Spacer Knit Textile Apertures for Cooling Without Wet Cling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional athletic textiles fail to provide adequate cooling, especially under moist conditions, due to inadequate air circulation and cling to the skin, which obstructs airflow and reduces breathability.
Innovation Solution
A knit spacer textile with integrally formed, larger apertures extending from one surface to another, combined with controlled stiffness and drape, to maintain airflow and breathability even when wet, promoting convective and evaporative cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional athletic textiles are used, then the garment is fast-drying and promotes air flow, but the cooling effect is inadequate especially under moist conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The textile is divided into multiple functional layers including a knit layer with apertures, a spacer layer with through-passages, and a hydrophobic layer. Each layer performs a specific function: the knit layer provides structural support and aperture-based airflow, the spacer layer creates channels for air circulation, and the hydrophobic layer manages moisture by repelling water while allowing vapor transmission. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its specific function without compromising overall performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a three-dimensional spacer structure that extends through the thickness of the textile, creating vertical air channels and through-passages. This adds a dimensional aspect to airflow management, allowing air to move not only laterally across the fabric surface but also vertically through the layers via the spacer through-passages and knit layer apertures, enhancing cooling efficiency.
2Area of stationary object
If the textile has larger apertures for air flow, then breathability is improved, but structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The textile combines multiple materials and structures: a knit layer made of yarns forming apertures, a spacer layer with through-passages, and a hydrophobic layer. This composite construction allows each layer to contribute different properties - the knit layer provides structural framework with apertures, the spacer layer adds dimensional stability and vertical airflow paths, and the hydrophobic layer manages moisture. Together they maintain structural integrity while enabling large effective aperture areas for breathability.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural load-bearing function is segmented from the airflow function. The knit layer and spacer layer form a composite structural framework that maintains integrity, while the apertures and through-passages are segmented as dedicated airflow pathways. This separation allows large aperture areas without compromising the structural framework.
3Area of stationary object
If the textile is designed to reduce cling to skin, then airflow is maintained, but the garment may have reduced comfort through excessive stiffness
Solution Approach 1:
The textile has different local properties: the outer surface has hydrophobic characteristics to repel water and reduce skin cling, while the inner spacer layer provides a softer, more conforming interface with the skin. The knit layer apertures are strategically positioned to maintain airflow without creating rigid structures that would cause discomfort. This local differentiation allows the garment to be stiff enough to resist cling where needed while remaining comfortable against the skin.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies physical parameters such as the hydrophobicity of the outer layer to change its interaction with moisture and skin, and adjusts the aperture size and distribution in the knit layer to optimize the balance between airflow and flexibility. By changing these parameters, the textile achieves reduced skin cling while maintaining comfort through controlled stiffness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances airflow and breathability, providing improved thermal comfort and cooling through dynamic air exchange, even under active movement, by maintaining airflow and reducing cling to the skin.
Implementation Method 1
promoting convective and evaporative cooling
Implementation Method 2
promoting convective and evaporative cooling
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects herein are directed to textile that includes a first layer formed from a first plurality of yarns or fibers. The first layer includes a first set of apertures, each aperture having a first opening size. The textile further includes a second layer formed from a second plurality of yarns or fibers. The second layer includes a second set of apertures. Each aperture in the second set of apertures is axially aligned with a corresponding aperture in the first set of apertures. Each aperture in the second set of apertures has a second opening size that is smaller than the first opening size of apertures in the first set of apertures. The first layer is relatively more hydrophilic than the second layer.