Principles of Moisture Management Testing for Textile

Moisture management test provides objective measurement and evaluation of moisture absorption and sweat evaporation performance for textiles. The results obtained by this test are based on water resistance, water repellency and water absorption characteristics of the fabric structure, including the fabrics’ geometric and internal structure and the wicking characteristics of its fibers and yarns.

Moisture absorption points about the absorption property of vaporous water by textile. It is decided by the chemical structure of fibers. The fiber with better moisture absorption will have good electric resistance and processing performance.

Water absorption means the absorption property of water by textile. The surface of fabric or textile will be wet by liquid water and the liquid water will be absorbed and maintained by pores, cavities and capillary between fibers.

Sweating is a necessary phenomenon when people are working or doing sports with clothes. The liquid sweat will be absorbed by textile surface and transported to the outside surface of textile by capillary action of fiber gaps. And then the liquid sweat will evaporate into the air. The vaporous sweat will be absorbed by fiber surface and they will be condensed into water and repeat the process of water absorption and evaporation.

In order to reproduce the absorption, transport and evaporation, the test has to provide the wetting, absorbing, diffusion and evaporation process to achieve the goal of continues and repeatable test.

A predetermined amount of test solution that aids the measurement of electrical conductivity charges is dropped onto the center of upward facing test specimen surface. The test solution which is aim to simulate the human sweat is free to move in three directions, radial spreading on the top surface, movement through the specimen from top surface to the bottom surface and radial spreading on the bottom surface of the specimen. Changes in electrical resistance of specimen are measured and recorded by two horizontal electrical sensors will show the dynamic liquid moisture transport behaviors in multiple directions of the specimen.

Moisture management test (Moisture management tester-MMT) will provide absorption rate, accumulative one-way transport capability, maximum wetted radius, spreading speed, one way transport capacity and overall (liquid) moisture management capability(OMMC) of the tested specimen.

  

Grading sheet for moisture management fabric

	Grade	1	2	3	4	5
Index
Wetting Time(Sec)	Top	>=120	20-119	5~19	3~5	<3
		No Wetting	Slow	Medium	Fast	Very fast
	Bottom	>=120	20-119	5~19	3~5	<3
		No Wetting	Slow	Medium	Fast	Very fast
Absorption Rate(%/sec)	Top	0~10	10~30	30~50	50~100	>100
		Very slow	Slow	Medium	Fast	Very fast
	Bottom	0~10	10~30	30~50	50~100	>100
		Very slow	Slow	Medium	Fast	Very fast
Max Wetted Radius	Top	0~7	7~12	12~17	17~22	>22
		No Wetting	Small	Medum	Fast	Very fast
	Bottom	0~7	7~12	12~17	17~22	>22
		No Wetting	Small	Medum	Fast	Very fast
Spreading speed(mm/sec)	Top	0~1	1~2	2~3	3~4	>4
		Very slow	Slow	Medium	Fast	Very fast
	Bottom	0~1	1~2	2~3	3~4	>4
		Very slow	Slow	Medium	Fast	Very fast
One-way Transport Capacity		<-50	-50~100	100~200	200~400	>400
		Very poor	Poor	Good	Very Good	Excellent
OMMC		0~0.2	0.2~0.4	0.4~0.6	0.6~0.8	>0.8
		Very poor	Poor	Good	Very Good	Excellent