Abstract
An ideal fabric for outdoor garments should possess several critical properties, principally water and windproofness, permeability to water vapour, durability and good drape. Attempts to combine these properties in one product have involved a diversity of constructional approaches so that resulting products function by very different mechanisms.
The paper discusses the principal current product constructions and outlines the principles by which they function. Performance of fabrics for outdoor garments is then reviewed, with emphasis on water vapour permeability, waterproofness, and abrasion reistance of various product types.
Fabrics which are composites of textiles with PU or PTFE microporous membranes are shown to have the best combination of water vapour permeability and waterproofness. Composites of textiles with solid hydrophilic films are less permeable though they are more resistant to abrasion.
A microporous PU membrane, Porelle(R)*, affords a combination of functional and mechanical properties which makes it well suited for use in textile composites for waterproof and breathable outdoor garments. Physiological and echnical requirements of such garments are met very adequately by the use of Porelle(R)* composites.
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