Comfort is an important quality criterion, especially for sportswear. It influences well-being, performance and efficiency. The necessary dissipation of heat and air flow, at high metabolic rates, must be designed and planned in advance. The influence of structure, density, mass and thickness of fabric were considered as well as yarn material composition, yarn linear density, yarn evenness and yarn hairiness. The influence of the mentioned parameters on thermal properties and air permeability was calculated. From the correlation analysis, it can be concluded that yarn’s linear density, yarn short fibers hairiness, and mass per unit area of knitted fabric has the greatest impact on heat resistance. The yarn linear density, the yarn hairiness of the longer protruding fibers, and the thickness of the knitted fabric have the greatest impact on air permeability. A statistically significant model of multiple linear regression equations was offered to predict the thermal comfort of knitted fabric.

The degradation of polyamide (PA) and polyester (PES) polymers is under intense study due to growing concerns about the accumulation of plastics in soils and oceans. Previous studies confirm that ageing degrades PA and PES at the molecular level. However, researchers have not addressed the development of protocols for aging textile materials in swimming pools, and few data are available on the effects of aging on comfort and durability. This research addresses the development of the aging protocol for PA and PES swimwear materials, its implementation, and the evaluation of properties that assure comfort and durability after specific periods of exposure. The tests include microscopic analysis, tensile tests, determination of fluid transport phases and drying period. The results revealed changes in the surface of the material in terms of fibrillation (more pronounced after outdoor aging). There is a positive correlation between the exposure duration and the breaking force (R² ranges from 0.85 to 0.98), with a stronger correlation for the PA materials. The decrease in breaking force due to aging is up to 40%, indicating significantly reduced durability. The change in breaking force follows the changes in mass (R² = 0.867). In terms of comfort assurance, outdoor aging of materials should have a greater negative impact than indoor ageing.

It is recognized that technology, with its possibilities, affects industrial design. Likewise, it is believed that design has a reversible impact on technology. This study looks for clear examples of design's influence on the development of knitting technology. The parallel development of design and technology is traced back to the emergence of the knitting frame in 1589. The brocade influences from the seventeenth century, which influenced the development of knitting techniques, are apparent, as well as the effect of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century market demands for lace, which strongly encouraged the development of devices for knitted lace production. The short-lived fashion trend of vertically striped socks has left far-reaching consequences in the construction of wider knitting frames and the new method of knitwear production. In the first half of the nineteenth century, changes in fashion almost destroyed the knitting industry. From the beginning of the twentieth century, the debut of kni...

Polyurethane-coated knitted fabrics are of interest because they exhibit several positive properties, they are more stretchable, elastic and comfortable than coated woven fabrics and yet they are little studied. Information of weather durability, as well as thermal properties, is essential to ensure thermal protection for textile materials intended for outdoor use. In the presented research, a series of coated knitted fabrics for protective clothing were developed and exposed to weathering in summer and winter seasons. After three months of outdoor exposure, thermal resistance of all the tested materials decreased by 13% after the summer season and 25% after the winter season. A very good correlation of knitted fabric mass per unit area and thermal resistance of knitted fabric, coated fabric and aged coated fabric occurred. The studied materials experienced a partial degradation of the polyurethane layer, which is not related to the deterioration of the knitted substrate. The presented investigation of thermal resistance of coated fabrics and their dependence on the knitted substrate, as well as the influence of environmental conditions, allows the improvement of coated fabrics with the aim of better thermal protection.

Over the years, the demands on the durability and quality of polyester fabrics used for sportswear have increased, as these fabrics contribute to athletes’ performance. At the same time, the use of recycled polyester material is increasingly being promoted for environmental reasons. This study focused on investigating the properties of standard and recycled polyester fabrics before and after aging according to the developed aging protocol. The surface morphology, thickness, elongation at break, force at break, bursting force, mass loss due to abrasion and moisture management of the fabrics were tested. The results showed that the aging process had no influence on the surface changes in the fabrics. More specifically, there were neither surface cracks on the fibre surface nor chemical changes. The highest decrease in force at break for standard polyester fabrics with elastane was up to 26%, and up to 15% for fabrics made of recycled polyester. The loss of mass due to abrasion was greater for recycled polyester than for standard polyester fabrics. The average ability of the fabrics to absorb moisture decreased by up to 23% after aging, while the wetting time increased by up to 30%, with the highest increase observed in recycled fabrics.

The aim of the study was to investigate changes of water vapor resistance of coated fabrics with different knitted substrates. For the study different knitted structures were designed and produced, while the conditions for the coating process were kept constant. All structures were exposed to natural weathering in the summer and winter seasons. Thus, the experimental setup enabled the comparison of changes in water vapor resistance of various structures as a result of aging, as well as giving an insight into the differences in resistance after aging in different seasons. After exposure, changes in fabric mass per unit area, thickness and water vapor resistance were observed. The outcomes of the study gave a good insight into the behavior of coated fabrics and may be used when protecting coated materials in order to improve their performance.