Designing a Bra with the Aim of Reducing Tension and Increasing Breast Movement Comfort During Daily Activities

Wearing an inappropriate bra may result in damage to the breasts, various breast diseases, or skin allergies. This study aimed to change the fabric used in different components of the bra to reduce tension and increase breast comfort during normal daily activities of women.

 Two types of commercial bra (a regular bra and a sponge bra) were modified in the gore, sidebands, and the back band using two different types of plain-knitted fabric including polyester-lycra and viscose-lycra. To assess breast movement comfort, we measured tension changes in the bra due to breast movements during normal activities using metal-thread voltage sensors located in three parts: under the cup, the bottom of the back band, and the bottom of the gore.

 The slope of the voltage-time diagram is considered as a measure of the elongation changes in the bra during movement. The slope values for the sponge bra with the sensor at the bottom of the cup were 0.0039, 0.0057, and 0.0096 for the three common movements in the experiment, and those for the regular bra were 0.0019, 0.0039, and 0.0059. Greater voltage changes in the sponge bra compared with the regular bra indicates more tension on the breast and less ease of movement under the cup for the consumer. Using polyester-knitted tape on the sides and back of the regular bra significantly reduced tension (P value <0.05) and increased comfort.

The resuts of the study indicate differences in breast movement comfort in different bra designs. Therefore, the appropriate use of different elastic fabrics in the design of bras for ordinary and everyday use of women is an important consideration in the prevention of breast diseases.