Abstract
Changes of mechanical properties and fabric handle of “Shin-gosen” polyester woven fabrics after repeated home laundering were investigated by the objective evaluation method developed by Kawabata and Niwa. Following results were obtained. Changes of the basic mechanical properties are small in general, however, the effect of those properties on overall fabric handle is very important. A maximum strain in warp direction (EM1) increases remarkably among the basic mechanical characteristic values, and the primary hand FUKURAMI (fullness and softness) decreases after repeated home laundering. Change of overall fabric handle can be traced by the two-dimensional distribution curves of normal density function of two discriminant functions using six primary hands as variables.
