A New Method for Measuring Fabric Drape with a Novel Parameter for Classifying Fabrics<strong> </strong>

Abstract

With huge varieties of fabrics, the first challenge for any performance evaluation is to categorize the vast types of the products into fewer, more homogeneous and thus akin groups. Classification or sorting is arguably the first step of any scientific investigation, and comparison of product quality is meaningful only when conducted within a group of comparable products. A new criterion termed fabric linear density λ is first proposed in this paper so that fabrics can in general be divided into 4 groups. The derivation and validation of this parameter are provided.The importance of fabric drape is almost self-evident, but there is still no effective ways to measure this fabric attribute. The Cusick Drapemeter suffers from its low repeatability and low sensitivity, and is hence not widely or frequently used. The PhabrOmeter, along with the fabric linear density λ, is proposed and demonstrated in this study as a much more efficient alternative for fabric drape test. By actually testing 40 various fabrics, the principle, procedure and results of this method is presented in this paper. IntroductionVisual attributes of textile fabrics represent a sub-group of sensory properties, perceived particularly by visual sense of consumers. Such visual qualities include fabric drape, surface state and luster, and, by logical extension, the fabric wrinkle recovery, fabric surface retention and stain resistance, i.e., all fabric appearance related esthetic characteristics. We call them fabric attributes to differentiate from the term fabric properties such as the fabric weight and fabric strength, for the latters are much easier to describe and with definitions widely accepted, and measurement methods well established.