Development of a Method and Device for Determining the Pressure of Compression Knitwear on the Human Body
One of the most significant indicators of the quality of compression products is maintaining the initial condition and ensuring a given level of compression during operation. The article proposes a method and tools that allow assessing the pressure exerted by compression products on the human body during the sock process. Description and essence of determination of product pressure change on the object using the developed device are presented. A distinctive feature of the proposed solution is the possibility of determining the potential period of preservation of initial compression properties, which provides the possibility of predicting the quality and life of products. To evaluate the relaxation processes arising during the operation of compression products, the theory of viscoelasticity was applied in the developed method. Relaxation curves are a source of information about the behavior of webs during their operation and allow you to predict the change in the initial pressure level. To determine the compression properties of knitted products, new indicators are proposed: the rate of load change; time of potential preservation of stresses in the canvas; the relaxation capacity limit of the material. The proposed method is tested for assessment of change of pressure of sports linen compression bands on leg before and after wet treatments. For testing, linen knitted webs were produced by weaving erasers with and without embedding polyurethane threads. The results of studies prove the possibility of predicting the compression properties of products and the service life determined by the ability to exert a given pressure level.