Modeling heat and moisture transfer in cylindrical porous media fabrics: influencing factors and structural optimization

Modeling and simulation to test the heat and moisture transfer properties of fabric has been gaining in popularity for improving current tests. In this study, a three-dimensional transient model of the underwear air layer–porous media fabric–external environment system was established by using SolidWorks software for modeling, and the heat and moisture transfer process was simulated by COMSOL Multiphysics software. By simulating the process of heat and moisture transfer under different parameters, the effects of temperature, moisture, wind speed, and air layer on heat and moisture transfer were visualized. The reliability of the model is proved by the standardized test of the experimental sample with a cylinder instrument. In addition, through the study of air layer thickness and a capsule model with both plane structure and curved structure, the influence of model structure on simulation results is explored. In this study, the heat and moisture transfer parameters and structure of the system are analyzed in detail, which is helpful to gain a better understanding of the heat and moisture transfer mechanisms of the fabric and explore the optimization direction of the existing cylinder instrument.