Research Information System
Tekstilec, vol.64, no.4, pp.325-337, 2021 (ESCI)
Sports socks fabrics produced from polyester, polypropylene, their modified forms Thermocool®, Polycolon®, in
three different structures (single jersey, piquet, terry) were investigated for their skin-fabric friction, permeability
(air and water vapour), liquid absorption and transfer (absorbency, immersion, absorption capacity, wetback
and drying) properties. According to the results, the effect of structure is dominant for frictional characteristics
but focusing on the material, polypropylene created a bulkier and lighter structure with lower friction coefficients, an advantage for sports socks. The effect of structure is greater than the material also for some thermal
comfort parameters, e.g. air permeability and absorbency. Focusing on materials, besides their better liquid
transfer characteristics, modified forms of both fibres had worse performances for air permeability and absorbency compared to their standard forms. Absorption capacity, wetback and drying performances were related
to fabric density besides the polyester’s higher regain capacity. While Polycolon® had superiority for wetback
performance against standard polypropylene, this was not the case for Thermocool®; however, both modified
materials showed apparent superiority for drying periods. Piquet structures were advantageous for absorption
capacity and wetback performances for polypropylene. For sports socks parts, specific needs can be met by
changing the fabric structure. Considering the materials, polypropylene and Polycolon® can be recommended
for both thermal and tactile aspects.