Dr Jan Beringer, Senior Scientific Expert at Hohenstein, recently spoke about the technology behind the Hohenstein Performance Index (HPI) at the Functional Fabric Fair©: Portland.
Video courtesy of Hohenstein and the Functional Fabric Fair©
The HPI is the latest development in Hohenstein’s 60+ year history of thermo-physiological research, including the invention of the ISO 11092 Sweating Guarded Hotplate which has become a core instrument in textile comfort research.
Dr Beringer outlined the process of building the HPI, which is based on testing six principal qualities in a fabric:
- Thermal Insulation
- Breathability
- Water Vapour Permeability Index
- Sweat Transport & Buffering Index
- Air Permeability
- Water Repellency
These measured qualities are combined into a chart which rates a fabric’s Breathability, Thermal Insulation, Sweat Transport and Sweat Regulation. The chart indicates to consumers and designers how a fabric performs in these fields in comparison to the qualities needed for different levels of physical activity, helping buyers make more informed decisions about the thermo-regulatory properties of their materials.
The HPI promises to give consumers an accessible and intuitive understanding of a fabric’s properties, with the HPI available as a quality tag on the garments.
The PCIAW® continues to support research and scientific developments within the textiles industry, and we are excited to see how the HPI can be utilised to assess professional clothing and highlight fabrics of exceptional quality.
Contact Hohenstein:
Website: https://www.hohenstein.com/en/
Email: customerservice@hohenstein.com
Phone: +49 7143 271-898
