To evaluate the quality level of their products, fabric manufacturers follow the recommendations of textile specialised institutions such as the Woolmark Company, without knowing its rank among the concurrent products.
In the same way as Uster Statistics for yarns, it seems to be important to us to know the relative position of a fabric in what concerns its quality respecting to the generality of similar commercial fabrics.
During the fabric project stage, based on the knowledge of the interdependence between structural characteristics and behaviour properties, it is important to optimise by simulation the overall performance of fabrics, acting on adequate structural characteristics and always taking into account the manufacturing costs.
A set of 82 wool and blended fabrics has been studied, from these 51 being worsted and 31 woollen fabrics, taken as representative of the majority of wool commercial fabrics.
The study was directed to the evaluation of fabric wear properties, structural characteristics and FAST parameters. After, each wear property was correlated with the studied structural characteristics in order to get statistical models for the properties. Based on the results of this study, percentile tables were built for each fabric wear property.
In order to evaluate the quality level of a fabric respecting to the generality of fabrics belonging to the same family, a computer application is being developed that, in a global manner, takes into account all wear properties, on the basis of the percentile tables. To satisfy the proposed objectives and using the mentioned statistical models, this application will also simulate the best quality level of fabrics, by changing the adequate structural characteristics. This optimising process will always take into consideration the interdependence between structural characteristics and wear properties.
References
– Miguel, R. A. L., Modelling the Influence of Structural Characteristi
By: Rui A.L. Miguel & José M. Lucas University of Beira Interior, Dep. of Textile Science and Technolo
Submit Date: 6/14/2010 18:00