The effect of
moisture
transfer
29
The effect of moisture
transfer on the compression
properties of wool futon padding
Sachiko Sukigara
Faculty of Education, Niigata University, Niigata-shi, Japan,
Hiroko Yokura
Faculty of Education, Shiga University, Otsu-shi, Japan, and
Masako Niwa
Faculty of Human Life and Environment, Nara Women’s University,
Nara-shi, Japan
Introduction
Wool futon padding has become popular in Japan[1,2]. The price is relatively
low compared to that of down, and the weight of a wool futon is lighter than that
of a cotton futon, making it easier to lift. There are several papers on the
performance of cotton futon padding[3], but an adequate evaluation test for
wool futons has not yet been proposed.
The main disadvantage of using a wool futon is the decrease in elasticity
during use. The authors have already reported thickness changes in the model
futon that a woman used for 51 days[4] and about the repeated compression
property of wool futon padding under atmospheric conditions of 20˚C, 65 per
cent RH[5]. These studies clearly indicated that the presence of moisture affects
both the recovery and non-recovery of wool futon thickness. The purpose of this
paper is to investigate how the presence of moisture affects the compression
properties and volume of wool futon padding, and to obtain basic ideas on how
to improve the performance of wool futon padding.
The experiment
Three cases of moisture transfer are thought to occur with futon use:
(1) A futon absorbs moisture when the person sleeping on it sweats. In high
humidity, a futon also absorbs moisture during storage in a house.
(2) A futon desorbs moisture when it is dried by body temperature during
sleep. It is a Japanese custom to dry a futon in the sun. In this case, a
futon desorbs moisture.
(3) In this case both moisture absorption and desorption do not occur.
International Journal of Clothing
Science and Technology,
Vol. 8 No. 5, 1996, pp. 29-41.
© MCB University Press, 0955-6222
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support received from the Best Wool Club and
IWS in Japan.
Received September 1995
Accepted April 1996