Strain-dependent wicking behavior of cotton/lycra elastic woven fabric for sportswear

The strain-dependent vertical and horizontal wicking of as-prepared cotton/lycra elastic woven fabric was systematically studied. The experimental results revealed that the fabric exhibited a strain strengthening effect. A higher tensile strain results in a higher equilibrium wicking height, and vice versa. Moreover, the results indicated that the proposed Laughlin-Davies model is capable of tracking well the experimental data and replicating the wicking characteristics of fabric under different levels of stretch. In addition, the wetting time and wicking area of fabric under different strains and height regimes were examined during horizontal wicking. It was found that the wetting time decreased with an increase of strain and/or water drop height. The strain-enhanced and height-weakened effects of wicking area were revealed. The spreading mechanism of water drop in elastic fabric was also proposed. Such fundamental work provides a basic support for the in-depth investigation of wicking behavior of complex stretchable textile structures.

Automated summary

The study found that higher tensile strain in cotton/lycra elastic woven fabric leads to a higher equilibrium wicking height, while wetting time decreases with an increase in strain and/or water drop height. The research also revealed the strain-enhanced and height-weakened effects on wicking area during horizontal wicking.