Total Wear Comfort Index as an Objective Parameter for Characterization of Overall Wearability of Cotton Fabrics

The state of physical comfort experienced by awearer under a given environmental condition isgreatly influenced by the tactile, thermal andmoisture transport properties of the fabric. An indepthstudy carried out to understand fabric handleand wear comfort in relation to fiber, yarn and fabricstructural parameter is presented in this paper. Theresults obtained from this study provide an invaluableinsight into engineering of required quality featuresinto the cotton fabrics so as to provide optimum wearcomfort. A comprehensive grading indexincorporating the transport attributes (air permeabilityand moisture and thermal transport) of the fabric hasbeen derived to grade end use efficiency of the fabricjuxtaposing with fabric hand, which would finallydecide the overall quality of the apparel fabric.