Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the waterproofness and water vapor transport properties of 30 waterproof and breathable textiles in the market. MVTR upright cup test with water, MVTR inverted cup test with potassium acetate, and sweating hot plate test method were used for measuring the breathability of fabric samples. The waterproofness of all fabric samples and evaporative resistance of garment ensembles made with 5 selected waterproof and breathable textiles out of 30 samples were tested. The results of this study were as follows. The base fabrics of the most samples were basic weave structure with either polyester or nylon fiber. The waterproofness was over $5000mmH_2O$ for all the samples except densely woven fabrics. The evaporative resistance of garments that were made out of 5 fabric samples with a range of low to high breathability ranged $39.9{\sim}56.7m^2{\cdot}P{\cdot}W^{-1}$. The data of the water vapor transport properties of fabric samples varied with different test methods. Overall the bicomponent film fabrics showed better breathability and less standard deviation regardless of test methods. It is expected the breathability data without the information of test conditions used for marketing would confuse the consumers and the apparel manufacturers.
