Subjective wet perception assessment of fabrics with different drying time

Abstract

Wet perception involves a complex neurobiological mechanism and it is a crucial factor affecting the wear comfort in daily life. A subjective wet perception assessment was conducted against wetted fabrics. The assessment method was set to demonstrate the sensation felt by the wearer in recovery period after light activities, and assumes that there is no further sweat secretion. Twenty participants participated in the assessment. Participants were presented with fabrics dried with different duration for simulating garments dry during recovery period. A new fabric driver was built to simulate body movements during wear. The driver drove specimens and reference fabrics on participants' forearms. The two-arm configuration of the fabric driver helps to enhance the reliability of assessment results. The participants were asked to give wetness rating on each sample in ratio scale. We conclude that log10 of subjective wetness rating has linear relationship with drying time of fabric (DToF) and amount of water in fabric. A novel wetness factor (WF) is developed to quantify the effects of wet perception and exposure time induced by a drying fabric. WF is the area under curve of wetness rating against DToF. A smaller WF indicates that a user suffers less from wet sensation.

Thermal illusions for thermal displays: a review

“…The significance of the feeling of wetness lies in its capacity to enable humans to mitigate potential health hazards by avoiding unfavorable environmental conditions. For instance, the discomfort experienced when wearing damp clothing serves as a signal to dispose of the wet garment and prevent getting sick (Chau et al, 2018 ). This section explores the phenomenon of illusory perception of wetness.…”

The effect of the heat transfer mechanism on the psychophysical assessment of moisture sensation in fabrics

“…The second part of the experiment follows the same procedures as the first part, but participants were asked to make direct numerical estimates 15 of the sensory magnitudes of moisture stimuli. The moisture rating was in ratio and based on the comparison of moisture sensation of the standard stimulus and the variable stimulus.…”

“…In the drying method samples are firstly wetted and then dried off for different durations to achieve different moisture levels. In the study of Chau et al., 15 the specimens were wetted by 1.4 g of water and then put for drying on a bench for 0, 16, 32, 48 or 64 min to simulate post-exercise drying of fabric and correlate the results with moisture sensation. All these studies investigated moisture sensation perceived in fabrics in relation to different moisture levels.…”

Illusion of Wetness by Dynamic Touch

“…A human wearing wet clothing is at risk for reduced body temperature and damaged health. Therefore, upon sensing wetness, humans feel discomfort [1]- [4] and avoid these fabrics. Furthermore, because the surface friction changes when an object contains moisture, the wetness results in an adjustment of grip force [5]- [8].…”