Analysis of the fitting of patterns of hygiene masks for the closed mouth

Abstract

A hygiene mask covers the wearer’s nose and mouth to prevent exposure to viruses, pollen, dust, and so on. To produce the anticipated effect of wearing a mask, it is important to develop a mask with high fitting performance while closing and opening the mouth. Moreover, masks are to be used by individuals as well as many users. Therefore, flat patterns for a mask that fits a wider variety of face shapes are needed to effectively accommodate more people. As a first step, in this paper the mean flat pattern for a mask that is appropriate for a greater variety of face shapes with a closed mouth was developed. A three-dimensional (3D) motion analyzer was used with consideration of further research of facial motion. Four kinds of flat patterns of masks of different sizes for the closed mouth were analyzed and proposed. First, confirmation tests of 3D motion analysis were conducted using a basic model. Second, using the data of the basic model and a head mannequin, a geometrical analysis method for two-dimensional (2D) patterns from 3D coordinates using triangular combination was proposed. For evaluation of the analyzed pattern, draping patterns for the basic model were acquired by draping the head mannequin with nonwoven sheets, and the match between the analyzed pattern and the draping patterns was assessed. Moreover, 2D mean patterns derived from the 3D coordinates of 62 subjects were proposed. It was confirmed that the distance difference over the circumference was 0.99 mm with a standard deviation of 5.0 mm.