Effect of fabric sound and touch on human subjective sensation

In order to investigate the relationship between subjective sensation for fabric sound and touch and the objective measurements, eight different apparel fabrics were selected as specimens. Sound parameters of fabrics including level pressure of total sound (LPT), level range (ΔL), and frequency differences (Δf) and mechanical properties by Kawabata Evaluation System (KES) were obtained. For subjective evaluation, seven aspects of the sound (softness, loudness, pleasantness, sharpness, clearness, roughness, and highness) and eight of the touch (hardness, smoothness, fineness, coolness, pliability, crispness, heaviness, and thickness) were rated using semantic differential scale. Polyester ultrasuede was evaluated to sound softer and more pleasant while polyester taffeta to sound louder and rougher than any other fabrics. Wool fabrics such as worsted and woolen showed similar sensation for sound but differed in some touch sensation in that woolen was coarsest, heaviest, and thickest in touch. In the prediction model for sound sensation, LPT affected postively subjective roughness and highness as well as loudness, whileΔL was found as a parameter related positively with softness and pleasantness. Touch sensation was explained by some of mechanical properties such as surface, compressional, shear, and bending properties implying that a touch sensation could be expressed by a variety of properties.     

Hand and mechanical properties of stretch fabrics

This paper discusses the hand and preference of stretch fabrics for sportswear through subjective and objective hand evaluations. Twenty-two varieties of stretch fabrics for fall/winter sportswear fabrics were used. Seven main factors were classified through subjective evaluation and total cumulative variance value was 68.28 %. According to correlations between objective hand and preference, there are differences in preferences for pants and shirts, and in response to preference for shirts, no gender differences are observed. Correlations between subjective hand and preference show that there is a similar tendency in preferences for pants and shirts regardless of usage by different genders.     

A study of the oxygen plasma treatment on the serviceability of a wool fabric

Low temperature plasma (LTP) treatment using oxygen gas was applied to a wool fabric. The LTP treated wool fabric was tested with several methods: ASTM D5035-1995, ASTM D1424-1996, AATCC Test Method 99-2000, AATCC Test Method 61-2001 1A, AATCC Test Method 15-2002 and AATCC Test Method 8-2001 and the results were compared with the industrial requirements (ASTM D3780-02 and ASTM D4155-01). The results revealed that the LTP treated wool fabric could fulfil the industrial requirements. The results of the investigation were discussed thoroughly in this paper.     

A cross-cultural comparison of image perception and preferences for cotton fabrics between Korea and the United States

The purpose of this research was to perform an international comparison of image perception and preferences for cotton fabrics, specifically examining the inter-cultural differences that exist between Koreans and Americans. Respondents were asked to rate 55 different fabrics, produced in Korea, relative to eight different characterizations: feminine, masculine, casual, classic, new, old, ambiguous and orderly. Then they were asked to rate their level of preference for each fabric, using 7-point scales. Both Koreans and Americans evaluated thin and soft fabrics with pale colors high relative to feminine image and evaluated slightly thick, coarse and stiff fabrics with low chromatics high relative to masculine image. However, Koreans tended to categorize fabrics as feminine or masculine using color characteristics, while Americans tended to use surface characteristics. For the casual image, Denim and Chambray were rated highly, both in Korea and in the US. There were no fabrics which both countries rated highly for the classic image. New image was rated significantly above average in Korea, but average in the US. The old image perceptions fell below average in both countries. Most fabrics were evaluated above average with respect to being orderly, but fell below the average for ambiguous image, both in Korea and the US. Koreans showed higher preferences for the chosen fabrics than Americans, but the preference tendencies were similar in the two countries.     

Improving wrinkle resistance of cotton fabric by montmorillonite

Cotton fabric was treated with montmorillonite (MMT) so as to evaluate its effectiveness on improving its wrinkle resistance. The MMT in emulsion form was applied to cotton fabric by padding and finally the wrinkle resistance of the MMT-treated cotton fabric was improved. Furthermore, instrumental methods were used for studying the presence of MMT particles on the cotton fabric surface. It was noted that nano-scale MMT particles adhered on the fiber surface and the particle size played an important role in influencing the wrinkle resistance of the cotton fabric. The experimental results are discussed thoroughly in this paper.     

Effect of heat-treatment on stretch of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) woven fabric

The properties of a woven fabric made of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) were investigated. The PTT fabric of draw textured yarn (DTY) showed excellent stretch as good as a fabric containing spandex. However, the unique stretch of the PTT fabric reduced dramatically by simple heat-treatment even at as low as 80 °C. To understand the phenomenon, the crimp rigidity of the DTY was observed by SEM. It was found that the drastic reduction of stretch was caused by irreversible uncrimping of PTT DTY after heat-treatment. Conclusively, it is of importance to optimize the texturing conditions for PTT DTY to make the crimp more stable.     

Analysis on the pilling factors of cashmere knitted fabric

The effect of cashmere yarn twist, knitted fabric density, and cashmere properties on pilling rates of cashmere knitted fabric is investigated in this paper. The experimental results show that yarn twist and fabric density have little influence on pilling rates of cashmere knitted fabric for yarn 38.4 tex/2 when yarn twist varies from 234 T/m to 272 T/m, and the fabric density is 9.7, 10.7, and 11.2 yarns/inch, respectively. The length of cashmere fiber, in particular less than 7.5 mm, is responsible for the pilling rates of cashmere knitted fabric based on optimal scaling regression analysis.     

Small diameter Polyurethane vascular graft reinforced by elastic weft-knitted tubular fabric of polyester/spandex

Small diameter vascular grafts were fabricated from pure Polyurethane (PU) as well as PU reinforced with a tubular weft-knitted fabric. The tensile properties of the reinforced composite vascular grafts were compared with that of the tubular fabric itself and the pure PU vascular grafts. The elasticity and strength of the reinforced vascular grafts were improved compared with the tubular fabric. Strength of the reinforced vascular grafts was 5–10 times of the strength of the pure PU vascular grafts. Expanding the tubular fabric to increase the inner diameter of the reinforced vascular graft reduced the graft’s strength and initial modulus, but the difference was reduced as the PU content was increased. For grafts of the same inner diameter, increasing the PU content increased the thickness and strength of the graft wall, which led to a general increase in the strength and initial modulus of the composite vascular grafts.     

Measurement of fuzz fibers on fabric surface using image analysis methods

Fuzz on the fabrics, which is the fibers protruded from the fabric surface, is very important in view of appearance quality, since it causes unpleasant appearance on the fabrics and also leads to pilling which makes fabric appearance and softness worse. However, fuzz on fabric surface is measured mostly by subjective methods (human vision) rather than objective methods. Thus, in this study, objective method using image analysis techniques has been developed for the measurement of fuzz on fabric surface. Fuzz on the fabric has also been ranked and rated by experts in order to see the reliability of the results obtained from the fuzz measurement. It was observed that correlation coefficient (r) between rating value and objective measurement value was 0.9 and this correlation coefficient value confirmed the reliability of this method.     

Influence of pH on hygral expansion,relaxation shrinkage and extensibility of wool fabric

The standard tests for relaxation shrinkage and hygral expansion of wool fabric take no account of pH. It is shown in this work that the pH of the solution in which wool fabric is relaxed as part of the procedure for measuring dimensional properties has a significant influence on the results. At around pH 4.8, which is close to the isoelectric point of wool, the hygral expansion reaches its greatest value and drops at both lower and higher pHs. A similar relationship between pH and extensibility of wool fabric was observed. Values of relaxation shrinkage were found to be dependant on pH. The reasons for the pH dependence of dimensional properties are discussed and these include changes in wool fiber swelling, yarn crimp and polymer relaxation phenomena with changes in pH.     

The effect of weft density on the skewness of the twill weave woven fabric

This experimental study investigates the effect of weft density on the skewness of the twill weave woven fabrics. A total of 12 rolls of woven fabrics - 2/2, 3/3 and 4/4 - twill weave, with 20, 22, 24 and 26 weft densities were produced and their skewness due to relaxation was measured. The measured values show that as the weft density increases from 20 to 26, the skewness decreases from 2.4, 2.9, 3.6 to 1, 1.1 and 1.15 respectively. This decrease supports the idea that the increase in weft density drops the effect of the weave type on skewness. In fact, this experimental work reveals that increase in weft density lowers the free spaces between the floats, shortens the float length and raises the shearing rigidity of the fabric and as a result the ability of the warp floats’ in-plane lever to move and skew is lowered.     

A study of metal oxide on antimicrobial effect of plasma pre-treated cotton fabric

Cotton, a natural fibre that consists of cellulose, is highly popular because it is sweat-absorbing and comfortable to wear. However, cotton fabrics provide an excellent environment for microorganisms to grow, owing to their ability to retain moisture. Therefore, numerous chemicals have been used to enhance anti-microbial activity of cotton textiles. This paper reports results of use of silver oxide (Ag₂O) or zinc oxide (ZnO) as a catalyst in the antimicrobial formulation (halogenated phenoxy compound (Microfresh, MF)) and a binder (Microban, MB) for improved treatment of cotton fabrics and minimisation of side effects of the treatment. In addition, from the morphological study, plasma technology was employed to roughen the surface of the materials to improve loading of metal oxides on the surface. Moreover, the characteristic infra-red bands related to plasma-treated cotton produced results different from untreated fabric, implying plasma treatment can improve hydrophilicity of the fabric. Mechanical strength of the specimens was also increased by plasma treatment. Meanwhile, the research showed that the control fabric slightly inhibited the growth of S. aureus because of the bleach residues on fabric surface. On the other hand, anti-bacterial activity of MF-MB-treated specimen, especially in the presence of metal oxide catalyst, was enhanced, providing a slightly larger zone of inhibition. Moreover, plasma gas contains reactive oxygen species that can enter the cell, eventually causing its death. The hydrophilic nature of carbonyl groups present in oxygen plasma pre-treated specimens also increased the anti-microbial activity after treatment with MF-MB.     

Effect of enzyme treatment and wood pulp variation on physical characteristics and fabric hand of lyocell fabrics

The purpose of the research was to examine the effect of three different levels of enzyme treatment on the physical characteristics and the end-use suitability of the lyocell fabrics made with four different types of commercial wood pulp. The appropriate enzyme concentration for obtaining an optimum as well as consistent physical characteristics and fabric hand trait was 3 g/l for the concentration levels tested in the present investigation. Weight loss was more affected by higher enzyme concentration than other physical properties. H2 was least affected by enzyme treatment for all three physical properties and fabric hand. 5 g/l concentration exhibited little difference from 3 g/l in the physical characteristics, whereas the KES-FB values indicated a significant loss of fabric hand in most PHVs with the 5 g/l concentration level. Among different garment parameters, all four fabric types were relatively inappropriate for the men’s slacks (MS) fabric due to the lower hand value of koshi required by the MS parameter. However, despite the relatively low koshi values, high fukurami values required for men’s dress shirt (MWDS) resulted in the highest THV among the four garment parmeters. The four fabric types, which represent the usage of four different wood pulps, in general seem to exhibit a higher applicability to women’s winter thin dress (WWTD) than women’s winter suit (WWS) garment parameter.     

A study on coarse Hanji yarn manufacturing and properties of the Hanji fabric

Hanji (Korean traditional paper) yarn displays excellent humidity control, air permeability, and absorbency as well as pleasantness to the touch due to its structural characteristics, and thus, it has been developed as a new eco-friendly fibrous materials. In this study, Hanji, having a basis weight of 8 and 10 g/m², was prepared using mulberry fibers. The prepared Hanji was cut into Hanji tape of 5–10 mm in width using a rotary slitter and then the tape was twisted to manufacture Hanji yarn. To ensure a uniform twist of Hanji yarn and a smooth twisting process, a water supply system was designed to provide water directly at the twisting zone. At a fixed spindle speed, the feeding speed of the delivery roller was varied to provide different twist numbers for the Hanji yarn. The Hanji yarn manufactured with water treatment has higher tensile properties and a softer touch than the Hanji yarn prepared without water treatment. The Hanji yarns have count numbers of 7–11 Ne and tensile strengths of 1.0–1.2 gf/d. Moreover, the fabric from Hanji yarn shows an excellent color fastness of 4.0 grade, staining of 4–5 to washing, and 4–5 grade to dry cleaning.     

A study on the compression behavior of spacer fabrics designed for concrete applications

Spacer fabrics have been used in many areas varying from medical applications to protection applications. Especially the three dimensional characteristic of spacer fabrics presents different opportunities for special applications. The compression resistant characteristic of spacer fabrics is one of their main properties. In this research the compression behaviour of spacer fabrics designed for concrete applications has been investigated. The effects of some parameters such as spacer yarn material, pattern and threading on the compression behaviour of spacer fabrics have been studied. According to the test results it was found that the material, pattern and the threading of spacer yarns are important parameters for the compression characteristics of spacer fabrics. It was also observed that the location angle of spacer yarn and the amount of the spacer yarns influence the compression behaviour of spacer fabrics.     

A new experimental study of influence of fabric permeability, clothing sizes, openings and wind on regional ventilation rates

In this study, a local ventilation rates (VR) measuring system based on stead-state method was developed. This system can measure the local VR of the right arm, the left arm, the chest and the back locations of the upper body garment simultaneously. The whole clothing VR can also be computed. To study the influence of fabric permeability, clothing sizes, hem opening, and wind on local VR of the right arm, the chest and the back of the working garments, 9 jackets with different sizes and fabric permeability (permeable, semi-permeable and impermeable) were made. The results showed that the local VR for each garment location were significantly different. The chest had the largest local VR. Clothing ventilation rates were not liner with garment sizes. Closing garment bottom decreased more air exchange for chest and back comparatively. Wind increased both local and whole VR significantly. But the impacts were different according to different locations.     

Comparative study of cellulase treatment on low stress mechanical properties of cotton denim fabric made by torque-free ring spun yarn

Cellulase is useful for bio-polishing cotton fabrics which enhances their aesthetic performance instead of stonewashing process. Torque-free ring spun process is a widely used technique to produce newly low-twist and balanced torque yarns with soft hand. In this paper, denim fabrics woven with torque-free ring spun yarn and conventional ring spun yarn respectively were treated with cellulase under the same condition and their fabric handle, expressed as low stress mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, bending, shearing, compression and surface performance were investigated by Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric (KES-F). After cellulase treatment, both denim fabrics revealed better flexibility, elasticity recovery, raised shearing stiffness, fluffier and improved smoothness. While torque-free ring spun yarn made denim fabric showed a better fabric handle than conventional ring spun yarn made denim fabric.     

Intrinsic differences of sensory analysis from instrumental evaluation on fabric softness by lateral compression

All kinds of instrumental testing methods have been attempted to substitute for sensory analysis of fabric softness, however, the prediction performance is poor. This alone necessitates a deep investigation and understanding of the difference between sensory analysis and instrumental testing under the comparable constrained conditions. By establishing an equivalent biomechanical model to the handling manner in which human fingers sense lateral compression properties of fabric, the mechanistic principle of sensory evaluation on fabric softness property is explored and compared with instrumental testing principle by two proposed indexes, namely the mechanical sensitivity of touch receptors and the sensory sensitivity of human tactile system. The results show that the mechanical sensitivity of human touch receptors leads to the intrinsic difference of sensory analysis from instrumental test on fabric softness by lateral compression. The mechanical sensitivity monotonously changes with the scaling coefficients and the stiffness coefficients of quasi-static and nonlinear compression deformation characterizing both fabric and human skin. The sensory sensitivity depends on both the mechanical sensitivity and the ability of human central system to interpret the information from the peripheral nervous system. The conclusion is that the two-level sensitivity leads to the intrinsic difference between sensory analysis and instrumental evaluation on fabric softness by lateral compression.     

A study of physical modification on grey cotton by laser irradiation

The surface morphology of the CO₂ laser treated grey cotton fabrics was studied which showed a characteristics sponge-like structure on cotton fibres after treating with CO₂ laser irradiation. The laser treatment parameters ranging from 100 to 150 pixel time and 40 to 70 dot per inch (dpi) were irradiated on the grey cotton fabrics directly and the degree of physical modifications, such as surface morphology, wettability and fabric strength, were changed accordingly with various laser treatment parameters. The surface morphology, wettability and tensile strength of cotton fibre treating with laser were evaluated using different instruments, such as Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), contact angle meter and tensile strength machine. In spite of creating a sponge-like structure on fibre surface after treating with laser, the wettability of the samples was highly improved but the tensile strength was decreased.