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Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics 9:4 (2016) 237–245
doi:10.3993/jfbim00251
Fabric Cooling by Water Evaporation
Uwe Reischl a,∗, Ravindra S. Goonetilleke b
aBoise State University, 1910 University Ave., Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
bThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong
Abstract
Clothing can provide safety and comfort for persons exposed to both cold and hot thermal environments.
To assess the potential impact of clothing moisture and wetness on fabric cooling, a series of wind-tunnel
tests was conducted to quantify the evaporative cooling capacity of selected fabric samples. Single-
layer cotton, polyester, nylon and silk were evaluated. The results showed that onset and magnitude of
evaporative cooling was determined by the amount of water contained in a fabric sample. The results
also showed that an exposed “skin” exhibited more cooling when covered with a fabric than when it was
not. The information obtained helps better understand the evaporative cooling process for fabrics and
assist in the selection of garment materials that optimize worker comfort and safety.
Keywords: Evaporative Cooling; Fabrics Moisture; Protective Clothing
1 Background
Evaporation of water from the skin can provide significant cooling benefits for individuals exposed
to hot and / or dry environments. However, clothing can complicate the evaporation process by
creating a barrier to metabolic heat loss through the insulation created by the clothing itself.
This, in turn, can create a humid microclimate that reduces the evaporative cooling efficiency
of sweat from the skin [1]. Assessing the cooling effect of evaporation in clothing systems is
very complex. Sweat may evaporate directly from the skin surface or wick into the fabric where
evaporation takes place on the surface of the garment rather than on the skin surface. Both
of these processes can occur simultaneously. Furthermore, excessive sweat may roll off the skin
or remain trapped in the clothing system. It is assumed that sweat evaporated from the skin
surface can deliver more cooling than when sweat evaporates from a garment [2]. When sweat
evaporates from a garment, the location of the evaporative phase change is moved from the skin
to the outer surface of the garment where heat is extracted from the external environment rather
than from the surface of the skin. The overall cooling effects of sweat evaporation for clothed
persons has been carried out on human subjects as well as using thermal manikins [3-6]. However,
the outcomes have been difficult to related to clothing design and fabric selection because the
∗Corresponding author.
Email address: ureischl@boisestate.edu (Uwe Reischl).
1940–8676 / Copyright ©2016 Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Society
2016
238 U. Reischl et al. / Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics 9:4 (2016) 237–245
data are confounded by heat loss due to the latent heat of vaporization which cannot be assessed
separately [7]. The cooling generated by wet clothing, independent of body metabolic heat loss,
and the associated latent heat of vaporization, have not been separated. To address this issue,
a series of tests was carried out to measure the cooling created by evaporation not impacted by
metabolic heat production or subsequent sweating.
2 Methods and Procedures
Wind-tunnel tests were conducted on cotton, polyester, nylon and silk fabric samples to determine
the cooling generated by water evaporation from the fabric samples under controlled temperature,
humidity, and air velocity conditions. The temperature drop due to water evaporation was mea-
sured using a thermocouple temperature probe imbedded into the surface of a mounting platform.
A “control” configuration which did not include a fabric sample placed on the temperature sensor
was used as a reference. All tests were performed three times and the data averaged.
2.1 Wind Tunnel
A negative pressure laminar air flow wind-tunnel was used for this study. The wind-tunnel
measured 2.3 meters in length, 40.5 cm in height and 30.5 cm in width. Fabric samples were
placed onto a mounting platform which was positioned in the center of the wind-tunnel 1.2 meters
from the inlet. The air velocity was maintained at 1.5 m/sec. Air temperature was maintained
at 22 ◦C (±2◦C) and relative humidity maintained at 15% (±5%).
2.2 Fabric Samples
Four types of fabric materials were tested. These included 100% cotton, 100% polyester, 100%
nylon, and 100% silk. Each sample was 5.0 cm×6.0 cm in size.
2.3 Mounting Platform
Fabric samples were placed onto a convex shaped mounting platform made of water impermeable
Styrofoam. Samples were placed onto the platform surface at a 45◦angle relative to the horizontal
and oriented into the wind-tunnel airflow. The platform allowed a fabric sample to lay smoothly
on the surface. To prevent potential displacement of the fabric sample by the air flow, each sample
was secured to the platform by four corner pins. The platform provided gravity run-off for all
excess water. A precision type K fine-wire glass insulated thermocouple was embedded into the
surface of the mounting platform which provided a temperature measurement of the underside of
the fabric sample. The digital thermometer provided an accuracy of ±0.1 ◦C
2.4 Test Protocol
Fabric samples were spray irrigated with water 10 seconds prior to the start of each test run. The
irrigation water was maintained at room-temperature prior to application and was applied until
U. Reischl et al. / Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics 9:4 (2016) 237–245 239
a fabric sample was saturated. Saturation was determined when the water was dripping freely
from the mounting platform. The fabric samples tested for the “moist” condition were initially
saturated with the irrigation water but then manually squeezed to remove all excess water. This
procedure was subjective. No water was added to any of the samples later during the tests.
The temperature drop created by each sample was measured for duration of 15 minutes. The
temperature on the surface of the platform and bottom of the fabric sample was recorded at 0.5
minute, 1.0 minute, 1.5 minutes, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes. All fabric
samples, including the saturated and moist conditions, were tested three times.
3 Results
3.1 Control
Table 1 summarizes the evaporative cooling observed for the “control” condition in comparison
to the saturated cotton fabric sample. The temperature drop seen for the control condition was
5.1 ◦C during the first five minutes and declined to 4.4 ◦C afterwards. However, the temperature
drop observed for the cotton sample was 8.6 ◦C during the first 10 minutes but showed no decline
afterwards.
Table 1: Temperature drop observed for the “control” condition and saturated cotton sample. Values
represent the average of three trials
Exposure Time (Minutes) “Control” Configuration (◦C) Cotton Sample (◦C)
0 0 0
0.5 3.4 4.2
1.0 4.4 6.2
1.5 4.7 7.3
2 4.8 7.9
5 5.1 8.5
10 4.5 8.6
15 4.4 8.6
3.2 Water Content
Table 2 summarizes the evaporative cooling observed for the “moist” and the “saturated” cotton
samples. During the first 1.5 minutes of exposure, cooling created by the “moist” sample was
substantially greater than by the “saturated” sample. However, after two minutes of exposure,
the “saturated” cotton sample exhibited substantially greater cooling than the “moist” cotton
sample.
3.3 Fabric Materials
Table 3 summarizes the evaporative cooling for the cotton, polyester, nylon and silk saturated
fabric samples. During the first 1.5 minutes the temperature drop measured was greater for
240 U. Reischl et al. / Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics 9:4 (2016) 237–245
Table 2: Cotton sample temperature drop observed for the “moist” and “saturated” conditions. Values
represent the average of three trials
Exposure Time (Minutes) Cotton Sample (Moist) (◦C) Cotton Sample (Saturated) (◦C)
0 0 0
0.5 6.7 5.7
1.0 7.8 7.4
1.5 8.3 8.2
2 8.4 8.5
5 8.5 8.8
10 8.5 8.8
15 8.5 8.8
Table 3: Evaporative cooling observed for the saturated cotton sample, polyester sample, nylon sample,
and silk sample. Values represent the average of three trials
Exposure Time (Minutes) Cotton Sample (◦C) Polyester Sample (◦C) Nylon Sample (◦C) Silk Sample (◦C)
1.5 8.5 8.3 9.1 9.2
2 9.1 8.9 9.2 9.3
5 9.6 9.5 9.3 9.4
10 9.7 9.6 9.2 9.4
15 9.7 9.6 9.0 9.4
the Nylon and silk samples in comparison to the temperature drop measured for the cotton and
polyester samples. However, this relationship was reversed after five minutes when the cotton
and polyester cooling was observed to be greater than that for the nylon and silk samples.
4 Analysis
Comparing the temperature drop created by the cotton sample with the temperature drop created
by the “control” condition suggests that the improved cooling for the saturated cotton fabric
sample was due to the water contained in the fabric sample. Since the testing platform was made
of non-absorbing material, water applied to the platform flowed off the surface freely with only
a surface layer of water remaining due to the surface adhesion. This condition provided only a
limited amount of water for evaporation. As shown in Fig. 1, the “control” cooling decreased
over time while the cotton fabric sample exhibited no such decrease. This difference in cooling
suggests that the amount of water retained by the fabric sample determined the final cooling
capacity as well as the duration of the cooling process. The T-test applied to the equilibrium
conditions, i.e., the 2-15 minute time segments, yielded p = 0.001.
The relationship between water retention in a fabric and the evaporative cooling capacity of the
sample is illustrated in Fig. 2. The saturated (high water content) cotton sample exhibited the
greatest overall cooling than the moist sample. However, the moist sample exhibited a greater
temperature drop during the first 1.5 minutes while the saturated sample exhibited a greater
temperature drop afterwards. The dynamics of the relative cooling advantages offered over time
U. Reischl et al. / Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics 9:4 (2016) 237–245 241
Cotton
Control
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
00 2 4 6 8 10
Time (minutes)
12 14 16
Temperature Drop
Fig. 1: Evaporative cooling for the saturated cotton sample in comparison to the “control” over a 15
minute period
8.9
8.8
8.7
8.6
8.5
8.4
8.3
8.2
8.10 2 4 6 8 10
Time (minutes)
12 14 16
Moist
Saturated
Temperature Drop
Fig. 2: Evaporative cooling observed for the saturated and the moist cotton samples. The moist sample
generated a greater temperature drop during the first 1.5 minutes while the saturated sample generated
a greater temperature drop afterwards
by each of the fabric samples is illustrated in Fig. 3. This suggests that the maximum cooling
does not always occur when the water retained in a sample is high. The T-test applied to the
equilibrium conditions, i.e., the 5-15 minute time segments, yielded p = 0.007.
A comparison of the cooling dynamics exhibited by the cotton, polyester, nylon, and silk samples
is illustrated in Fig. 4. It is seen that the cotton and polyester samples offered greater evaporative
cooling overall than the silk and nylon samples. It is important to note, however, the nylon and
silk samples initially provided greater evaporative cooling. These differences were statistically
significant. The T-test was again applied to the equilibrium conditions. The cotton/polyester
comparison yielded p = 0.05, the cotton/silk comparison yielded p = 0.001, and the cotton/nylon
comparison yielded p = 0.006 This finding again supports the concept illustrated in Fig. 2 and
Fig. 3 where the moist sample exhibited greater initial evaporative cooling than the saturated
sample.
242 U. Reischl et al. / Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics 9:4 (2016) 237–245
Time (minutes)
Relative temperature difference (°C)
0 5 10 15 20
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
−0.2
−0.4
Fig. 3: Illustration of the relative evaporative cooling advantage offered by the moist sample relative to
the saturated sample during the first 1.5 minutes followed by a cooling disadvantage afterwards
Time (minutes)
Temperature drop (°C)
Cotton
Polyester
Nylon
Silk
9.8
9.6
9.4
9.2
9.0
8.8
8.6
8.4
8.20 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Fig. 4: Evaporative cooling observed for the cotton, polyester, silk and nylon fabric samples after 1.5
minutes of air flow exposure
5 Discussion
The water introduced into a fabric is dispersed and also retained in response to the interaction of
water molecule surface tension, cohesion and adhesion to the fabric fibers. These forces interact
U. Reischl et al. / Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics 9:4 (2016) 237–245 243
with the water droplets and the fabric fibers which influence the total amount of water that is
stored in the fabric and also determines the surface area over which the water can evaporate.
The ability of a fabric to capture water and distribute the water over the material will dictate
the evaporation capacity of the material. The distribution of the water over the fabric material
determines the evaporation capacity of the fabric material which will be greater than the evapo-
ration capacity of the skin where the water remains attached to the skin in the form of droplets
as illustrated in Fig. 5. Fig. 6 illustrates the mechanism by which fibers promote the spread of
water over a larger area in a fabric that increases the overall cooling capacity through evaporation.
This is illustrated in Fig. 3 showing the cooling advantage offered by wet fabrics. However, the
evaporation efficiency of water from a fabric can also be influenced by the total amount of water
that is retained within the fabric. As seen in Table 2 and Fig. 3, the cooling efficiency is optimal
at lower “wetness“ levels, i.e., moist conditions, while cooling over an extended period of time is
promoted by higher water content levels.
Fig. 5: Sweat droplets accumulating on the surface of the human skin as a result of water molecule
cohesion and adhesion. This limits the spread of water over the skin and reduces the potential of
evaporative cooling from the skin
Water
Fabric fibers
Dry threads
Heat loss by conduction
Water exposure
capillary action
Wet threads
complete wetting
Skin
Vaporization
Fig. 6: Interaction of water droplets with fabric fibers that increases the available surface area for
evaporation and subsequent skin cooling
The results of this study suggest that a person wearing an appropriate garment experiences bet-
ter cooling and more comfort than a person without a garment. Such an approach is observed for
experienced athletes who wear a shirt when engaged in athletic competitions. This is illustrated
in Fig. 7.
244 U. Reischl et al. / Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics 9:4 (2016) 237–245
Fig. 7: Runner wearing a T-shirt to maximize cooling through garment sweat evaporation (Hong Kong
Sports Photography Association Photo)
6 Conclusions
Based on the results obtained in this study, the following conclusions can be reached:
•Wet clothing can create cooling that is significantly greater than cooling generated by water
evaporating directly from the skin
•Initial cooling by wet fabrics is greatest when a fabric contains a minimal amount of water
(moist) while cooling is optimal over a longer period of time when the fabric contains high
levels of water (saturated).
•The level of cooling created by wet clothing over time is dictated by the total water content
in the fabric. The greater the amount of water, the longer the cooling effect over time.
This study also helps explain why persons frequently report improved comfort in hot environ-
ments when wearing single-layered clothing that does not absorb much sweat. The materials that
absorb little water such as nylon and silk provide immediate cooling while cotton provides better
cooling later. Application of this information can help in the design and development of future
clothing systems that create both immediate and long-term improvements in comfort and safety
for the users.
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