A study on the water vapor transport through fabrics under subzero climate

Although much work has been dedicated to heat and water vapor transport through fabrics, there is a great lack of understanding on water vapor transport through fabrics under subzero climate, particularly in terms of the effect of condensation on water vapor transport. In this paper, a novel apparatus is described and its application in investigating the moisture transport through fabrics under subzero condition is reported on. The new apparatus is capable of simulate the extremely cold environment down to -40degreesC. Experiments under -20degreesC showed that the accumulation of condensates on fabric surfaces increased linearly with time and the rate of moisture transfer through fabrics was little affected by the condensates on fabric surfaces.