Mechanical properties of worsted fabrics for emotional garment to the rapier loom characteristics

This study examined the mechanical properties of worsted fabrics woven using various rapier weaving looms. For this purpose, the warp and weft yarn tensions during weaving were measured on the three types of rapier looms, and the fabric mechanical property changes due to the warp and weft tension differences were measured and analyzed according to the fabric position and particular rapier loom using the KES-FB system. The warp tension variation along the loom width direction in P-GTX loom showed the lowest value compared to FAST and THEMA looms. The warp tensions on the central part of the three types of looms were much higher than those on the left and right sides of the looms. The extensibility and bending rigidity of the fabric woven by P-GTX rapier loom showed lower values than those of FAST and THEMA looms, which appears to have originated from the low warp and weft weaving tensions of P-GTX rapier loom. On the other hand, the compressional property and shear modulus showed compromised results due to lateral deformation by compression and constraint deformation of the warp and weft by shear. The friction coefficient of the fabric surface woven by FAST loom showed the lowest value due to the flatter surface by the high warp tension. The mechanical properties of the fabric loaded by a high warp tension on the central part of the loom were also affected by the high weft yarn crimp due to the wider spacing between warp yarns by the higher warp tension during weaving, which makes the surface of the central part of the fabric flatter and smoother than the edge part of the fabric.