Modeling moisture transfer in fabrics

Abstract By viewing the fabric as a highly porous medium, a conservation equation for moisture transfer in fabric was developed as a function of capillary pressure and permeability under isothermal conditions. The equation considers the transfer of both liquid and vapor due to the capillarity effect in the fibrous medium. This equation was solved numerically by the Galerkin finite-element method and was applied to two different fabric samples, one made of cotton and one of polypropylene. The model is capable of simulating the wicking process in general including the effect of gravity on moisture transport using parameters that can be measured readily. Results from the numerical model were compared with vertical and horizontal wicking experimental data. The model predictions agreed well with the experimental data in both cases. The vertical wicking experiment agreed better than the horizontal wicking experiment because the vertical test is easier to conduct and the fabric is not in contact with a support.