SPORTS TEXTILE

Sports textile is one of the branches of technical textile. Now a days sophisticated technology are
used in technical textile to produce sportswear. Textile has done it successfully. Hi-tech textiles
in sport are nothing new. In recent years we have seen the design of fabrics that can take
moisture away from the body, patches on all black jerseys so players can dry their hands for
better grip, fabrics that can sense high impact stresses on players joints, and fabrics that can
sense heart rate, temperature and other physiological data .
Todays sports demand high performance equipment and apparel. The light weight and
safety features of sporttech have become important in their substitution for other materials. These
high-functional and smart textiles are increasingly adding value to the sports and leisure industry
by combining utilitarian functions with wearing comfort that leads to achieving high level of
performance. Technical textiles have enabled production of materials that are tougher than wood,
which breathe like skin, are waterproof like rubber and at the same time are eco-friendly and
highly economical. The augmentations in the sports and leisure industry have resulted in the use
of technical textiles in different sports.
The technical textiles usage in the Sportech segment is valued at Rs 2,632 crore in 200708. Domestic consumption of sports footwear components is valued at Rs 2,250 crore,
accounting for around 85% of the total segment consumption. Sport composites include
inflatable balls (footballs, volleyball, basketballs, etc), cricket protective equipments and boxing
equipments. Sportech products include sports composites, artificial turf, parachute fabrics,
ballooning fabrics, sail cloth, sleeping bags, sport nets, sport shoes components, tents, swimwear
etc.
PROPERTIES OF SPORTS TEXTILE:
1. Sports textile must have comported ability, easy to wear, easy handling.
2. Sports textiles fabrics have a very high electrical conductivity, so they can permit the
effectual dissipation of electrical charge.
3. It should be light as best as possible.
4. Filaments fabrics are made highly effecting in moisture management & thus they can
wick the moisture as known as sweat away from the body & keeps body dry.
5. Sports textile should have good perspiration fastness.

6. As this sports fabric has a special property well known as heat conductivity make
possible to feel the user cooler in summer & warmer in winter.
7. Garments manufactured from sports textiles fabrics, keeps the normal stability of body
comfort, because these fabrics are ultra-breathable, fast drying and possess outstanding
moisture managing properties, which rapidly wick moisture away from the body.
8. These garments are also very less in weight & feature elasticity properties, which
provides immense comfort and independence of movement.
9. Keeping a normal level of bacteria on the skin offers a high level of comfort and personal
hygiene, especially during athletic activities.
10. Sports textiles fabrics remove UVA and UVB rays that are dangerous to the skin, and
guarantees an improved level of defense compared to the majority general natural and
man-made fibres.
11. It also provides superior strength and durability.
12. The athletics & the leisure activities for their better performance in the sports.
Trade Name of Sportswear:
1. Coolmax
2. Lumiace
3. Dryarn
4. Killat N
5. Triactor
6. Dri-release
7. Naiva
8. Field sensor
9. Water magic
10. Gore-tex
11. Entrant G H
12. SYPMPATEX
13. ISOFIX super
14. Sportwool
15. Hygra

 APPLICATION/USES OF SPORTS TEXTILE

Sports textile has versatile use. Some uses of Sports Textile are given below:
Shoes, sports equipment, flying and sailing sports, climbing, angling, cycling, winter and
summer sports, indoor sports wear. Some of the sports where these textiles are being used are
Golf,

Tennis,

Mountaineering,

Skiing,

Cricket

and

Paralympic

Sports.

A few areas where these textiles are being increasingly used are:
1. Swimming costume
2. Artificial turfs, sleeping bags, ballooning and parachute fabrics
3. Material technology and design,of equipment
4. Biomechanics and the engineering aspects of sports machinery
5. Surface treatment of equipment
6. Sports footwear
REQUIREMENTS FOR AN ACTIVE SPORTSWEAR

Functional: For active sportswear requires super lightweight, low fluid resistance, super high
tenacity & stretchablility. For those who are seeking comfort & healthy pursuits critical
features include thermal regulation, UV resistance, sweat absorption & fast drying, vapour
permeability.

Aesthetics: From sensitivity or aesthetics point of view softness, surface texture, handle,
luster, colour & comfort are important factors.

Moisture management
Moisture management is one of the key performance criteria in today's apparel industry. It is
defined as the ability of a garment to transport moisture away from the skin to the garment's
outer surface. This action prevents perspiration from remaining next to the skin. In hot
conditions, trapped moisture may heat up and lead to fatigue or diminished performance. In
cold conditions, trapped moisture will drop in temperature and cause chilling and
hypothermia. Excess moisture may also cause the garment to become heavy, as well as cause
damage to the skin from chafing.

Moisture is transported in textiles through capillary action or wicking. In textiles, the

spaces between the fibres effectively form tubes, which act as capillaries, and transport the
liquid away from the surface. Capillary action is determined by two fundamental properties
of the capillary: Its diameter; and surface energy of its inside face. The smaller the diameter
or the greater the surface energy, the greater the tendency of a liquid to move up the
capillary. Hydrophilic fibres have a high surface energy. Consequently, they pick up
moisture more readily than hydrophobic fibres. For this reason, fabrics with many narrow
capillaries, such as microfibres, are ideal for moisture transport.
Another factor, which affects moisture management, is absorbency. However, while greater
absorbency increases the ability for moisture to be drawn into the fabric, the tendency of
absorbent fibres to retain such moisture affects comfort levels, as the garment becomes
saturated. It has been shown that fabrics, which wick moisture rapidly through the fabric
while absorbing little water help to regulate body temperature, improve muscle performance
and delay exhaustion.
Generally, the most effective moisture management fabrics are high-tech synthetic
fabrics, which are made from polyamide or polyester microfibres. These are lightweight, are
capable of transporting moisture efficiently and dry relatively quickly. As removal of
moisture is an important criteria, so is impermeability of the fabric to rain water is important.
For outdoor sports garments, it becomes a necessity.
"Push-pull" fabrics -- bicomponent materials composed of a non-absorbent material on the
inside and an absorbent material on the outside -- have proved to be an effective construction
for moisture management fabrics. This is because the absorbent material on the outside draws
the moisture away from the skin while the non-absorbent material keeps the skin dry. There
are several factors, which affect moisture transport in a fabric. The most important are: Fibre
type; Cloth construction or weave; Weight or thickness of the material; and Presence of
chemical treatments. In fact, so far as cotton is concerned, the synthetics should be preferred
in clothing of active sports as they do not retain moisture and this has the advantage of
keeping garments lighter than the cotton when it is wet. Also synthetic fibres have some
added advantage of quick dry and good shape retention property.