Statistical Modeling of Thermal Properties of Biobased Compostable Gloves Developed from Sustainable Polymer

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable and compostable polymer obtained from annually renewable resources and is acknowledged to be sustainable and non-polluting polymer with substantial commercial prospective as a textile fiber however, there is lack of literature on apparel applications of this polymer. Therefore in this study it was aimed to develop biobased compostable gloves from PLA draw textured melt spun yarns and to examine the effect of yarn linear density, fabric structure and stitch density on thermo-physiological comfort and moisture management properties of PLA based gloves. 100 % PLA based multifilament yarns of two different linear densities were melt spun and later draw textured on false twist texturing machine to be used for gloves knitting. Single jersey and rib structures were produced with two different stitch densities to investigate their effect on thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, relative water vapour permeability, air permeability and moisture management properties of the gloves. Minitab statistical software was employed to analyze the results of test samples. The coefficients of determinations (R² values) presented good estimation capability of the established regression models. The outcomes of this research may be useful in determining suitable manufacturing requirements of PLA based gloves to accomplish precise thermo-physiological and moisture management properties.