wick, moisture-wicking, capillary action, compression shorts

As a fullback at the University of Maryland, Plank got tired of having to change out of the sweat-soaked T-shirts worn under his jersey; however, he noticed that his compression shorts worn during practice stayed dry. This inspired him to make a T-shirt using moisture-wicking synthetic fabric.

It’s pretty much impossible to shop for outdoor clothing without running into the phrase “moisture wicking.” Brands are forever telling you their apparel is made of this moisture-wicking stuff, so it must be important. But what exactly do they mean?

A moisture-wicking fabric has two jobs: one is quickly moving (wicking) sweat to the fabric’s outer surface and the other is drying rapidly so that your sweat doesn’t saturate the fabric. The result is that you’re more comfortable because your body can regulate its temperature efficiently and the fabric touching your skin has a dry, nonsticky feel.

How Moisture-Wicking Fabrics Work

Moisture wicking relies on “capillary action,” which is the movement of a liquid (sweat in this case) through tiny spaces within a fabric due to the molecular forces between the liquid and the fabric’s internal surfaces. Brands refine this process by carefully engineering the structure of the yarns within their fabrics, and by applying a variety of treatments to surfaces within that structure.

Don’t sweat the science, though, just look for the magic phrase “moisture wicking.” And don’t get caught up in any testing claims because brands use a variety of tests to measure moisture wicking and there’s no standard test you can use for comparison.

2009年10月28日 星期三

wick,moisture-wicking, capillary action

Muscling Into the Mainstream
By DAVID COLMANCan Under Armour, a line of moisture-wicking compression garments designed to wear under sports uniforms, beloved by football players, body builders and soldiers, make it to the majors?

wick off ...

wick
n.

1. A cord or strand of loosely woven, twisted, or braided fibers, as on a candle or oil lamp, that draws up fuel to the flame by capillary action.
2. A piece of material that conveys liquid by capillary action.

tr. & intr.v., wicked (wĭkt), wick·ing, wicks.

To convey or be conveyed by capillary action: water gradually wicking up through the bricks.

[Middle English wike, from Old English wēoce.]

wicking The action of absorption by means of capillary action.

 capillary

cap・il・lar・y

   

━━ a., n. 毛のような; 毛細管（の）.
 cap・il・lar・i・ty
　━━ n. 毛（細）管現象.
 capillary attraction [action]　毛管引力.
 capillary tube　毛（細）管.