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

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 (HFmin) 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 (FCmean) account for 69.5%, 77.0% and 66.7% of the variance in smoothness, softness and prickliness perceptions, respectively.