Subjective evaluations of fabric-evoked prickle using the unidimensional rating scale from different body areas

Abstract

Fabric-evoked prickle sensation is one of the most important criteria used by consumers in judging clothing comfort. In this study, a measurement method that is capable of characterizing and ranking the subjective prickle score sensation of various wear fabric products has been developed using seven different materials. A 1–7 subjective rating scale was adopted for response measurement and eight different fabrics varying in fiber composition were evaluated by 31 subjects. In addition, the sensitivity of six separate areas of the human skin were tested, namely the right forearm, back neck, the upper back, abdomen, right side waist and right inner thigh. The testing technique was standardized, to incorporate within-subject reliability and between-subject uniformity. The result is rational with a barely slight prickle sensation for the cotton, cashmere and cotton/polyester fabrics and high prickle score feeling for the ramie, wool and jute fabrics. The influence of different human body part areas was investigated when subjects rated the wear fabric based on prickle sensation. The result showed no significant difference between body parts ( P < 0.05).