Optimization and prediction of thermal comfort properties of cut-protective fabric

This study optimizes and predicts the thermal comfort performance of cut-protective fabrics produced from multicomponent hybrid yarns comprising a stainless steel (SS) core, an inner polyester sheath and an outer high-performance polyethylene (HPPE) sheath. A Box-Behnken experimental design was employed to evaluate the effects of SS fibre diameter, HPPE linear density and yarn twist on thermal conductivity and air permeability. Results demonstrated that thermal comfort properties are significantly governed by constituent filament linear density and yarn twist. Second-order regression models provided excellent fits, with R² values of 0.9605 for thermal conductivity and 0.9972 for air permeability. Optimal performance was achieved at SS fibre diameters of 35-40 µm, HPPE linear densities of 350-400 denier and yarn twist levels of 400-450 m⁻¹, yielding a desirability score of 1.0. Strong agreement between predicted and experimental results confirms the robustness of the developed models.