MOISTURE MANAGEMENT The ability to absorb gaseous or liquid humidity from the skin and transport it to the outer

surface and release it into the surrounding air.

LACK OF MOISTURE MANAGEMENT In hot conditions, trapped moisture may heat up and lead to fatigue or diminished performance. In cold conditions, trapped moisture will drop in temperature and cause chilling and hypothermia. Excess moisture may also cause the garment to become heavy, as well as cause damage to the skin from chafing.

TRANSMISSION OF MOISTURE Passage of water vapour through fabric structure. Air-permeability is a good guide Diffusion of water molecules through the fibres. Dpendent on regain, amorphous content, pores, etc. Wicking of liquid water away from skin. Very dependent on surface properties of fibres and capillary structure of fabric

FACTORS AFFECTING MOISTURE MANAGEMENT The factor which affects moisture management is absorbency. Increases the ability for moisture to be drawn into the fabric. It affects comfort levels. Garment becomes saturated. Less absorbency leads to regulate body temperature, improve muscle performance and delay exhaustion.

EFFECTIVE MOISTURE MANAGEMENT FABRICS High-tech synthetic fabrics made from polyamide or polyester microfibers. Lightweight. capable of transporting moisture efficiently, and dry relatively quickly. enhanced by using certain finishing processes, by varying the fabric or fibre construction, or by using a blend of fibre types. DIFFERENT CONCEPTS OF MOISTURE MANAGEMENT

Combinations of inner hydrophobic and outer hydrophilic layers. Micro fibres. Special fibres like trilobal. Depending on the amount of physical effort made by the athlete, and the degree of humidity released, it could make sense to combine different concepts in order to reach an optimized moisture management.

COMBINATIONS OF HYDROPHOBIC AND HYDROPHILIC LAYERS designed to transport humidity rapidly from the skin and evaporate it on the outside. The two-sidedness of the fabric is either attained by processing different materials during manufacturing or by varied coatings of the fabric surfaces.

MICRO FIBRES Micro fibres, by virtue of their extreme fineness, form especially small gaps and have a big surface area. This leads to high capillary effect for the transportation of humidity, and rapid evaporation.

SPECIAL FIBRES Designed to increase the capillary force and the humidity transportation, by means of special profiles. The larger surface area of these fibres also serves to promote evaporation.

Water Vapour Permeability (WVP) The weight (g) of water vapour passing through one square metre of fabric over a period of 24 hours. Ability to remove perspiration without affecting thermal insulation. Particularly important for active wear.

MOISTURE MANAGEMENT TESTING The different types of testing methods: ASTM moisture vapour test - (open cup test) GATS- (gravimetric absorbency test system) Gross Absorbency Test Moisture Management Tester

Cup weighed initially and again after period of several hours. The temperature of the water, the air above the water and the surrounding air is the same. The weight of water evaporated through the textile is measured after a certain time.

GROSS ABSORBENCY TEST The sample is placed on another textile which is evenly saturated with water. The lower textile is kept saturated by a sponge placed under it, while the sample soaks up the water and evaporates it.

MOISTURE MANAGEMENT TESTER The sample is placed flat between two plates of different diameters with circular sensors. After application of a special liquid, the sensors measure the changes in resistance between each upper and lower pair of sensors. In this way: The duration of moisture absorption, The radius of spreading, The speed of spreading, The amount of moisture transported, and by this, the overall moisture management can be measured.

LACK OF A STANDARD FOR OBJECTIVE TESTING Despite the lack of a standard for objective testing of moisture management, there are interesting possibilities for the variation of moisture transportation and skin feeling - also and especially - with the help of a subsequent finishing of fabric.

CONCLUSION The moisture management is a essential property for any textiles/apparels especially for sports wears. The normal sports wears can have low moisture transfer but the active sports

wear must have high moisture transfer. Reference: http://www.seminarprojects.com/Thread-moisture-management-intextiles#ixzz1NRAhjGPO

Man-mad polyester fibers changed cycle jerseys which has better moisture absorption. Riders may enjoy cycling more and feel comfortable in any temperatures. Polyester fabric is a strong and durable synthetic fabric. Polyester fabric dries quickly and can be washable or dry clean only, so check your tags. An analysis published by Just-Style concludes that performance sportswear has risen 19.4% over the last four years and will continue to be so. Among the hottest selling knitted fabric was moisture management fabric (MMF) sportswear and is expected to continue growing. The knitting fabric technology, skills and design capability are well developed which stimulate MMF sportswear continue growing. Manufacturers shift their attention to the high-end moisture absorbent fabric and introduce sophisticated materials, such as carbon fiber, far infrared fiber, UV-cut fiber, anti-bacteria fiber and minus ion fiber are used in making performance sportswear, e.g. cycling jerseys. On the other hand, a great number of consumers place increasing importance on the performance of apparels as well. Performance jersey is an issue for the serious athlete but for the majority of riders performance cycling jersey is mostly about "comfort". Basically, its better to have a good condition ofMMF cycling clothes because rider gets hot and sweats while biking. Unbreathable bike clothing keeps perspiration inside the fabric and sticks on skin which is really annoyed riders. In terms of MMF bike clothing, it should keep rider cooler, cleaner and drier after a long hour cycling. So, what is MMF? Moisture management fabric (MMF) is also called moisture wicking fabric, moisture absorbent fabric or moisture fabric. Its defined as the ability of fabrics hygroscopicity and keeping dry. High-end moisture management fabrics are decided by sophisticated materials such as fiber or yarn.

Afiber is the smallest visible unit of any textile product. Fibers are flexible and may be spun into yarn and made into fabrics. There are many factors would affect performance of fabrics, such as fiber shape, yarn structure, weaves structure, density of fabric per square meter and after dye process are major factors. The fiber industries developed various special sections for different purposes. Most moisture wicking fabric has special knitting designed structure on two surfaces, which fabric is able to transfer moisture from inner surface to outer surface and keep the skin dry and comfortable. As moisture fabric has become one of the key performance criteria in todays sportswear industry, a new method called the moisture management tester is developed to evaluate textile moisture management properties. This new method can be used to quantitatively measure a fabrics one way transport capacity and its overall moisture management capacity.

Recent Innovations in Moisture Management for Cotton Fabrics

Cotton is a unique fibre that provides natural comfort with softness and absorbency. However, in recent years there are opinions that cotton is not suitable for moisture management because it is slow to dry and tends to cling when wet. In this presentation, two moisture management technologies developed at Cotton Incorporated for cotton fabrics WICKING WINDOWS and TransDRY will be introduced. Those technologies can provide excellent one-way moisture transport, wicking, quick drying, and low cling to cotton fabrics. Besides, various tests will also be discussed for moisture management testing. Mr Edward ZHUANG Manager, Dyeing and Finishing Implementation, Cotton Incorporated Mr Zhuang received the Master of Science in Textile Chemistry and Dyeing and Finishing Engineering from Donghua University. He joined Cotton Incorporated in 2007 as an Account Executive, responsible for accounts development and management in mainland China. He was promoted to the current position in 2009. He is now responsible for promoting and implementing technologies developed by Cotton Incorporated totextile mills in Asia.