Fabric Touch Tester : integrated evaluation of thermal-mechanical sensory properties of polymeric materials

Abstract A new test apparatus was designed to evaluate the thermal–mechanical properties of fabric made from polymeric materials in one step. The results of statistical analysis reveal that the sensations of fabric–skin touch under non-sweating conditions like smoothness , softness , prickliness , warmth and dampness can be predicted using the measurements of this apparatus. Heat transfer properties ( HF min ) in a fabric play an important role in warmth/dampness perception, which alone accounts for 63.6% and 56.0% of the variance in warmth and dampness perception, respectively. Fabric compression properties ( FC mean ) account for 69.5%, 77.0% and 66.7% of the variance in smoothness, softness and prickliness perceptions, respectively.