Design and Engineering of Functional Clothing
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Indian Journal of Fibre & Textile Research Vol.36, December 2011, pp. 327-335 Design and engineering of functional clothing Deepti Guptaa Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110 016, India The process of design and engineering of functional clothing design is based on the outcomes of an objective assessment of many requirements of the user, and hence tend to be complex and iterative. In this paper, the user requirements (besides the primary requirement of functionality) have been classified under four subtitles, namely physiological, biomechanical, ergonomic and psychological. The correlation between various characteristics of clothing and these requirements has been discussed. Subsequent steps involved in the ergonomic design process such as selection of materials, size and fit determination, pattern making, assembling and finishing have been listed out. Influence of technological advancements in related fields on each of these activities is discussed with a view to emphasise how the process of functional clothing design is different from design of everyday apparel. The fast developing field of functional clothing represents the future of textile and apparel industry, particularly in growing economies like China and India who will be the largest producers as well as consumers of these high tech products. Challenges being faced by this sector and a road map to meet the same have also been proposed. Keywords: Clothing engineering, Comfort, Clothing design, Ergonomic design process, Functional clothing 1 Introduction ergonomic design process such as selection of Unlike fashion clothing, which is essentially a materials, size and fit determination, pattern making, product of the designer’s creative instincts, the assembling and finishing have also been listed out. process of designing functional clothing begins and ends with the user specific requirements. 2 Requirements from Functional Clothing These requirements, whether for performance or Each class of functional clothing has a well for comfort, are determined by the environment defined functionality which distinguishes it from in which the user operates, and the activities that he the other classes. However, in addition to this or she performs. specific functionality, all functional clothing Clothing, by its nature has a restrictive effect on classes must fulfill certain requirements which are body movement as well as on transport of heat and common to all users. These considerations can be moisture from the body. Clothing can be abrasive, classified into the following categories: physiological, noisy, smelly or unattractive. Clothing designed biomechanical, ergonomic and psychological specifically for certain functionalities has been considerations. Effective functional wear is based shown to cause heat stress, reduce task efficiency as on the integration of all of these considerations into well as range-of-motion1 of the wearer. The process the design of a clothing system. of design therefore begins by first establishing the many requirements of the user. Subsequent 2.1 Physiological Requirements processes are based on meeting, to the best possible These relate to the human physiology and extent, these user requirements. Figure 1 shows the anatomy – shape, size, mass, strength and metabolic flow chart of steps involved in the design of activities of the body or the need of the human functional clothing. In this paper, the user body to feel comfortable in a clothing system. requirements (besides the primary requirement To what extent these needs are met is determined of functionality) have been classified under four by the shape, size, feel and design of the garment, subtitles and the correlation between various materials selected and their response to internal characteristics of clothing and these requirements and external stimuli such as extreme cold, heat, are discussed. Subsequent steps involved in the rain, sand or snow. Ease of use, wear and removal —————— has to be considered in case of first responders, aE-mail: [email protected] motor disabled and elderly groups. 328 INDIAN J. FIBRE TEXT. RES., DECEMBER 2011 the body, while the body is moving and working. The shape and fit of the garment vis a vis the human body, pressure and friction exerted by the garment on the body are some of the factors which affect this aspect. Depending on the design and fit, all clothing exerts some pressure on the body. Pressure may also be intentionally applied on specific body parts for therapeutic and rehabilitation applications in the form of compression garments. Distribution of this pressure is determined by the mechanical properties of body parts, e.g. fleshy parts sustain pressure better than bony parts. Biomechanical considerations form the basis of design of specialized clothing classes, e.g. sportswear, where compression may be applied on selected muscles to enhance performance and reduce fatigue. Similarly, clothing for body sculpting is designed to preferentially compress, lift or support body parts based on anatomical and biomechanical considerations. Application of too little pressure is ineffective Fig.1—Flow chart showing the steps involved in design of while too much pressure can restrict the blood functional clothing 2 supply and cause edema or severe debilitation . The primary factors affecting the physiological Designer must know that body parts where major needs are the energy metabolism, clothing thermal blood and lymph vessels lie, are more sensitive properties (as determined by the heat and mass to pressure than the rest. Disregard for these transfer characteristics of clothing assemblies) and considerations can lead to the wearer experiencing the ambient climatic conditions. Given the multitude unpleasant and sometime debilitating sensations of responsible variables, it is extremely complex to such as thermal discomfort, rubbing, chafing, predict the comfort aspects of a garment accurately. localized pressure development and restriction These are affected by clothing penetration by solar of movement. and thermal radiation, interactions with moisture in clothing, effective latent heat of evaporation in 2.3 Ergonomic Requirements clothing, heat and vapour resistance and clothing Ergonomics is defined as the science of work: ventilation (through fabrics and specialized openings of the people who do it and the ways it is done, at optimal body areas). of the tools and equipment they use, the places they work in, and the psycho-social aspects of 3 2.2 Biomechanical Requirements the working situation . It has been shown that Biomechanics deals with the mechanical compared to a semi-nude body, the movement, characteristics of human body as well as the speed, accuracy, and range of motion may be kinematic, dynamic, and behavioral analysis of reduced in a clothed body, while muscular exertion human activity. Its applications address mechanical may be increased, e.g. the integral joint mobility structure, strength, and mobility of humans for of an astronaut can be reduced to 20% of normal engineering purposes — the unusual postures and in a typical space suit4. The ability to receive visual movements of the users , such as crawling, crouching, and auditory feedback may also be compromised fire fighting, flood relief, climbing, zero gravity when performance wear is worn1. and manipulating objects. As clothing forms an Ergonomic considerations dictate that the intimate covering of the human body, mechanical mechanical characteristics of clothing match the interactions take place between clothing and motion, degree of freedom, range of motion and muscles, skin and tissue at different parts of force, and moment of human joints. The working GUPTA : DESIGN AND ENGINEERING OF FUNCTIONAL CLOTHING 329 postures, materials handling, movements, workplace important. It has been reported that medical clothing layout, safety and health considerations should which looks good can actually facilitate effective be given due consideration while developing the social acceptance and lead to an improved quality style, cut and features of a functional garment. of life for the disabled. Aesthetics of the clothing Size of a garment vis a vis the size of body or are as important as performance aspects in some ‘fit’ is another critical consideration in design of sports such as tennis, skiing, motorbiker’s clothing functional garments. Clothing which is too loose and swimming. Assessment of psychological aspects can get caught during work and may impede of clothing can be done through subjective methods movement but that which is too tight will be based on user surveys, feedback and preferences as uncomfortable to work in. Either way, an ill well as study of cultural and demographic features. fitting garment can severely compromise the safety and performance of the wearer. In applications 3 Process of Clothing Design where monitoring devices/sensors are built into Once the user requirements have been established, the clothing, the fit is even more critical as the the next step is to identify and select appropriate sensors have to be in intimate contact with the materials, followed by the design of clothing body in order to be effective. The ergonomic assembly, pattern engineering and the final efficiency of a clothing system can be evaluated assembling of these heterogeneous materials to create objectively by using specially devised human multilayer or composite assemblies in a manner that mechanics and operational performance tests5. allows them to