This comprehensive guide to technological developments and scientific understanding of thermal and moisture transport in textiles begins with a summary of the structure, geometry, and stereology of fibrous materials. The fundamentals of wetting and its dynamics are also discussed. The second section analyzes thermal and liquid interactions in textiles, offering insights into the thermodynamic behavior of moisture as well as heat and moisture coupling. The book concludes with chapters on the human thermoregulatory system, the fibrous material—human body interface, and innovative computer modeling simulations.

From the Introduction: “...The role of heat and mass transfer is often critical to the manufacture or function of devices, structures, and engineered items incorporating fibrous materials. Two aspects of thermal and moisture transport in fibrous materials are examined in this book: the basic nature of the transport process itself and the engineering factors important to the performance of manufactured articles incorporating fibrous materials...Many of the chapters in this book treat fibrous materials as a porous media — a solid material phase permeated by an interconnected network of pores (voids) filled with fluids (liquid or gas). The solid matrix and the pore spaces are assumed to form two interpenetrating phases, which may be either continuous or discontinuous...”

Target Audience: Fiber and textile manufacturers; engineers, chemists, and designers involved with technical textiles and protective clothing.

Table of Contents:

Textile Structure and Moisture Transport:

Characterizing the Structure and Geometry of Fibrous Materials

Understanding the Three-Dimensional Structure of Fibrous Materials Using Stereology

Essentials of Psychrometry and Capillary Hydrostatics

Surface Tension, Wetting and Wicking

Wetting Phenomena in Fibrous Materials

Interactions Between Liquid and Fibrous Materials

Heat—Moisture Interactions in Textile Materials:

Thermal Conduction and Moisture Diffusion in Fibrous Materials

Convection and Ventilation in Fabric Layers

Multiphase Flow Through Porous Media

The Cellular Automata Lattice Gas Approach for Fluid Flows in Porous Media

Phase Change in Fabrics

Heat—Moisture Interactions and Phase Change in Fibrous Material

Textile—Body Interactions and Modelling Issues:

Heat and Moisture Transfer in Fibrous Clothing Insulation

Computer Simulation of Moisture Transport in Fibrous Materials

Computational Modeling of Clothing Performance

The Skin's Role in Human Thermoregulation and Comfort

Index