Birla’s Modal Fabric Found Ideally Suited for All Categories Of Sportswear

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Birla’s Modal Fabric Found Ideally Suited for All Categories Of Sportswear

Clothing & Clothing Comfort

Clothing is an integral part of human life. Clothing protects our body from cold or heat and maintains body thermal comfort throughout the full range of human activities. Comfort in this context is defined as a pleasant state of psychological, physiological and physical harmony between human beings and their environment.

Clothing comfort meaning the sense of coolness or warmth is one of the most important parameters of sportswear. Comfort in fabrics is related to three main factors, namely thermo-physiological, sensorial and physiological.

Moisture Management

Moisture management is an important aspect of any fabric meant for apparel. It decides the comfort level of that fabric. The moisture management properties of a fabric are critical to wearers' comfort, especially in sportswear for moderate to intensive physical activity. Various types of tactile, moisture and thermal interactions between the clothing material and the human skin determine the comfort level of a person in a given environmental condition, while engaged in a specific level of activity.

Considerable research has been undertaken on the ideal structure for sportswear. It should be noted that different sports demand different construction of the garment, albeit some structures are commonly used across sports. Layered structures are most common structures in the category of commonly used constructions. The performance of layered structures in thermo-physiological regulation is better than that of single layer textile structure.

Fabric Design

Layering of fabrics used as garment has major effect on its properties such as thermal conductivity, air permeability and moisture vapour transmission. A simple double-face construction is preferred, in which inner face is made of a synthetic fibre, say polyester that is hydrophobic and has a good capillary action; and the outer face is made from a hydrophilic fibre like viscose/modal/cotton that absorbs the transported moisture and allows it to evaporate.

Researchers developed a bi-layer knitted fabric that provides a high level of clothing comfort for active sportswear. To achieve this effect, moisture management properties of several bi-layer knitted structures made out of Viscose-Polypropylene, Modal-Polypropylene, Viscose-Micorfibre Polyester, Modal-Micorfibre Polyester, Viscose-Polyester, Modal-Polyester and Bamboo-Polyester were studied.

From the study, the researchers concluded that the bi-layer knitted fabric (Polyester/Viscose or Polyester/Modal) has good moisture management properties and should be the preferred option for sporting apparel. The compelling factor in this decision was that they quickly release perspiration from the skin to keep the wearer dry.

The micro-fibre polyester (inner layer) and modal (outer layer) bi-layer knitted fabrics have better moisture management property because of better wetting time, high wetting radius, good absorption rate and good spreading speed of sweat, and hence provide high level of comfort and can be preferred for active sportswear. They are also cooler to the touch compared to polyester cotton structures.

Birla Modal Fibre

Modal is a 2^nd generation fibre in regenerated cellulosic fibres. Modal as defined by The International Bureau for the Standardization of Man-made Fibres (BISFA) is a distinct viscose fibre genre, which has a higher Wet Modulus (HWM) and satisfies a minimum value of tenacity in the wet stage at 5% elongation.

The superior physical properties of Birla Modal make fabrics last longer with an enduring look and feel. This fibre is extremely well suited for blending with other fibres.