A Study on Moisture Transport Properties of Polyester Knit Fabrics for Application in Textile Products

In this study, we prepared absorbent polyester (PET) knit fabrics with various weights and thicknesses, and then systematically measured their moisture transport properties, such as absorption rate, drying time and moisture transport capability. Two measurement methods were conducted for this study: direct measurement of absorption rate and drying time, and measurement of moisture transport capability using moisture management tester (MMT). Then, based on the measured results, the correlation between the physical structure (weight and thickness) of PET knit fabrics and moisture transport properties was investigated systematically. As a result, in case of the direct measurement of absorption rate, a positive correlation was observed between weight, thickness, and absorption rate in both the wale and course directions within the PET knit fabrics, with Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from 0.64 to 0.75. On the other hand, the drying time measured directly results showed a relatively low positive correlation compared to the absorption rate results. Interestingly, the results obtained from moisture management tester (MMT) showed a very high correlation between the physical properties in the PET knit fabric and its moisture transport capability. It was clearly observed that the Pearson correlation coefficients calculated from the results of absorption rate, one-way transport capability, and overall moisture management capability (OMMC) via MMT were very significantly higher (0.82–0.92, respectively) than those obtained by direct measurement. As a results, based on the significant correlation between the physical structure of PET knit fabrics and their moisture transport properties, the results of this comparative study are expected to provide a variety of technical information for application in textile products.