Ventilation design of combing spacer and mesh structure in sports t-shirt

Abstract

This body of work reports on the novel ventilation design in sports T-shirts, which combines both spacer and mesh structure, and experimental evidence on the advantages of design in thermal comfort improvement. Compared to conventional T-shirts designs, the new sports T-shirt design significantly increases air circulation next to the skin and spreads ventilation cooling, both during windy conditions or when the user is moving actively. Comparisons between the new T-shirt and conventional T-shirts were made by:1) measuring their evaporative resistance (Re) and thermal insulation (Rc) with a sweating thermal manikin under three different air velocities. Moisture permeability index (im) was also calculated to compare the different designs; 2) conducting wearer trials comprised of 30 min of treadmill running followed by 10 minutes of rest. Skin temperature, skin relative humidity, heart rate, oxygen inhalation, and energy expenditure were all monitored, and subjective sensations were examined. Results demonstrated that under windy conditions, the moisture permeability index (im) of the new T-shirt design with ventilation structures decreased about 11.1% compared to that of conventional ones. Under these real exercise situations, the sports T-shirt with the new ventilation design contributed to the reduction of heat accumulation, and the reduction of skin relative humidity, and the decrease of hot and chill discomfort. The variation of skin temperature and relative humidity was reduced up to 37% and 32% respectively. Additionally, the wearer felt more comfortable with the novel ventilation designed garment during exercise, especially in the post-exercise phase. The new ventilation design also contributed to the reduction of 3.3% energy expenditure during exercise, which is expected to be applicable to active sportswear for jogging, racket sports, games, other exercises, and more.