How outdoor sportswear is waterproof, windproof and breathable
Outdoor casual work wear is mostly woven from water-blocking breathable fabrics. Water-blocking breathable fabrics mean that water cannot penetrate into the fabric under a certain pressure, and the sweat emitted by the human body It can be transmitted to the outside world in the form of water vapor through the fabric, thereby preventing sweat from accumulating and condensing between the body surface and the fabric to maintain wearing comfort. It is a high-tech, unique functional fabric.
Water repellency is not a problem for the fabric industry. The key is how to achieve both breathability and super wind resistance. Below, we will give an in-depth explanation of new high-tech products from the perspective of the types of fabrics that can achieve water-blocking, wind-blocking and breathable fabrics.
1. Breathability is achieved by laminating water-blocking and breathable films
1. PTFE film
The diameter of water vapor molecules is 0.0004 microns, the diameter of small mist in rainwater is 20 microns, and the diameter of drizzle is as high as 400 microns. If we can create a pore with a diameter between water vapor and rainwater, The film can be both water-blocking and breathable. The American Gore Company became the first company to produce this film using polytetrafluoroethylene (polytetrafluoroethylene). It was laminated with fabric and then named GORE-TEX? (Gore-Tex™) film. After continuous efforts, by laminating it with other hydrophilic films to form a laminated film, and performing special treatments on the film, its fastness is greatly improved.
It is generally believed that the water pressure of this fabric can reach 10000mm, and the water pressure will drop significantly after washing 6-7 times; the high air permeability can reach 10000g/sqm*24hrs, but it is not just made. The fabric can reach this value. It needs to be washed several times to remove part of the glue. The available pores will increase and the air permeability will increase. At the same time, the work clothes made of this fabric can also block the intrusion of cold wind and prevent the wind from passing through the fabric and blowing the body. The emitted heat is taken away so that the body does not feel cold due to heat loss; in addition, the fabric can resist 97.5% of ultraviolet rays.
PTFE fabrics are now mainly represented by Gore and Donaldson in the United States. Gore produces and laminates its own films and does not sell the films separately. It designates better workwear manufacturers to make workwear and has separate sales staff to cooperate with them. After Gore produced the unique fabric with water-blocking, wind-blocking and breathable functions, it can be said to have written a myth in the outdoor field. It was known as the “Century Fabric” in Europe and the United States, and the work clothes, shoes and hats made of it , gloves have been protecting American astronauts and countless explorers for many years. The militaries of Germany, France, Nordic countries, South Korea, Singapore and other countries have also partially adopted this fabric, and it has been listed as one of the top 100 American products by Fortune magazine. one. Almost all top outdoor clothing brands use GORE-TEX? (Gore-TexTM) fabrics to provide comprehensive care for outdoor enthusiasts and enable them to fully enjoy the fun of outdoor activities. Among them, the brands that are familiar to Chinese consumers There are: Arc’ Teryx, The North Face, Black Yak,
Ozark, Bonton, Garmont, Arctic Fox, Nautica, Timberland, Tecnica,
Vasque,Treksta etc. In recent years, Gore has made continuous efforts to accurately position the different functions and applicability of GORE-TEX fabrics, and developed four major categories that can meet different outdoor leisure needs: GORE-TEX Pro Shell, GORE-TEX Performance
Shell, GORE-TEX Soft Shell and GORE-TEX
Paclite Shell has firmly established its absolute position in the functional fabric industry; Donaldson only produces films and laminates them at Japanese lamination manufacturers.
2. TPU film
TPU is the abbreviation of thermoplastic polyurethane film, which is a non-porous hydrophilic film. Since the film itself has no pores, the water-repellent effect is naturally very good. Breathability is mainly achieved through its hydrophilic properties. It relies on the difference in vapor pressure between the inside and outside of the garment to transfer steam from places with high pressure to places with low pressure, thus achieving the breathable function.
2. Breathability is achieved through PU coating
Adopt dry direct PU coating, transfer PU coating, foam PU coating, phase inversion or wet PU coating (solidified PU coating) and other process technologies to combine various properties The PU coating agent with water-blocking and breathable properties is coated on the surface of the fabric, so that the pores on the surface of the fabric are closed or reduced to a certain extent by the PU coating agent, thereby obtaining water-blocking properties. The breathability of the fabric is achieved through the microporous structure formed by extraordinary methods on the PU coating or the interaction between the hydrophilic groups and water molecules in the PU coating agent. With the help of hydrogen bonds and other intermolecular forces, water molecules are absorbed on the high humidity side. , and then passed to the low temperature side to obtain the analytical effect. PU coated fabric is widely used due to its low price and high breathability. However, due to its poor water-blocking and breathable properties, its hand feel is also poor.It is satisfactory, and its market share is gradually decreasing.
The currently developed wet-transfer PU coated fabric brings a new lease of life to PU coated fabrics. It not only has high physical properties such as water resistance and breathability, but the surface fabric can be treated with 100% Teflon and is washable. The speed can reach more than 25 times, and the feel is particularly good.
3. Breathability through fiber
1. Ventel fabric
It was designed by the British Shirley Research Institute in the 1940s. It uses Egyptian long-staple cotton with high count and low twist pure cotton yarn to create high-density and heavy-weight flat weave fabrics. It was mainly used in the second Cold and water-resistant clothing for British air force pilots during the Great War. When the fabric is dry, the gaps between the warp and weft yarns are larger, about 10 microns, which can provide a highly breathable structure; when rain or water hits the fabric, the cotton yarns expand, reducing the gaps between the yarns to 3~ 4 microns, this closed-cell mechanism combined with an extremely water-repellent finish ensures that the fabric is protected from further penetration by rainwater. At present, this type of fabric has long been replaced by other water-blocking and breathable fabrics.
2.Coolmax fabric
The sweat is discharged from the body by creating pores inside the fiber, which is the moisture-absorbent and sweat-wicking fabric currently on the market.
TIPS new top category: GORE-TEX Pro Shell three-layer fabric uses the most advanced GORETM Micro Grid
Backer’s new patented lining structure technology. First of all, the stitching marks at the seams of the work clothes are significantly smaller and almost imperceptible. As a result, the friction between the inner and outer clothing is greatly reduced, which not only facilitates the free stretch of the body but also enhances the overall aesthetics of the work clothes; secondly, Compared with previous fabrics, the weight of GORE-TEX Pro Shell laminated fabric is reduced by 15 grams per square centimeter, and the weight of the entire garment will be reduced by about 60 grams, which can be used for outdoor leisure, such as mountaineering, bouldering, ice climbing, skiing and Lovers of adventure and more experience lasting protection and ultimate comfort. With the protection of this layer of lining structure, the water-blocking, wind-blocking, and breathable functions of GORE-TEX film will be maintained for a longer period of time.
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