Eco-friendly hemp woven (two-dimensional and three-dimensional) fabrics for tear and puncture protection; an approach for comfort and ergonomics.

Abstract

Objectives. Two-dimensional (2D) woven fabrics are inefficient in exhibiting viable thermal comfort and protective function in high-tech applications that govern a need for three-dimensional (3D) weaves. Such 3D fabrics offer superior performance over 2D fabrics; however, no study has reported the simultaneous comparison of thermal and protective performance properties of 2D and 3D structures with equal thread densities. Methods. This work developed four woven structures, i.e., single, double, three and four layers, using eco-friendly hemp yarn for low to medium tear and puncture hazard protection. Plain weave was used in 2D structures while orthogonal through thickness (OTT) interlocking was used with plain weave in 3D woven structures. Thermal comfort and protective performance were evaluated to analyze the application suitability of designed structures. Results. Four-layered 3D fabric showed the best results of dry fluid transmission, indicating an increase in transmission with increasing out-of-plane layers owing to the highest volume porosity of 97.8%. The overall moisture management capability (OMMC) index and thermal conductivity exhibited a decreasing trend from single-layered to four-layered fabrics. Initially, tensile and puncture resistance attributes increased with increasing number of layers; afterwards, both properties compromised by 11-50%. All terms were found statistically significant with p < 0.05 by analysis of variance.