Genetic-programming prediction of solar-radiation reflectance in cotton woven fabrics for UV–Vis-NIR protection
摘要
This study presented a genetic programming (GP) model for predicting solar-radiation reflectance of cotton woven fabrics as protective materials. The influence of three structural parameters, namely, yarn fineness (14, 25, 36 tex), weave type (plain, twill, satin), and relative fabric density (55–85%), was examined on reflectance across the ultraviolet–visible-infrared spectrum within the wavelength range of 210–1200 nm. Experimental measurements were performed on precisely engineered raw cotton woven fabrics with tightly controlled structural parameters, enabling the isolation of the effect of fabric structure. Analysis of variance confirmed that fabric structure had a considerable effect on solar-radiation reflectance across different spectral regions. Three distinct spectral regions in the interaction between solar-radiation reflectance and woven fabrics were identified, each with unique reflectance behaviours and varying dependence on fabric structural parameters. The GP-evolved model achieved high accuracy, with an average deviation of 2.3% from the experimental data and coefficients of determination of 0.985 for the training set and 0.986 for the test set, demonstrating strong robustness and reliability. This study highlighted the model's potential for designing fabrics with enhanced solar-radiation protection. The results contributed to advancing computational fabric modelling and developing functional fabrics with optimised thermal, visible, and ultraviolet performance, reducing the need for extensive experimental testing.