Sona College of Technology patents an easy way to test a fabric’s ability to stay dry

With lockdown, it has only intensified as for cooped up citizens workout at home is the only outlet to burn calories and energy.

As such the need for more absorbent clothing has been growing and fabric manufacturers and athleisure marketers have been experimenting with clothing that stays dry.

An important feature of a fabric is how ventilated it is and how it transports sweat out of the body so as to make the wearer feel comfortable. 

At the textile manufacturing hub of Salem, the Sona College of Technology has come up with a sweat transfer tester that will allow fabric makers to assess how well the cloth can handle perspiration.

The department has got a patent for its dynamic sweat transfer tester which is unique because it analyses wicking behaviour of multi-structured fabrics.

To be absorbent the fabric should wick (draw off liquid through capillary action) and the liquid should spread well so that the evaporation is quicker.

With the device developed at Sona, the rate of (time per unit area) sweat travelling through a fabric sample is measured on the principle of electrical conductivity.

A couple of copper pins which act as sensors form the basis of the tester. When the sweat is introduced in the centre of fabric through a syringe, the sweat absorbed by the fabric spreads in all directions.

The time and area spread is measured using sensors to quantify fabric wicking behavior.

According to Dr. D. Raja, Professor and Head of Department of Fashion Technology, at Sona College of Technology, the tester will be of great use at the fabric design and production stage. Since it is part of the production process, it will not add any additional cost to the garment. “This novel device will support in evaluating requirements of sportswear and health care textiles,” he says.

Sona College, known for meeting the ever-changing knowledge needs and skill requirements through its 36 research labs, and for a deep connect with the industry has been recognised as the Best Industry Linked Institution by CII-AICTE for the past six years.

Sona College of Technology’s Fashion Technology department that started in 2001 has prepared over industry ready graduates.

Many of them are working with top apparel manufacturers in India and abroad. The department has received the national level prestigious AICTE-CII Award three times (2016, 2018 and 2019) as the Best Industry-linked department.

As an autonomous institution under Anna University, the Sona College runs a dedicated training department with experienced trainers from various fields who help sharpen Problem Solving Ability, Soft Skills, Language Proficiency, Leadership Traits as well as Stress Management.

The Sona Valliappa Group of educational institutions have an extensive experience of over six decades of delivering quality education across Engineering, Technology and Management through its undergraduate, graduate, post graduate and doctoral programs.