Custom fit compression textiles with ergonomic wearing comfort

Abstract

Compression textiles (CTs), as the traditional adjuvant physical interventions, are extensively applied based on the acceptable beneficial effects for the daily healthcare prophylaxis and clinical treatment of chronic venous disorders. However, conventional ready-made CTs with improper morphologies and ill-fitting pressure exertions frequently limit clinical efficacy and user compliance. The exact physical-mechanical working mechanisms of CTs remain controversial, and the wearing comfort also needs to be improved in practical applications. Thus, an efficient and operable design-development-evaluation system to achieve custom fit CTs with ergonomic wearing comfort (EWC) needs to be proposed to promote precision medicine and user adherence. This thesis consists of six parts. In the first part, the influencing mechanisms of the yarn-machinery knitting settings on fabric physical-mechanical properties and pressure behaviors were explored. The obtained findings primarily achieved the fabric morphological and pressure control based on the leg mannequin measurements with ideal circular sectional profiles and rigid material properties. In the second part, the effects of leg morphological variations on compression generations of CTs were investigated. Through the novel body classification and pressure prediction systems, the pressure gap ranges between the irregular bio-bodies and circular leg models were obtained as the recommended pressure redistribution strategies for the bio-design of CTs. In the third part, the biomechanical influences of leg soft tissue stiffness on pressure performances of CTs were explored by the three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) modelling, theoretical analysis, and experimental validation studies. In the fourth part, the FE laid-in loop mesoscale models were constructed to simulate the stress mappings of yarn components to facilitate the selection of yarn material combinations. In the fifth part, the design variables were optimized for the determination of user-oriented production parameters. In the sixth part, through the body characterization, determination of knitting settings, construction of biomechanical systems, and subjective assessments, the biodigital design, development, and biomechanical visualization systems were proposed for the custom fit of CTs with EWC. Therefore, based on the above research objectives and major results, the custom fit CTs were developed with individual functional requirements. This study led the operable guidance for the knitting setting determination, 3D seamless fabrication, pressure performance visualization, and subjective evaluation of user oriented CTs. This study provides fundamental and valuable ideas for the working mechanisms and engineering design principles of CTs in further studies. The results not only contribute to improving the clinical effectiveness and practical user compliance of compression therapeutic textile products but also promote the quality and healthy life for human beings.