The effect that ultraviolet radiation has on skin is a topic of growing interest. Textiles protect against ultraviolet radiation, but the protection provided is often not sufficient. The aim of the present review article is to clarify some basic concepts regarding the in vitro measurement of the protection factor against ultraviolet radiation provided by apparel textiles, paying special attention to the factors that are taken into account to measure it. The conditions for correct and reproducible measurement are described. The peculiarities of current standards and the details for their correct interpretation are also explained, including sample preparation and statistical calculations to determine measurement error and the adjustment of the results.

The aim of the paper was the modelization of the influence on the Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) of the more representative properties of the wearing conditions of the garments, the tension produced in contact with the body and the wetness. The study was carried out on undyed woven fabrics manufactured with three different cellulosic fibers (Cotton, Modal and Modal Sun) and with three different structures. The transmission of Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) in the whole ultraviolet range, as well as in the UVA and UVB regions, was measured and the UPF was determined. A statistical model for each fiber type was formulated, which allowed the prediction of the UPF according to the UPF of the original fabric (unstretched and dry), the tension and the wetness.

Digital image processing techniques are applied to perform an automatic method for the objective measure of woven fabric's cover factor. Based on a frequency domain analysis, digital images of woven fabric samples, obtained with a camera assembled to a microscope, are cropped to enclose the maximum integer number of warp and weft periods and leveled for non-uniform illumination. Posterior thresholding, designed to perform suitably for both high and low cover factor fabric samples, gives rise to the objective value. The method has been applied to three different sets of samples manufactured in plain weave, with known yarn numbers and thread counts. Cover factors obtained by this method show good correlation with those obtained by a set of visual observers and are consistent with woven fabric parameters: yarn numbers (tex) and thread counts (yarns/cm). The procedure can be useful to monitor mean cover factor as well as cover factor variability in fabric batches. It does not require sophisticated equipment and can be straightforwardly implemented in a textile analysis laboratory. Keywords-Image analysis, cover factor, woven fabrics CF is a basic construction parameter of woven cloth related to its end use performance [2,3]. Weaving efficiency, fabric quality [4,5], thermo-physiological comfort of garments, air permeability [6] as well as protection against Ultra Violet Radiation [7] are features strongly related to CF. It is a fundamental feature of multiple base fabrics used in the elaboration of

Postprint (published version

No abstract