This document provides an overview of objective testing methods used to evaluate clothing comfort. It discusses the importance of objective comfort testing and lists several key parameters that are tested, including thermal resistance, air permeability, moisture vapor permeability, and hand properties. The document also outlines the historical development of objective testing instruments and methods. It describes several common testing devices, such as the Kawabata Evaluation System, guarded hot plate, and thermal manikins, and provides examples of standardized testing methods.

1. 1
CLOTHING COMFORT:
Objective testing
Hema Upadhayay, I.D: 34594

2. 1. Clothing Comfort: Types of clothing comfort
2. Comfort testing: Types of comfort testing.
3. Objective testing: Areas of application, Importance
4. Methods of Objective testing
5. Historical Background of Objective testing
6. Important parameters and their effect on clothing comfort
7. Instrument used for Objective testing
8. Advancement in Objective testing.
9. Institutes providing testing facilities in India.
10. Research in the field of Objective testing
11. References
CONTENTS

3. • Comfort is defined as ‘the absence of unpleasantness or
discomfort’ or ‘a neutral state compared to the more active state
of pleasure’ (Slater, 1977).
• Clothing comfort is defined as a pleasant state arising out of
physical, physiological and psychological harmony between a
human being and the environment.
3
INTRODUCTION

4. PHYSICAL PHYSIOLOGICAL
COMFORT
PSYCHOLOGICAL
Physical comfort : related
to the effect of the
external parameters on
the body.
Feeling of well being due
to the harmony between
physical activity and
clothing properties.
Physiological comfort
relates to the ability of
the clothing to maintain
equilibrium between the
human body and the
environment.
Psychological comfort
:minds ability to keep
itself functioning
satisfactorily with the
external help.
It is mainly based on
subjective feelings and
fashion trends that
influence personal
preferences.

5. PSYCOLOGICAL
COMFORT
PHYSIOLOGICAL
DISCOMFORT
PHYSICAL
DISCOMFORT
Tight fitted garments

6. COMFORT TESTING
Testing of different parameters which
determines the comfort properties of
fabric and garment for different end
uses.
Objective
Evaluation
Quantitative Evaluation of
fabric comfort properties by
the application of mechanical
instruments and equipment.
Subjective
Evaluation
Qualitative evaluation of fabric
and garment based on human
perception.

7. Objective Evaluation
7
.
The application of necessary and sufficient instrumental
measurements using set standards and procedures on the fabrics and
clothing.
Importance
To specify and control
•Quality
•Suitability according to end use
• Ultimate performance of fabric, garment and clothing system.
Feasible
•Suitable instruments
•Analytical methods for interpretation of data.

8. AREAS
OF
APPLICATION

9. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF OBJECTIVE TESTING FOR
COMFORT
Heated kata thermometer
first attempt to measure human climate comfort
1916 .
9
Eupatheoscope
Dufton, 1929 in order to imitate the human body
heat loss (eupatheostat), and he termed the
measured variable ' equivalent temperature.

10. 10
Eupatheoscope
•To record the warmth of a room from the
point of view of comfort.
•It consists of a blackened hollow copper
cylinder heated by a carbon filament and a
metal filament lamp, which are controlled
by a thermostat to maintain a temperature
of 75°F.
•The power used was interpreted in terms
of equivalent temperatures.

11. 11
clo unit in 1941 by Gagge, Burton, and Bazett was an
important advancement in clothing science as it
provided for a standard measure of the thermal
insulation of clothing.
1 clo equaled the insulation provided by a typical
business suit.
The objective measurement of fabric mechanical
properties can be traced back to the work reported by
Pierce in 1930 in a classic paper” The handle of cloth
as measurable quantity” by Pierce in 1930
First book “Psychology of clothes” on
clothing comfort by J C Flugel in
1930.

12. • In the late 1950s and 1960s, TEFO started the evaluation of
stress mechanical properties such as bending, buckling,
tensile, shear and compression for the tailorability and
formability of the fabrics into garments.
• Tatsuki Matsuo ( Toyobo Research Centre) identified useful
parameters, and developed a collection of fabrics samples,
which provides an Atlas of fabric hand, combining subjective
feel and objective characterization.
12
TEFO: Swedish institute for fiber and polymer research

13. Efforts of Prof. Seo Kawabata of Kyoto University and
his associates led to the development of The Hand
Evaluation and Standardization Committee (HESC) in
1972 followed by KES (Kawabata Evaluation System)
which was used in the wide spread for fabric
assessment.
CSIRO, Division of Wool Technology, Australia,
developed the FAST (Fabric assurance by simple testing)
system which is commercially available and is also widely
used for the objective evaluation of fabric.

14. GE’s “Copper Man,” a quarter-inch-thick, electroplated copper
mannequin from the early ’40s that the Army used to evaluate the
thermal-insulating quality of protective clothing issued to B-17 and
B-24 airmen.
14
The first thermal manikin was a one-segment copper manikin made for the
US Army in the 40's (Belding). Dr. Harwood Belding first build a headless
and armless manikin from pipes and metal sheets. The manikin had an
internal heater and fan to distribute the heat.

15. 1942 Belding collaborated with engineers
at the General Electric Co., build a new
thermal manikin made out of an
electroplated copper shell with electrical
circuits that uniformly heated the surface.
The manikin was made with a feature to
change the surface temperature of the
hands and feet independent of the surface
temperature of the rest of the manikin’s
body.
15

16. • In 1961, military thermal manikin work was centered
at the new U.S. Army Research Institute of
Environmental Medicine (also known as "USARIEM")
located at Natick, Massachusetts.
• The introduction of the moisture permeability index
(im) was given by Woodcock in 1962 at USARIEM.
• This value is the ratio of the maximum evaporative
cooling, at a given ambient vapor pressure, from a
100% wetted surface through a fabric, to the
maximum evaporative cooling of a psychrometric wet
bulb thermometer at the same vapor pressure.
• This parameter characterized the permeability of
clothing materials to the transfer of water vapor.
1616

17. • Woodcock used a sweating, heated cylinder to
conduct his permeability evaluations of both the
bare cylinder surface and various protective
clothing textiles.
• Goldman and Breckenridge, interested in
utilizing this index for practical clothing
applications, outfitted thermal manikins with
tight fitting cotton skins that could be saturated
with water to simulate a sweat wetted skin
surface.
• This work made it possible to begin a concerted
effort to increase the "breathability" of chemical
and biological protective clothing.
17

18. • USARIEM 1984 began using a new
articulated, thermal manikin
employing 19 separate heating
zones.
• Ability to simulate the bodily
movements involved in walking
and running.
• The manikin is housed in a
climatic chamber with precise
control over the air velocity
directed at the manikin.

19. S.no Segment Series Material Posture Country
1. 1-Segment SAM Copper Standing USA 1942
2. 11-Segments ALMANKIN Aluminum Standing UK 1964
3. Radiation
Manikin
CEPAT400 Aluminum Standing France
1972
4. 16-Segments HENRIK2 Plastic Moveable Demark
1973
5. 16 –Segments CHARLIE Plastic Moveable Germany
1978
6. 16 –Segments SIBMAN Plastic Sit stand Sweden
1980
7. 19-segments VOLTMAN Plastic Sitting Sweden
1982
8. 36-Segments ASSMAN Plastic Sitting Sweden
1983
9. 19-Segments TORE Plastic Moveable Sweden
1984

20. S.No Segment Series Material Posture Country
10. 7-Segments CLOUSSEAU Plastic Standing Sweden 1987
11. Sweating
manikin
COPELIUS Plastic Moveable Finland 1988
12. Female manikin NILLE Plastic Moveable Denmark
1989
13. 33+3
Segments
HEATMAN Plastic Moveable Sweden 1991
14. 1-segment
sweating
WALTER Fabric Moveable Hong Kong 1991
15. 36-segments HEATMAN Plastic Moveable France 1995
16. Breathing
Manikin
NILLIE Plastic Moveable Denmark 1996
17. Sweating
manikin
SAM Plastic Moveable Switzerland 2001
18. 26-segments TOM Copper Moveable USA 2003
19. 126-segments ADAM Composite Moveable USA 2003

21. PARAMETERS
OF
OBJECTIVE TESTING

22. •KAWABATA
•FAST
•Water vapour permeability.
•Water Resistance.
•Water Repellency
•Air permeability
•Air resistance
Air
Management
Moisture
Management
Hand
testing
Thermal
Management
•Thermal resistance
•Thermal Transport
•Water Vapour permeability
• Water Resistance
Water Repellency
COMFORT
TESTING

23. Water vapour
Permeability
Air
permeability
Water resistance
and repellency
Flexibility
Thermal
Insulation
Stiffness
Warmth
Breathability

24. Destructive Non destructive
METHODS OF OBJECTIVE
TESTING
Fabric testing Garment testing

25. EQUIPMENTS AND TESTING OF
PHYSIOLOGICAL
PARAMETERS FOR COMFORT

26. Air Permeability
•Number of cubic centimeters of air passing through
one square centimeter of fabric per second when the
differential between the air pressures on opposite sides
of the fabric is equal to 12.7 mm of water.
Major
•CAN/CGSB-4.2 No. 36 – M89.
•ASTM D – 737.

27. 27
EQUIPMENTS USED
Air Permeability Tester

28. ASIAN Air Permeability
tester
28
Digital Air Permeability
tester
Akustron Air
Permeability tester

29. Dynamic Air
Permeability tester
TEXTEST
Air Permeability tester
Portable
Air Permeability Tester

30. • Moisture vapour permeability
• The ability of a fabric to allow perspiration in its
vapour form to pass through is measured by its
moisture vapour permeability in grams of water
vapour per square meter per 24 hours.
• A fabric of low moisture vapour permeability is
unable to pass sufficient perspiration and this
leads to sweat accumulation in the clothing and
hence comfort.

31. MOISTURE COMFORT RELATED TESTING
1.WATER VAPOUR PERMEABILITY
A)Gravimetric methods: Most simple and commonly used
methods. These methods are named also “cup method” and
“dish method”.
31
31Cup method Inverted cup method

32. B) Sweating Guarded Hot Plate
32
ISO 11092: 1993 (E)

33. Permetest skin model (Sensora instruments)
•Slightly curved porous surface is moistened and exposed in a wind channel to the parallel air flow
of adjustable velocity.
•The tested sample is placed on the wetted area of diameter about 80mm.The amount of evaporation
heat taken away from the active porous surface is measured by integrated system.
•In the beginning of the measurement, the measuring head is first covered by semi permeable foil to
keep the measured garment dry. Then ,heat flow value (q) without a sample is registered.
• The full-size garment is inserted between the head and the orifice in the bottom of the channel.
With the signal gets steady, the level of qs, which quantifies heat loses, of wet measuring head
covered by a sample, is registered.
• Both values then serve for automated calculation of mean value and variation coefficient of the
following characteristics of the tested fabric/garment.
SAMPLE
THERMAL
INSULATION
TEMPERATURE
SENSOR
TEMPERATUR
E SENSOR
WIND CHANNEL
RELATIVE
HUMIDITY
SENSOR
FAN
HEATING
ELEMENT
INSTRUM.
BODY
WATER
INLET
POROUS LAYER SIMULA-
TING THE HUMAN SKIN
WITH INTEGRATED SEN-
SOR OF COOLING POWER
MEASURING
HEAD

34. Water Resistance and Repellency
Standard Test Methods
 AATCC Method 21, Water repellency: Static absorption
test
 AATCC Method 22, Water repellency: Spray test
 AATCC Method 35, Water resistance: rain test
 AATCC Method 42, Water resistance: Impact penetration
test
 AATCC Method 127: Water resistance: Hydrostatic
pressure test
34

35. 35
SPRAY
RATINGS
35
RAIN
TESTER

36. BUNDESMANN WATER
REPELLENCY TEST
HYDROSTATIC HEAD TESTER

37. THERMAL
INSULATION

38. Single plate method: In this method the specimen
under test is placed on the heated lower plate as
above but it is left uncovered.
The top plate being used to measure the air
temperature (T3). The air above the test
specimen has a considerable thermal resistance
itself so that the method is in fact measuring the
sum of the specimen
TOGMETER

39. Two plate method: In this method the
specimen under test is placed between
the heated lower plate and an
insulated top plate. The top plate has a
low mass so that it does not compress
the fabric. The temperature is
measured at the heater (T1), between
the standard and the test fabric (t2)
and between the fabric and the top
plate (T3)

40. The guarded hot plate is used to measure thermal
transmittance which is reciprocal of the thermal
resistance. The apparatus consist of a heated test
plate surrounded by a guard ring and with a
bottom plate .
the test fabric in place the apparatus is allowed to
reach equilibrium before any readings are taken.
This may take some time with the thick
specimens. The amount of heat passing through
the sample in watts per square meter is measured
from the power consumption of the test plate
heater. The temperature of the test plate and the
air 500mm above the test plate are measured.
GUARDED HOT PLATE

41. ALAMBETA INSTRUMENT
Alambeta measuring device is a fast measuring
of transient and steady state thermo-physical
properties (Thermal insulation and thermal
contact properties).
1. Thermal conductivity (a)
2. Thermal absorption(b)
3. Thermal resistance (r)
4. The ratio of maximal to stationary heat flow
density (q max/qs)
5. Stationary heat flow density qs at the
contact point (qs)
6. Samples thickness.

42. ASTM F1868
Standard Test Method for Thermal and Evaporative Resistance of
Clothing Materials Using a Sweating Hot Plate
• This test method covers the measurement of thermal
resistance and evaporative resistance under steady-state
conditions for fabrics, films, coatings, foams, and leathers,
including multi-layer assemblies, as used in clothing systems.

43. ASTM F1291-05
Temperature Ratings: Heat transfer models are used with the insulation
value to determine the temperature ratings for comfort at different
activity levels.
43

44. Evaporative Resistance of Clothing
44
ASTM F2370-05

45. HAND PROPERTIES

46. •The Kawabata evaluation system (KES) is used to measure the
mechanical properties of fabric.
•Developed by a team led by Professor Kawabata in the department
of polymer chemistry, Kyoto University ,Japan.
•KES is composed of four different machines on which a total of six
tests can be performed:
• Tensile & shear tester – tensile, shear
• Pure bending tester – pure bending
• Compression tester – compression
• Surface tester – surface friction and roughness
46

47. Tensile LT Linearity of load extension curve
WT Tensile energy
RT Tensile resilience
Shear G Shear rigidity
2HG Hysteresis of shear force at 0.5º
2HG5 Hysteresis of shear force at 5º
Bending B Bending rigidity
2HB Hysteresis of bending moment
Later compression LC Linearity of compression thickness curve
WC Compressional energy
RC Compressional resilience
Surface
characteristics
MIU Coefficient of friction
MMD Mean deviation of MIU
SMD Geometrical roughness
Fabric construction W Fabric weight per unit area
To Fabric thickness

48. Automatic Tensile & Shear Tester-KES-FB1
This machine is a new automated model of tensile and shear tester
that can measure tensile property and shear property of fabrics,
papers, non-woven fabrics, and films by one machine. 48

49. Automatic Pure Bending Tester - KES-FB2
This machine is a new automated model of bending tester
that can measure bending property (bending rigidity,
hysteresis in bending moment) of fabrics, non-woven fabrics,
and yarns, hairs, optionally.
49

50. Automatic Compression Tester - KES-FB3
This machine is a new automated model of compression tester that can
measure compression property such as fabric thickness, work of
compression and recoverability of fabrics and films by applying
compression load.
50

51. Automatic Surface Tester - KES-FB4
This machine is a new automated model of surface tester
that can measure surface property of fabrics, papers, non-
woven fabrics, and films.
51

52. •FAST has been developed by CSIRO in Australia which is designed to
predict the properties of wool and wool blended fabrics that effect
their tailoring performance and the appearance of the tailored
garments in wear.
•These instruments also give information which can be related to the
fabric handle.
•Unlike KES-F system, FAST only measures the resistance of fabric to
deformation and not the recovery of the fabric from deformation.
•However , The FAST system is much cheaper, simpler and more
robust than KES-F system, and , as such, perhaps more suited to an
industrial revolution.
•FAST can predict how a fabric will perform when made up into a
garment- an information of importance for fabric manufactures,
suppliers, finishers and garment makers.
FAST (Fabric assurance by simple testing)
52

53. 53
•Test results from FAST-1,-2,-3 can be recorded instantly and automatically, FAST-4
results are recorded manually.
•The results are plotted on a control chart to provide a fabric fingerprint, which indicates
weather the tested fabric will be suitable for the intended use.

54. 54
FAST-1 (Compression Meter)
Measures the thickness of the fabric under two fixed loads
First the fabric is measured under the
load of 2g/cm2
And then again under a load of
100g/cm2

55. 55
•Measure the stiffness or conversely, the flexibility of a fabric.
•The instrument works on the cantilever principle, which involves pushing a
fabric over a vertical edge until it has bent to a specified angle (41.5)
•Stiff fabric will need pushing further to bent to this angle, whereas a flexible,
or limp one will fall quickly.
•The bending rigidity , which is related to the perceived stiffness, is calculated
from bending length and mass/unit area.
•Fabrics with low bending rigidity may exhibit seam pucker and are prone to
problems in cutting out.
•They are difficult to handle on an automated production line.
•A fabric with a higher bending rigidity may be more manageable during
sewing, resulting in a flat seam but may cause problems during moulding as
it is stiffer
FAST-2 (Bending Meter)

56. 56
•Measures the amount (in per cent) that the fabric will stretch under three
fixed loadings (5,20 and 100g/cm)
•Fabrics are measured at all three loads in the warp and weft directions and
(at the lowest load only) in a bias direction of 45.
•Bias extension is converted to shear rigidity which is directly related to
fabric looseness.
•Both high and low values of Extensibility can have serious consequences if
the garment maker is not aware of them.
FAST-3 (Extension Meter)

57. 57
FAST-4 (Dimensional stability Test)
•In this test (which requires a laboratory oven), the fabric is subjected
to a cycle of drying, wetting and then drying again.
•After each stage the fabrics dimensions in both warp and weft are
measured
•The results give valuable information to the garment maker as to
how the dimensions of a fabric will change when exposed to
moisture.
•The test method enables the Dimensional stability properties of the
fabric to be split into clearly identifiable components whose cause and
effect are quite different.
•The se are: Relaxation shrinkage and Hygral expansion.

58. 58
•The whole results are plotted on a
chart, which is similar to the chart
produced by the KES-F system.
• The shaded area show regions
where the fabric properties are
likely to cause problems in
garment manufacture.
•These limits have been determined
from experience and apply only to
the worsted suiting's for which the
systems was originally designed.

59. Recent advances

60. 60
Modern
Manikins
Measurement of
Sleeping Comfort
CHARLIE 3rd
60
Measurement of
Wearing Comfort
CHARLIE 4th
CHARLINECHARLIE 1st

61. 61
•World's most advanced thermal comfort manikin
having 126 individual sweating zones.
•Developed for the Department of Energy's National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
•Mimics human responses such as sweating and
breathing with incredible accuracy.
• High spatial resolution and rapid response to
environmental changes allow it to respond realistically
to transient, non-uniform inputs.
• All electronics including batteries and a wireless
transceiver for true cordless operation of all manikin
systems.
A.D.A.M. = Advanced Automotive Manikin

62. 62
• Constructed of a thermally conductive carbon-epoxy shell with
embedded heating and sensor wire elements.
• Jointed at the hips and shoulders only, with simplified hands and feet,
and having 13-zones.
• Complete turn-key system for sleeping bag and environmental testing
• Hidden hanging hook at top of head provides an attachment point for
support, when needed
• System includes a PC computer and Thermal DAC control software
S
I
M
O
N

63. • Complete turn-key thermal manikin
system perfect for a broad range of
clothing and environmental testing.
• Developed using advanced CAD digital
modeling and is constructed using
a thermally conductive composite shell
with embedded resistance wire heating
and sensor wire elements.
• Available in standard 20, 26, or 34-zone
configurations.
• Optional removable fabric sweating skin
with computerized
fluid flow.
• Motorized walking motion and support
stand available.
• Breathing machine with nose/mouth
manifold and filter available
63
NEWTON

64. SHERLOCK
• "Sherlock" is the latest member (2014) of a
large "test family"
• Sweating thermal articulated manikin
possible to measure both the thermal
insulation and the breathability of
clothing of all kinds using one measuring
system.
• Work in closely controlled conditions.
• Different ambient temperatures and
humidity levels can be simulated, along
with other external influences such as
wind, radiated heat and rain.
• "Sherlock" will have to work until he
"sweats," so that the moisture management
of clothing can be assessed in real wearing
conditions.
64

65. CONCLUSION
•The quality and performance characteristics of fabric and clothing
are closely related to their basic engineering properties and can,
therefore, be control led through fabric objective measurements.
•These measurements provide objective communication between
various sectors of textiles and clothing industries, thus facilitating
fabric specifications for quality and performance requirements and
transactions based on these specifications.
•The development and application of fabric objective measurement
technology is consistent and compatible with the continuing trends to
high technology in the textile and clothing industries.
65

66. REFERENCES
•Anonymous retrieved on 23 march 2015 from
http://nptel.ac.in/courses/116102029/55
•Behera B.,K., and Hari, P.K. 1994. Fabric quality evaluation by objective
measurement. Indian Journal of fiber & Textile research. 19, pp168-171
•Anonymous retrieved on 20 march 2015 from
http://www.tx.ncsu.edu/tpacc/comfort-performance/kawabata-evaluation-
system.cfm
•Ingvar Holmér. 2004. Thermal manikin history and applications, European
Journal of Applied Physiology© Springer retrieved on 23 march 2015 from
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-004-1135-0/fulltext.html
•Anonymous. 2009. Clothing physiology. 2009 retrieved on 17 feb 2015 from
http://www.hohenstein.org

67. REFERENCES
•Das B. et al., 2007. Moisture transmission through textiles. Part II:
Evaluation methods and mathematical modelling. AUTEX Research Journal,
Vol. 7, No3. Retrieved on November 30 from http://www.autexrj.org/No3-
2007/0236.pdf
•Saville, B.P., 2004, Comfort, Physical Testing of Textiles, The textiles
Institute, Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge, England, pp 209-243.
•Slater,K.,1986, The assessment of comfort, Journal textile Inst., 77(3),pp
157-171.
•Uttam,D.,2012,Objective Measurement of heat transport through clothing,
International Journal of Engineering research and Development, 12(2),pp
43-47.
•Kaplan, S. and Okur, A., 2012, Thermal comfort of sports garments with
objective and subjective measurements, International journal of Fiber &
Textile research , 3, pp 46-54.

68. THANK YOU