The mechanism of moisture permeation through cellulose fabrics (cotton, cupra and tencel) was investigated by evaporation technique using a cup method. Sample fabrics were chosen not to have any inter-yarn holes. By using 10 layered fabrics, it was observed that the starting time of the steady state permeation accorded with the leveling off time of the relative humidity measured at the water side fabric surface. Water contents of each layer were calculated either at the time starting the steady state permeation or after 48 hours permeation. Furthermore, variation of humidity on the surface of fabric was monitored through steady-state permeation. Based on the above results, it was suggested that water vapor permeates through minute space between inter-and intra-yarn. Humidity difference between both surfaces of fabrics corresponds to vapor concentration gradient in minute space among yarns or fibers. From the above results, both diffusion coefficient, Dc, and transportation coefficient, T r, of water vapor in minute space of fabrics were estimated. It was also confirmed that T r values calculated for various samples decreased with increasing true permeation resistance per unit thickness.

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B-values of various moisture-absorbing textiles and usual interior materials such as lauan plywood were analyzed as a measure of the function of environmental humidity control, by measuring the continuous change of relative humidity accompaning with the periodic change of temperature in a closed vessel of 0.012 m³ including a textile or a usual interior material having a constant area or weight. The response of moisture-absorption (or-desorption) of each textile was quicker than that of lauan plywood for interior wall, so as to follow the change of relative humidity caused by the rapid change of temperature in a closed vessel. This is due to the markedly large specific surface area in a textile, concerning with the moisture-absorption (or-desorption), in comparison with that in a lauan plywood. The B-values determined at the constant area for each textile were lower than that of a lauan plywood, that is, the function of environmental humidity control of each textile was inferior to that of a lauan plywood. However, B-values at the constant weight for a cotton fabric, a woollen fabric, a rayon fabric and a solvron fabric were almost the same degree with that of lauan plywood. In B-values at the constant weight for these materials, the higher moisture-absorption led to the higher B-value. The highest moisture-absorption and the highest B-value were observed in the NF-38 non-woven fabric, 60 wt% of which was the high moisture-absorption fiber N-38. These results show that the function of environmental humidity control of materials, having a large and different specific surface area, should be evaluated by B-value at the constant weight and that the textiles having a superior function of environmental humidity control, exceeding that of lauan plywood, can be designed by controlling the weight/area of moisture-absorption textiles such as a cotton fabric.

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Using a corneal reflection system consisting of an eye-mark recorder, the eye-movement, the time of fixation at a point and the frequency distribution were measured in the case where a man recognized shapes of three simple figures (a square, a triangle and a circle) and detected a different figure from many figures of the same shape which were moving at the same speed (5, 10 and 15°/s). After inspecting three types of figures moving at three speeds and moving his eyes to the characteristic points, that is, the tops and the ridge lines of figures, he could recognize the shapes of the moving figures whose sizes were 2, 10 and 15°of visual angle. His useful visual field size was about 16°in visual angle from the center of TV monitor base on the fact that he could detect a different figure (a triangle), which was located at 4 or 8°, out of many figures of the same shape (a circle) moving at 5.10 and 15°/s.

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Taking into consideration of actual situations of wearing garments, the computer simulation technique, previously developed for the attention pose, was extended for several poses. The measured attention pose was used as the standard and the several fundamental poses, such as twist and bend, were generated deforming the standard pose using numerical calculation. The 3-dimentional form and the pressure distribution of garment for these poses were evaluated applying the above method.

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Sitting comfort of car driver's seat was evaluated visually or tactually by consumers. The adjectives used for the sensory evaluation by human visual sense were compared with those by human tactual sense, and the relation between tactual sensory values and physical properties of car seats was examined by factor analysis. Two adjectives “high-class” and “sporty” were common and significant in evaluating the sitting comfort of car driver's seat by human visual sense or tactual sense, and tactual sensory values agreed with visual sensory values. Further, the body pressure and contact area between the seat cushion and human buttocks were correlated with the tactual adjective “high-class”, and those between the back-rest and human back were correlated with the tactual adjective “sporty”.

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Skin temperature, oral temperature and sensation were measured, and fluctuations of skin temperature were investigated by frequency analysis, to examine age-related differences in thermo-regulated response under changing ambient temperature. The subjects were ten older (age 53-65) and ten younger (age 19-21) women, and they were kept at rest during the 70 minutes of exposure to three consecutive temperature changes (25→34→21°C). In the initial thermo-neutral period, and during the period of increasing ambient temperature, skin temperatures were lower for the older group, but the decrease in ambient temperature produced a slower rate of skin temperature change for the older group than the younger group. Similar changes in oral temperature and hedonic rating were also observed. These results show the delay of response to the cold environment for the older group. The low frequency component of the power spectrum increased during the decreasing period of ambient temperature for both younger and older groups, and the slope of 1/f spectral pattern became steeper than that observed during the increasing period. This reflects the increased activity of thermo-regulation during the decreasing period of ambient temperature. Effects of age were not noticeable by frequency analysis.

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Clothings used three type of non-sweaty waterproof fabrics were prepared as chemical protective clothings for agriculture. The experimental condition was set in hot and humid condition. Heat and moisture transport and wear comfort of the subject wearing chemical protective clothings were measured. Comfort sensation was determined by the water vapour permeability of non-sweaty waterproof fabrics. In early sweating period, water vapour pressure of microclimate was affected by not water vapour permeability but also water resistance of clothing.

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