Published research works concerning fabric handle and its basic mechanical properties were surveyed in this review. Fabric handle and its mechanical properties have been studied continuously using KES system for various kinds of fabrics in the period between 1998 and 2005. Statistical investigation by neural network model has been very popular in these years and the accuracy of prediction is higher than that of conventional regression methods. Some novel works concerning fabric sound have also been reported. Quite a lot of works concerning drape behavior of fabrics, seam puckering, wrinkles and pillings have been carried out by using image processing system. In order to evaluate clothing comfort objectively, clothing pressure to human body is investigated precisely.

View full abstract

The paper presents the discrete calculation FEM model used in the analysis of the working cylinder shell deflection with regard to the real construction features. The influences of shape deviation, the thickness of the wall, flexibility and the clearance between internal reinforcements and the shell on the shell deflection have been examined. The calculating model has undergone experimental verification and satisfactory compatibility with the results of experimental measurements has been achieved.

View full abstract

The general appearance of a yarn is one of the primary qualities affecting its commercial value. The method of grading spun yarns by subjective visual examination has long been recognized as a practical quality assessment tool in yarn manufacturing and fabric forming industries.
In this paper, we want to report an objective and quantitative method for grading spun yarn appearance derived from optical yarn diameter measurements. Our study found that quantitative yarn characteristics derived from the optical yarn diameter measurement are determining factors for a human vision system to differentiate a good yarn from a bad one in terms of appearance. These characteristics are the optical yarn diameter, the yarn diameter CV%, thick place size, thin place size, nep size and yarn diameter distribution. We obtained a robust numerical metric (objective discriminatory appearance index) for yarn appearance grade, which is a linear combination of the numerical characteristics derived from the optical yarn diameter data of the USDA graded Ne 20 (29.5 Tex) Grade A, B, C and D yarns described in ASTM D2255-90.

View full abstract

The radio-frequency low-temperature plasma treatment on wool has been recognized as an attractive process alternative to Kroy-Hercosett treatment using chlorine, because the former process is based on an eco-friendly one. However, even now the relationship between the anti-felting effect during the repetitive machine washing and the plasma treatment on wool has not been clarified. Plasma-treated wool is considered to have one distinctive feature of so-called stiff handle.
Mechanical properties of untreated fabric and plasma-treated fabric were compared for four kinds of typical wool fabrics of which textile structures are different. As the result, it was clear that rigidity and hysteresis of bending and shearing properties increased greatly by the treatment, especially for the values of 2HB and 2HG5 of KES[1]. The intensity of drawing-out a yarn from woven fabric increased greatly by the treatment. The values of 2HB, 2HG5 and the intensity of drawing out strength increased also in the conditions of high moisture regain. Further more, high correlation was found between the change of those mechanical parameters and anti-felting effect. When plasmatreatment is carried out to a wool fabric, the surface will be oxidized strongly and about 36-50 nm of the outermost surface of wool fiber is shaved off, then, all the epicuticle layer and one-third of A-layer of wool fiber are lost. It is supposed that A-layer comes out to the surface and becomes hydrophilic by the measurement of weight loss rate. From the result of XPS analysis, it was clear that the chemical composition was changed by the Ar-plasma treatment. The cohesive force between the adjacent fibers increases and fiber movement is depressed. Anti-felting effect of Arplasma treated wool fabrics is caused by the depression of fiber movements even in the water. As the wool fiber surface becomes rough by the etching and functional groups which have strong interaction with water are formed on the surface, the wool fabric show larger hysteresis in bending and shearing. Therefore, wool fabrics become shrinkfree by Ar-plasma treatment. When the plasma-treated fabrics were processed with weak amino-silicone solution, those mechanical parameters of KES and drawing-out intensity fell down to the level of original untreated fabrics. Anti-felting effect also diminished at the same time.

View full abstract

In today's office environment, the demand over a feeling of sitting is increasing by the spread of IT equipment. Because evaluation of human's feeling of sitting is difficult, this study proposes numerical analysis as the evaluation technique. In case that product (chair) is evaluated by numerical analysis, expression of the material by numerical model is important. This study pays attention to the textiles set on the seat surface of chair product. Textiles are constituted by combination of many yarns. As the structure is geometrically complicated, the deformation behavior of textiles shows anisotropy and strong non-linearity. The textile on seat surface is put under the multi-axial loading. Therefore, the numerical model of textiles needs to correspond to such deformation behavior.
This study constructed the numerical model of the textiles in which introduced mechanical properties of yarn and weave structure. The mechanical properties of yarn were adapted in the axial extension property and the compression property of a cross-section. In numerical analysis the weave structures were constructed by numerically modeled yarn. The weave structure was expressed by combining the numerical model of yarn like actual textiles in numerical analysis. At this time, the weave structure of the numerical model was expressed paying attention to the weave density, and warp/weft. So, the numerical model was able to express the anisotropy of textiles on numerical analysis.
This paper proposed the numerical model and its construction technique of the textiles which can express the deformation behavior under the multi-axial loading of textiles on numerical analysis.

View full abstract

This paper describes the infrared image heat measurement system for heat transferences of textile goods. The system consists of heat source, a series of optical apparatus, an infrared camera, and an image processor. This paper also describes that the model samples and several textile goods that were used for the developed measuring system are adequate for testing the time-dependent heat transferences of the materials. It is expected that the sensed information obtained by infrared image could evaluate the quality of the heat transferences more precisely and effectively than that by the conventional test methods.

View full abstract

In this study, to design and develop socks that provide wearing comfort, the way of preventing slipping down of socks top parts is investigated. The subjects are 10 males who walk on a running machine. With changing stitches of leg and heel parts partly in the socks, pressure values of top parts of socks during walking experiment are measured, and the slippage of the top are evaluated. The top part of socks becomes difficult to slip down with the purl stitches of leg part partly because of the decrease of extending down the leg part by the foot part. The variation of pressure values is large in the front region and the variation of pressure values is small in the back region during walking, because of the hardness of skin. When the movement of an ankle is strong, the slippage of top parts increases, but using stitches that have big extension decreases the slippage effectively.

View full abstract