing factor of the yarn; d is
the diameter of the yarn (cm);  is the density of the
fiber (g/cm3); Nt is the linear density of the yarn (tex); S
is the constant, 105. Densities for cellulose, nylon, poly-
propylene, and polyester were obtained from Morton
and Hearle.21 Average packing factors of warp and fill-
ing yarns for each specimen, which ranged from 0.26 to
0.70, are presented in Table 2.
The solid volume fraction of fabric, the ratio of solid
parts to the total volume of the material, which has
shown to be an influential structural parameter affect-
ing water vapor diffusivity through non-hydrophilic
nonwoven fabrics,9 was calculated as follows:
m=
S¼ ð4Þ
at
where S represents the solid volume fraction of the
fabric; m is the mass of the specimen at standard con-
dition (g);  is the density of the fiber (g/cm3); a is the
area of the specimen (cm2); t is the thickness of the
specimen (cm). Solid volume fractions for the speci-
mens, which ranged from 0.290 to 0.394, are shown
in Table 2.
Since water vapor may diffuse not only through the
void spaces but also through the fiber substance, the
nature of fibers may contribute to moisture vapor
transport. Moisture regain is a property that reflects
the hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature of fibers, and
such inherent fiber characteristics may affect moisture
vapor transport through a textile fabric. Absorption of
moisture can result in fiber swelling, particularly for
hydrophilic fibers with high moisture regain. This mois-
ture absorption is a dynamic factor until a steady state
is reached, which is the condition at which WVT was
measured. In this study, moisture regain of fiber was
selected as a possible predictor variable to represent the
hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature of fibers and possi-
ble changes in porosity due to fiber swelling. Moisture
regains for cotton, lyocell, nylon, polyester, and poly-
propylene were obtained from literature21,22 and are
presented in Table 2.
215
The fabric weave and nature of the yarn interlacing
influence the amount and size of voids and the pore
geometry, and therefore vapor transport through
fabric. To represent the interlacing pattern between
warp and filling yarns we chose variables that could
reflect the effect of fabric weave and that are quantifi-
able to be used in the modeling. The fabric cover factor
was selected to describe fabric tightness and solid
volume fraction to quantify the amount of voids.
Pore size and shape are also affected by fabric and
yarn structure, as well as fiber size. Pore size was
reported as an important parameter affecting WVT
through woven fabrics.5,7 Although woven textiles
have complex geometric configurations with a range
of pore diameters, a descriptor that could represent
the pore dimension of woven fabric needs to be
explored in order to be used as a predictor variable in
modeling and to examine the contribution of pore size
to moisture vapor movement through the material. In
this study, capillary flow porometry was used to mea-
sure pore diameters of only through-pores at the most
constricted part of the pore for each fabric. From the
through-pore size distribution of each specimen, we
computed two different types of pore size that might
be used as a possible predictor variable in modeling:
mean flow pore diameter and diameter at maximum
pore size distribution. Mean flow pore diameters for
the specimens ranged from 4.89 to 49.59 mm, and diam-
eters at maximum pore size distribution ranged from
0.60 to 7.50 mm. Pore size data for each specimen are
given in Table 3.
Based on the mechanisms of WVT through woven
fabrics and previous studies, we selected seven factors
for statistical analyses: fabric thickness, cover factor,
solid volume fraction, yarn twist factor, yarn packing
factor, pore diameter, and moisture regain of fiber. The
selection process is summarized in Figure 1.
Parameters influencing water vapor transport
WVT rates for each specimen are shown in Table 3.
Statistical analyses were performed to determine the
characteristics for each parameter that influences the
WVT. Table 4 shows the correlation coefficients
between WVT and textile parameters. Fabric thickness
has the highest correlation coefficient, followed by the
mean flow pore diameter of fabric, fabric cover factor,
yarn twist factor, diameter at maximum pore size dis-
tribution, yarn packing factor, moisture regain of fiber,
and solid volume fraction of fabric. It shows that the
fabric thickness, fabric cover factor, yarn twist factor,
yarn packing factor, moisture regain of fiber, and solid
volume fraction of fabric are negatively related to
WVT, whereas pore diameters of fabric are positively
related to moisture vapor movement through the
216 Textile Research Journal 82(3)

material. In other words, WVT decreases with To develop a statistical model predicting WVT
increased fabric thickness, fabric cover factor, yarn through woven fabrics, regression analyses were per-
twist factor, yarn packing factor, moisture regain of formed using those textile parameters. Since some of
fiber, and solid volume fraction, whereas WVT the parameters, such as mean flow pore diameter and
increases with increased pore diameter of fabric. diameter at maximum pore size distribution, are highly
interrelated, all-subsets regression and stepwise regres-
sion were performed first to screen the variables that
Table 3. Pore size measurements and water vapor transmis- have little influence in predicting the response variable
sion rate of woven fabrics when other predictor variables are present in the model.
Pore size We found that diameter at maximum pore size distri-
Water bution does not contribute much to the model when the
Mean flow Diameter at vapor mean flow pore diameter is present in the model.
Fabric pore diameter maximum pore size transmission We also found that solid volume fraction does not con-
code mm distribution, mm rate, g/h/m2 tribute to the model when the fabric cover factor is
W1 28.73 7.18 19.70 present in the model. Thus, the two variables, diameter
W2 14.07 7.21 18.48
W3 32.65 7.50 19.54
Table 4. Correlation coefficients between water vapor trans-
W4 36.31 7.34 20.31
mission and fabric parameters
W5 42.56 7.49 19.67
W6 49.59 6.34 19.24 Correlation
Fabric parameters coefficient
W7 9.71 5.45 18.96
W8 13.04 7.06 19.08 Fabric thickness 0.86
W9 8.21 5.55 18.76 Mean flow pore diameter of fabric 0.75
W10 9.35 6.29 18.87 Fabric cover factor 0.67
W11 34.74 7.26 19.71 Yarn twist factor 0.66
W12 18.58 5.70 19.72 Diameter at maximum pore size distribution 0.52
W13 4.89 0.60 18.36 Yarn packing factor 0.29
W14 6.52 1.36 18.64 Moisture regain of fiber 0.28
W15 7.70 7.04 18.36 Solid volume fraction of fabric 0.28

Figure 1. Influential factors involved in water vapor transmission through woven fabrics.
Lee and Obendorf 217

Table 5. Summary of coefficients and R2 values for regression models for water vapor transmission

Regression coefficientsa

Intercept T C tW f M P T2 C2 t W2 f2 M2 P2 Adjusted R2

Model 1 0 2.2 0.2 0.07 2.5 0.05 0.008 - - - - - - 0.87

(0.5) (1) (0.1) (0.8) (0.03) (0.009)
Model 2 0.6 2 1 0.07 4 0.19 0.03 3 14 0.20 8 0.045 0.0041 0.99
(0.2) (1) (1) (0.2) (1) (0.04) (0.01) (2) (10) (0.09) (9) (0.005) (0.0007)
Model 3 0.08 1.0 - - - 0.06 - - 12 - - 0.026 0.0017 0.97
(0.06) (0.2) (0.01) (4) (0.003) (0.0002)
Model 4 0.05 1.0 0.2 - - 0.06 0.002 - 11 - - 0.025 0.0017 0.97
(0.1) (0.2) (0.7) (0.02) (0.008) (6) (0.005) (0.0002)
a
T (fabric thickness); C (fabric cover factor); tW (yarn twist factor); f (yarn packing factor); M (moisture regain); P (Mean flow pore diameter).
Standard errors of coefficients in parentheses.

at maximum pore size distribution and solid volume
fraction of fabric, which were not significant in the
presence of other predictor variables, were eliminated
in further modeling efforts.
We started with a multiple linear regression model,
and the regression equation resulted in an adjusted R2
value of 0.87 (Table 5, Model 1). Table 5 shows the
coefficients for textiles parameters with adjusted R2
values for models developed. Since partial regression
leverage plots of the dependent variables versus inde-
pendent variables showed quadratic relationships, a
polynomial multiple regression model with linear and
quadratic terms was refitted to the data. When the qua-
dratic terms, as well as linear terms, were entered in the
model, the adjusted R2 value increased to 0.99 (Table 5,
Model 2). For the polynomial model, the linear terms
of fabric thickness and moisture regain were found to
be significant factors among the six linear terms, and
the quadratic terms of cover factor, mean flow pore
diameter, and moisture regain were found to be signif-
icant factors among the six quadratic terms. The vari-
ance inflation factors were much higher than the critical
value, 10, which indicates high multicollinearity among
the independent variables. Since the four other linear
terms and three other quadratic terms did not appear to
be influential for prediction of WVT, those terms were
dropped at the 5% significance level. The polynomial
model with linear terms of thickness and moisture
regain and quadratic terms of cover factor, mean flow
pore diameter, and moisture regain resulted in an
adjusted R2 value of 0.97, keeping only significant
terms at a 5% significance level (Table 5, Model 3).
Since it is a rule of thumb to keep lower order terms
of predictor variables even if they are non-significant in
polynomial models, the linear terms of cover factor and
mean flow pore diameter were kept in the model. The
final model selected to predict WVT through woven
fabrics was a polynomial model with linear terms of
fabric thickness, cover factor, moisture regain of fiber,
and mean flow pore diameter of fabric, and quadratic
terms of cover factor, moisture regain of fiber, and
mean flow pore diameter of fabric (Table 5, Model 4).
Thus, a regression equation to predict WVT through
woven fabrics is as follows:
WVT ¼  0:05  T  0:2C  0:06M þ 0:002P
þ 11C2 þ 0:025M2  0:0017P2 ð5Þ
where T is fabric thickness (mm); C is the fabric cover
factor; M is the moisture regain of fiber (%); P is the
mean flow pore diameter of fabric (mm). The adjusted
R2 value is 0.97, which indicates that the four textile
parameters, fabric thickness, cover factor, moisture
regain of fiber, and mean flow pore diameter of
fabric, accounted for significant amounts of the differ-
ences observed in WVT of woven fabrics among the
fabrics examined. Influence of the yarn twist and yarn
packing factor was shown to be insignificant at the 5%
significance level for these experimental conditions for
models that also include fabric thickness and cover
factor. This may indicate that, for woven fabrics, inter-
yarn spacings may have greater influence on moisture
vapor transport than interfiber spacings within yarns.
Fabric thickness was one of the highly influential fac-
tors affecting water vapor transport of woven fabrics as
a singular parameter with a negative relationship
between fabric thickness and WVT. Moisture regain
of fiber was shown to be another important factor in
moisture vapor transport. Previous researchers3 noted
that significant amounts of moisture vapor travel through
the fiber substance for hydrophilic fibers, and this effect of
fiber type was observed when the volume occupied by the
fibers exceeded 30–40%. The majority of our specimens
ranged from 0.30 to 0.40 in solid volume fraction; thus,
we suppose that the contribution of the intrinsic fiber
218
properties was revealed in the model. There was no
significant difference between Models 2, 3, and 4 in
terms of R2 at the 5% significance level. Thus, the final
model selected is the one showing higher R2 with the
fewest number of significant variables.
Conclusions
Water vapor transport through porous textile mate-
rials is governed by various factors. Diversity and
complexity of the involved parameters makes it hard
to describe moisture vapor transport in relation to
these factors.
We attempted to describe moisture vapor transport
through woven fabrics in relation to conventional tex-
tile geometry parameters and the inherent nature of
fiber and develop a statistical model predicting WVT
through woven fabrics. Based on the mechanisms of the
transmission of water vapor through woven textiles, we
measured fabric thickness, pore size, and several struc-
tural parameters that could estimate fabric openness
and quantify the contribution of interyarn and interfi-
ber spaces. Moisture regain of fiber was obtained from
literature to reflect the hydrophilic or hydrophobic
nature of fibers. Statistical analyses revealed that
fabric thickness was an important predictor of moisture
vapor transmission through woven textiles. Fabric
cover factor used as an approximation of the contribu-
tion of larger pores in the woven fabric such as inter-
yarn/interfiber spaces also proved to be an influential
structural parameter in predicting water vapor perme-
ability. Mean flow pore diameter was found to better
describe the pore dimension of woven fabric than the
diameter at maximum pore size distribution in this
application, and proved to be another important deter-
minant of WVT through woven fabrics. Along with
structural parameters, moisture regain of fiber, an
intrinsic fiber property, had a significant influence on
moisture vapor movement. The yarn twist factor and
yarn packing factor describing the relative magnitude
of interfiber spaces were found to be insignificant at the
5% significance level for our experimental conditions.
A statistical model predicting WVT through woven
fabrics was developed based on fabric thickness, cover
factor, moisture regain of fiber, and mean flow pore
diameter of fabric, with an adjusted R2 value of 0.97.
This model would be valid for fabrics with characteris-
tics within the range of the fabrics in our sample pop-
ulation, for instance, for fabrics woven of staple fibers
when fabric thickness is in the range from 0.206 to
1.000 mm, etc. While based on statistics of a sample
population rather than a physical mechanism, these
findings are of practical use for engineering woven
textiles with high water vapor permeability.
Textile Research Journal 82(3)
Acknowledgement
Jared Matteau of Porous Materials, Inc., 20 Dutch Mill
Road, Ithaca, NY, USA measured the pore sizes presented
in Table 3.
Funding
This work was supported by the Yonsei University Research
Fund of 2010; the National Textile Center, projects M01-
CR02, M02-CD03; and C05-CR01; Cornell Agricultural
Experiment Station, North Central Regional Research
Project NC 170; and the College of Human Ecology.
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