Evaluation of drape characteristics in fabrics

Abstract

PurposeTo provide researchers with the details of developments in instruments to measure fabric drape and review the literature related to fabric drape.Design/methodology/approach – In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in investigating the aesthetic behavior of fabrics due to the developments in objective evaluation techniques. To understand drape behavior, it is essential to know how drape is measured quantitatively. This paper reviews research related to drape characteristics of fabrics, two‐dimensional instruments and analysis of drape by measuring stiffness, three‐dimensional instruments developed to measure drape, fabric mechanical properties and their influence on drape measurement, and the latest developments in the field including image analysis, the dynamic drape tester and other related research.Findings – Many instruments for measuring drape have been developed including the earliest that assessed stiffness of fabrics, later versions of drape meters and recent innovative instruments for capturing complex drape information. Even though extensive detail for simple geometric forms such as circles and squares can be provided by the newest methods, measurement of the drape characteristics of complex forms needs the consideration of researchers to extend the work on drape measurement to garments. It was also noted that there are some contradictory conclusions regarding the properties influencing fabric drape.Originality/value – This paper is offered as a concise reference for individuals beginning research in the area of fabric drape.

Fabric draping and cotton fabric structure relation analysis

“…Two-dimensional draping means that the fabric folds under the influence of gravity in one plane, and three-dimensional draping means that fabric deforms forming the folds in more than one plane under the pressure of its own mass [5].…”

Fabric objective measurement and drape

“…Kenkare and May-Plumlee used the number and dimensions of nodes as alternative parameters to drape coefficient to quantify drape [49].…”

“…Therefore, it was evaluated subjectively in the textile and apparel industry. Subjective assessments of fabric drape lack reproducibility and often cause controversy due to large variation in evaluators' perception and skill, this shortage ended with development of the quantitative measurement of drape [46,49]. Subjective assessment was affected by individual preference, fashion trends [131] and the length of fabric on the pedestal (sample diameter) [114,132].…”

“…Moreover, it enabled researchers to carry out studies such as fabric drape dependence on time from minutes to hours and investigating drape value instability and repeatability. Studying the relation between the rotation speed of the fabric tested and its drapeability was also facilitated [45][46][47][48][49][50][51].…”

The Impacts of Different Woven Fabrics on Three Draping Techniques

“…Fabric drape is influenced not only by fabric factors but also by their complex interactions. Although extensive information of 2-D fabric drape characteristics can be obtained from instrument measurement, Kenkare and Plumlee (2005) suggested that study of the drape characteristics of complex forms requires drape measurement not only on 2-D fabrics, but also on garments since other factors such as construction methods of clothing also affect the drape. The majority of research on draping has been focused on the draping characteristics of 2-D nonseamed fabrics and the fabric properties affecting them.…”