File(s) under permanent embargo
An experimental study on fabric softness evaluation
journal contribution
posted on 2006-01-01, 00:00 authored by P Zhang, Xin LiuXin Liu, Lijing Wang, Xungai WangPurpose – To examine a simple testing method of measuring the force to pull a fabric through a series of parallel pins to determine the fabric softness property.
Design/methodology/approach – A testing system was setup for fabric pulling force measurements and the testing parameters were experimentally determined. The specific pulling forces were compared with the fabric assurance by simple testing (FAST) parameters and subjective softness ranking. Their correlations were also statistically analyzed.
Findings – The fabric pulling force reflects the physical and surface properties of the fabrics measured by the FAST instrument and its ability to rank fabric softness appears to be close to the human hand response on fabric softness. The pulling force method can also distinguish the difference of fabrics knitted with different wool fiber contents.
Research limitations/implications – Only 21 woven and three knitted fabrics were used for this investigation. More fabrics with different structures and finishes may be evaluated before the testing method can be put in practice.
Practical implications – The testing method could be used for objective assessment of fabric softness.
Originality/value – The testing method reported in this paper is a new concept in fabric softness measurement. It can provide objective specifications for fabric softness, thus should be valuable to fabric community.
Design/methodology/approach – A testing system was setup for fabric pulling force measurements and the testing parameters were experimentally determined. The specific pulling forces were compared with the fabric assurance by simple testing (FAST) parameters and subjective softness ranking. Their correlations were also statistically analyzed.
Findings – The fabric pulling force reflects the physical and surface properties of the fabrics measured by the FAST instrument and its ability to rank fabric softness appears to be close to the human hand response on fabric softness. The pulling force method can also distinguish the difference of fabrics knitted with different wool fiber contents.
Research limitations/implications – Only 21 woven and three knitted fabrics were used for this investigation. More fabrics with different structures and finishes may be evaluated before the testing method can be put in practice.
Practical implications – The testing method could be used for objective assessment of fabric softness.
Originality/value – The testing method reported in this paper is a new concept in fabric softness measurement. It can provide objective specifications for fabric softness, thus should be valuable to fabric community.
History
Journal
International journal of clothing science and technologyVolume
18Issue
2Pagination
83 - 95Publisher
Emerald Group Publishing LtdLocation
Bingley, EnglandPublisher DOI
ISSN
0955-6222eISSN
1758-5953Language
engNotes
Reproduced with the specific permission of the copyright owner.Publication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2006, Emerald Group Publishing LtdUsage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC