Computational modelling methods for sports bra–body interactions
International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology
ISSN: 0955-6222
Article publication date: 4 May 2020
Issue publication date: 2 November 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The breasts are mainly fatty and connective tissues with no muscles that directly support them, so wearing sports bras is one of the most effective means of alleviating the discomfort of breast movement and potential injury during vigorous physical exercise. However, the design and development processes of traditional sports bras are time-consuming and costly. Hence, a novel method of simulating the static contact pressure between a sports bra and women’s body based on the finite element (FE) and artificial neural network (ANN) models is developed in this study to contribute to the design considerations of sports bras.
Design/methodology/approach
Three-dimensional FE models of a female subject and sports bras with different fabric properties are developed to determine the amount of contact pressure exerted onto the body. The FE results are then verified by measuring the amount of pressure exerted by the sports bra on the skin with pressure sensors. The Taguchi technique is used to effectively reduce the number of trials from 625 to only 25 cases. These 25 results obtained through FE modelling are then used to provide the training set for the ANNs. Finally, a comparison between the FE and ANN results is carried out.
Findings
A novel model of the static contact pressure between a sports bra and human subject based on the FE and ANN methods is presented in this paper. The root mean square error values show that there is only a small difference between the FE and ANN results.
Originality/value
The ANN function established in this study can be used to predict the mechanical behaviours of breasts and has a fundamental impact on the computer-aided design of functional garments in general.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The work is supported by the RGC General Research Fund [PolyU 152510/16E] titled “Optimization of the Comfort of Compression Sports Bras” and a research studentship granted to Ms. Liang Ruixin (RH09) from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Citation
Ruixin, L., Yip, J., Yu, W., Chen, L. and Lau, N. (2020), "Computational modelling methods for sports bra–body interactions", International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Vol. 32 No. 6, pp. 921-934. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCST-09-2019-0143
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited