Comparative Analysis on Thermo-physiological Behavior of Eri Silk, Wool and Bamboo Knitted Fabrics Toward Sportswear

Layered fabrics are utilized for the development of active sport wear applications due to their thermo-physiological properties. In this study, nine different types of knitted fabrics were developed using mill spun yarns of Eri silk, Wool (worsted), and Bamboo with three different knit structures such as single jersey, single pique, and honeycomb. The thermo-physiological properties such as thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, thermal absorptivity, air permeability, and water vapor permeability were studied. Further to this, the moisture management properties such as wetting time, absorption rate, spreading speed, and maximum wet radius of the knitted fabrics were measured. Finally, the overall thermal comfort fabric was compared both subjective and objective manner and found that Eri silk based knitted honeycomb structure was highest rated than other samples.