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Men’s Underwear Knitted Material Properties Test and Analysis

Article in DEStech Transactions on Materials Science and Engineering · July 2016

DOI: 10.12783/dtmse/amst2016/11330

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Ivanovo State Polytechnic University Wuhan Textile University
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2016 International Conference on Advanced Materials Science and Technology (AMST 2016)
ISBN: 978-1-60595-397-7

Men’s Underwear Knitted Material Properties Test and Analysis

V.E. KUZMICHEV1, Zhe CHENG2,* and D.C. ADOLPHE3

1
Ivanovo State Polytechnic University, Textile Institute, 21, Sheremetev Av.,
Ivanovo, Russian Federation
2
Wuhan Textile University, Institute of Clothing, Minzu Av., Wuhan, Hubei, China
3
University of Haute Alsace, ENSISA, 11, rue Alfred Werner, Mulhouse, France
*Corresponding author

Keywords: Knitted material, KES, Material physical property, Men’s underwear.

Abstract. With the improvement of life quality of male underwear wearing comfort, functionality and
fashion requirements continuously increasing, but in today's market of many types of men's
underwear, the performance is also different, and thus the performance of underwear materials, will
directly affect men's underwear design, production and sales. In this study, six different men's
underwear knitted materials samples for performance testing based on KES-FB fabric style tester, the
main performance test extending, shear, compression and friction properties, after further mechanical
properties of materials data analysis and evaluating, to clearly show the advantages and disadvantages
of the mechanical properties of materials by parameterized perspective, to provide men's underwear
materials evaluation and selected a valuable reference and methods.

Introduction
Underwear as the body's “second skin”, has a unique feature in the choice of material is also
particularly important. Material style effect is a feeling, a comprehensive reflection of the fabric
appearance, wearing comfort and beauty [1]. In early 1930, F Peirce's article of “The Handle of cloth
as a measurable quantity”, first proposed the relationship between material mechanical properties
and feel, and to express the data and make it [2]; to 70s, Japan's S. Kawabata began to study the
mechanical properties of the material feel evaluation and KES system [3, 4]. Taking KES evaluation
system can fully reflect the material mechanical properties, test material tensile, shear, bending,
compression and recovery process, focusing on research of materials quality and suitability for certain
types of clothing [5].
This study for the material under low load mechanical testing, since the initial modulus
characteristics of the material fibers, yarns of different processes, so that the performance of the
material has a great difference, but after finishing materials and fabric structure also affects its
mechanical properties at low load. But the same kind of material mechanical data applications
commonly found close to a data value, if a material has a different evaluation value, can be directly
observed to see which index is out of range.

Materials for Experiment

The compressibility of knitted materials is not only affecting the pressure comfort, but also other
physics properties such as thickness, density, etc. which also have closely relations with
compressibility [6]. So compression pressure is one of important properties of knitted materials to
explore and the compressibility can be a crucial property to evaluate the comfort of underwear.
Nowadays, a designer not very concern on this issue, but with the growing needs it must be become
increasingly for best underwear.

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 Selected knitted materials are from I’d company (Wuhan, China), they are used for the production
of underwear for domestic and European markets. The characteristics of chosen materials are shown
in Table 1.
Table 1. Material properties.
Thickness,
Sample Content, % Density, g/m2 Structure
mm
40 Cotton, 30 Linen,
М1 170–180 Rib knit 0.979
30 Lyocell+Spandex
М2 50 Acrylic, 50 Spandex 360 Interlock, Doubleknit 1.326
М3 98 Modal, 2 Spandex 300 Interlock, Doubleknit 1.072
М4 30 Linen, 65 Cotton, 5 Spandex 170–180 Rib knit 0.901
М5 45 Modal, 55 Cotton 170 Ribknit, weft mesh knitting 0.854
M6 47 Cotton, 47 Modal, 6 Spandex 110 Rib knit 0.998
Table 2. Indexes of materials tested by KES-FB.

Properties, Result for different materials

Property Unit Directions
device M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6
warp 0.550 0.498 0.796 0.488 0.436 0.350
G cN/[cm·(°)]
weft 0.548 0.424 0.906 0.502 0.476 0.350
warp 1.522 0.866 1.392 1.372 1.532 0.656
2HG, Φ =0.5° сN/cm
weft 1.664 0.848 1.970 1.246 1.698 0.622
warp 1.502 0.988 1.574 1.432 1.488 0.644
2HG5, Φ =5° сN/cm
weft 1.598 0.906 1.71 1.282 1.698 0.614
Tensile and warp 0.411 0.501 0.493 0.460 0.451 0.430
shear test, LT -
KES–FB1 weft 0.423 0.457 0.657 0.445 0.406 0.433
warp 28.05 18.33 23.34 28.9 28.05 27.39
WT gf.cm/cm2
weft 23.73 32.81 30.23 38.96 29.18 34.63
warp 27.27 48.44 38.51 27.85 31.47 41.91
RT %
weft 23.56 45.07 49.87 21.02 20.17 34.20
warp 27.28 23.08 40.80 25.11 31.38 25.37
EMT 500 cN/cm
weft 31.65 27.83 52.84 40.93 32.64 32.08
LC - - 0.336 0.389 0.309 0.327 0.354 0.331
2
WC gf.cm/cm - 0.272 0.309 0.17 0.213 0.256 0.232
Compression
test, RC % - 42.40 54.01 56.96 33.95 39.56 51.23
KES–FB3 2
T0, 0.5 cN/cm mm - 0.861 1.151 0.872 0.783 0.84 0.761
2
Tm, 50 cN/cm mm - 0.538 0.834 0.648 0.51 0.55 0.48
warp 0.194 0.252 0.206 0.194 0.334 0.247
MIU -
weft 0.205 0.217 0.191 0.325 0.224 0.21

Surface test, warp 0.009 0.011 0.014 0.012 0.023 0.014

MMD -
KES–FB4 weft 0.012 0.008 0.007 0.027 0.012 0.008
warp 4.388 3.258 2.516 1.957 8.479 2.503
SMD µ
weft 4.275 1.576 1.54 3.808 6.006 2.488

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 Figure 1. Photos of knitted materials chosen.

Results and Discussion

To grasp the material wear comfortable wear ability, etc., is to control the material tensile and shear
properties at low load, compression and surface friction properties [7]. People undergoing a variety of
body movements in daily life, parts of the body skin occur in different deformation. If the material can
be deformed and can adapt to these resiliencies, it will make people feel comfortable; on the contrary,
it will hinder the body material activity, bring some pressure, people feel discomfort.
Results of Tensile and Shear Test
Tensile properties test indexes: LT is tensile rigidity, values closer to 1 mean firmer tensility, higher
value, more difficult recovery tensile deformation occurs, feel hard; WT is tension energy,
cN·cm/cm2, higher value, greater stretchability; RT is recoverability, %, higher value, stronger
recoverability, good elasticity; EMT is material for maximum elongation under the same low tensile
stress, %, higher value, better performance of the material can be extended [8]. Experiment maximum
tensile load 500 gf/cm (500 cN/cm), a tensile speed of 0.2mm/s.
By KES-FB1 tensile test results, and the maximum elongation of six kinds of materials that in
warp: 14.65–37.5 %; weft: 27.69–47.3%. And from tensile properties of the data: 1) tensile linearity
samples M1 and M2 LT values are smaller, M1, M6 softness better, feel soft; 2) M2 RT value has
maximum tensile recovery rate, reaching 48 %, M6 reaching 42 %, relatively good. M1–M6 meet the
human skin resilience (between 0 to 40.28 %) [9].
After experimental study, six kinds of material samples for human comfort stretch at about 17% or
less, due to the KES-FB1 maximum tensile load is 500 gf/cm for experiment, for knitted underwear
materials is too large, so only need to consider a lower load (tensile stress of about 200 gf/cm or less)
and elongation (tensile strain within 20 %), in which data is made within the skin, better able to adapt
to such variations, and make people comfortable [10].
Results of Tensile and Shear Test
Shear properties test indexes: G is shear rigidity, cN/[cm·(°)], higher value, more difficult stretch
deformation, feel hard; 2HG shear angle θ = 0.5° elasticity for minute shear, 2HG5 shear angle θ = 5°
elasticity for large shear, cN/cm, smaller value, better deformation and recovery ability, more
flexibility and soft. Experiment shear angle between ± 8°, the rate of 0.478 °/s.
By KES-FB1 shear test results: 1) M3 shear stiffness value maximum, shear deformation is
difficult to occur, feel harder as compared to other materials; 2) M2, M4, M5 shear stiffness similar,
M2, M6 shear hysteresis 2HG, 2HG5 values are smaller, M2 has the most soft feel. Due to the
different mutual friction and material density structure, affected the moving between the yarn, the
shear properties are different.
Results of Compression Test
Compression properties test indexes: WC is work of compression, cN·cm/cm2, higher value, more
fluffy, thick; LC is linearity of compression, values closer to 1 mean firmer compression, higher
value, more easy to occur compression deformation, feel more thick; RC is recoverability of
compression, %, higher value, better compression recovery ability, better thickness persistence, feel
fullness [11, 12].

136
 By KES-FB3 compression test results: 1) six materials LC compression linearity value are similar,
compression deformation degree of difficulty are similar; 2) M2 WC value is higher, higher
compression susceptibility than others; 3) M2, M3 RC value larger, M4 RC minimum, that M2, M3
thickness persistence relatively good, feel fullness.
Results of Compression Test
Surface properties test indexes: SMD is surface roughness, µm, smaller value, more evenness and
smooth the surface; MIU mean frictional coefficient, smaller value, better tendency to slip; MMD is
fluctuation of mean frictional coefficient, smaller value, more smoothness and less roughness.
By KES-FB4 surface test results (taking into consideration the wearability, so choice materials
back side): 1) M4 and M5 MMD values smoothness of back side are lower, M1 and M3 MIU values
smoothness of back side relatively are higher; 2) M1 and M5 SMD values are higher, the back side are
more roughness, because them woven mesh structure; 3) M3 has fine fiber, yarn count is 80, while
under same conditions, the finer fineness of fiber, more smoothness surface of material.

Summary
By contrast KES test results, and it can be reflected the characteristic of the materials to assess the
merits and demerits. Because of friction and extending between underwear and body, affects the
comfort of wearing underwear. It poor elongation performance and high friction, the body will have a
high pressure feeling, on the contrary, will be more comfortable. But the material resilience and
flexibility of the thickness will be a greater impact on underwear comfortable performance.
1) M3, M6 has good mechanical properties, M3 Tensile strength larger than others, M6 has
balanced performance. Due to its composition and Lyocell, Modal fiber ratio is good, retains its
original softness, drape, stiffness and other characteristics. In addition to mechanical properties, its
soft, delicate, smooth outlook and feel, excellent breathability, moisture absorption and extensibility,
and good in anti-wrinkle, easy to wash, high durability. 2) M1, M2, M4 also has some Spandex, so
increasing the elastic portion, M5 half modal and half cotton, so the poor mechanical testing
performance. But chemical composition similar between cotton and Viscose fiber, the moisture meets
the physiological demands of human skin, with good breathability and humidity control function, not
easy to produce electrostatic, and good stainability, color fastness, so good for product visual design.
But cotton and Viscose material underwear has strong hygroscopicity, weak dehydrating (hard to dry),
and the weak extensibility and resilience, wearing cotton underwear will be greatly affected on
exercise, so the better choice is Combed Cotton, add Modal and Spandex or some good elasticity
fibers, to improve the elasticity, enhance fittness.
So far, in men’s underwear market, cotton, regenerated cellulose fiber material (Viscose) as the
main publicity and production material. As a functional, decorative or comfort underwear materials,
all have their own characteristics, also has a good performance, which has the inalienable relations
bease on the superior performance parameters.

Acknowledgement
This research is supported and on the instructions of I'd company (Wuhan, Hubei). Wuhan Huanghe
Foundation.

References
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[2] F. T. Peirce. The “Handle” of cloth as a measurable quantity, Journal of the Textile Institute
Transactions, 9 (1930), pp. 377-416.

137
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