Relationship Between the Comfort Properties of Sport Wear and the Comfort Sensation of Athlete During Activity

In this study the relation of physical properties of fabric and the comfort feeling of athlete during physicalactivity is considered. To this end, four single-jersey weft knitted fabrics with various fibers blends wereused to prepare sport T-shirts and then athletic comfort during wearing T-shirt and exercising in durationof 60 minutes was investigated, both subjectively and objectively. Furthermore, physical properties ofapplied fabrics including air permeability, water vapor permeability and thermal insulation propertieswere measured. Then, the relation of fabric characteristics and athletics comfort during activity wasprobed. Outcomes confirm that the increase in the body activity leads to the increment of the bodytemperature and sweating rate. Since cotton fiber absorbs and retains moisture, it keeps the skin wetduring high activity level due to the high rate of sweating. On the other hand, polyester fibers owingto the high wicking ability and quick transfer of the moisture vapor to the environment, have betterperformance. Polyester fabrics with lower stitch density and loose structure have effective performancein terms of both dissipating extra body heat and moisture vapor to the surrounding and providing athleticscomfort. The selection of proper sport wear is necessary since the level of physical activity affects thebody heat and sweating rate.