L. Schacher

The sensory panel applied to textile goods – a new marketing tool

Increasingly consumers are looking for good feeling and comfort when they buy textile goods. To respond to these demands, sensory tools are requested by industrialists to evaluate such notions. Many studies have been performed and many device developments have taken place in the textile area such as mechanical, thermal and surface testing, so as to evaluate the related physical properties, but the links between measurement and the consumer feeling of comfort are still difficult to establish. Based on studies already performed in the food industry, the development of the sensory panel applied to textile goods has been implemented. In this paper, the sensory panel will be developed and some examples will illustrate the different procedures.

Comparison between thermal insulation and thermal properties of classical and microfibres polyester fabrics

A lot of fibre and fabric structures or finishing parameters influence the functional properties of fabrics. In order to assess the thermal properties of conventional polyester and microfibre types of fabrics the plate/fabric/plate method for conductivity or cool/warm feeling was used. Fabrics made of microfibres show lower heat conductance and therefore higher thermal insulation properties. Microfibre fibres exhibit a warmer feeling than conventional polyester fabrics depending on pressure, which may be due to the difference in the fibre and fabric surface in contact with the human skin.

The evaluation of fabric treatment by Griff tester and sensory analysis

Purpose – The aim of presented investigation was to test developed testing device Griff tester, created for the objective evaluation of textile hand and to compare the obtained data with sensory evaluation results of textiles, subjected to different final treatments.Design/methodology/approach – The effect of two finishing products, i.e. the crease‐resistant finishing Knittex® “K” and the softener macro silicone Ultratex® “Ul” upon 100 per cent cotton plain weave fabric was studied by two methods – objective evaluation and sensory analysis. Objective evaluation was done using Griff tester device where disc shaped specimen was extracted through a rounded hole of the stand. Sensory analysis was performed by the panel of 11 trained persons.Findings – Investigations have shown that both treatments changed the hand of the fabric in the expected direction. Meantime, two experimental methods (objective and sensory approach) have shown their effectiveness to evaluate the textile touch, respectively.Practical impl...

Tactile sensory analysis applied to silk/cotton knitted fabrics

Currently, textile industrialists have to consider the sensory aspect in their design and manufacturing specifications. To describe the sensory quality of products, sensory evaluation does exist and is widely used in the food and cosmetics areas. These methodologies have been successfully transposed to tactile evaluation of textile fabrics for different textile materials: plain weave fabrics with different post‐treatments and non‐woven are used for medical gowns and drapes. In our study, we have asked our trained panel composed of nine assessors to score a list of already defined sensory attributes for different knitted fabrics made of silk/cotton blends. The spinning parameters which have been changed are the type of silk fibre (three types), blending techniques – intimate and draw frame blending – and the silk content. All these parameters can more or less influence the tactile perception of the final knitted fabric. In this paper, the results of our analysis are presented and discussed in order to answer questions such as: “Are these two fabrics different?”, “What kind of difference is there?” or “What are the sensory characteristics of these fabrics?”. The concrete steps of the evaluation will be presented and specifically the training and performance analysis of the panellists who were obliged to adapt their evaluation procedures to small knitted samples. The protocols used to carry out fabrics description and comparisons when all assessors cannot evaluate all the products under study will also be detailed.

Designing surgical clothing and drapes according to the new technical standards

Hospitals will continue to be the largest consumers of disposables, because of the diverse range of procedures they provide. Favourable growth is forecast for non‐wovens. Increasing concern over contamination and nosocomial infections will boost the demand for consumable and disposable surgical gowns and drapes. But, until now neither the manufacturers nor the end users of surgical gowns and drapes could agree on standards. So, a mandatory European standard is being developed to establish basic requirements and test methods for disposable and reusable materials used for surgical gowns and drapes. Once this standard has been adopted, the continued use of cotton textiles and conventional cotton‐polyester mixed textiles will become questionable.

An expert system for the dyeing recipes determination

This article deals with the modelization of the reasoning of an expert in dyeing. The dyeing operation is one of the latest stage in the whole textile process which alters the intrinsic properties of the articles. At present, there are expert systems for dyeing industries. Most of them have been developed by dyes and chemical auxiliary suppliers, and these tools are not widely used in dyeing factories. This paper describes the dyeing operation, and the rules of the expert in dyeing. The objects that he reasons about, his reasoning, and the critical points that he considers are also presented.

Experimental investigation of the influence of wool structures on the stab resistance of woven body armor panels

In the production of body armor panels, multilayer aramid fabrics are normally used. A main problem of these panels is the high weight and consequential lower comfort for the wearer. In a recent survey it was shown that most officers in the United States would prefer an improved comfort and also reduced weight in their ballistic vests. To reduce layers with a concomitance of the same safety standards, the panel has to be improved. One solution is to reduce the slippage of the yarns during the penetration of the knife and with this to increase the absorbed impact energy. The tests showed that the placement of a layer of wool fabric on the top of the aramid panel changes the penetration behavior. The main goal of this work is the investigation of the influence of the woven wool structure over the penetration of aramid panels. For this investigation, the stab resistance of five aramid fabrics with different properties and patterns combined with one layer of wool on the top and bottom of the panel has been tested and compared against pure aramid panels, according to the VPAM test instruction “Stab- and Impact Protection”. In addition, an optical evaluation of the stab tests has been done using a high-speed camera. Also, the stab recess in the aramid layers was evaluated optically, using a digital microscope. The experimental results confirm that wool can increase the stab resistance of body armor panels, but results are dependent on the properties and pattern of the aramid fabrics, too.

Influence of the sterilisation process on the tactile feeling of surgical gowns

More and more disposable goods are available in surgical rooms. Rules and standards have been proposed in order to prevent infection from patient to surgical team and vice versa. A proposed mandatory European standard prEn 13795 “Surgical drapes, gowns and clear air suits used as medical devices, for patients, clinical staff and equipment”, is being developed by the Committee of European Normalisation and specifies the basic performance requirements and test methods for single‐use and reusable materials after sterilisation process. Therefore, the performances of the surgical gowns demand a balance between barrier and comfort properties. In comfort evaluation, tactile feeling is one of the most primary and important aspects with regard to the grading of the products. Therefore, the influence of the sterilisation process on the tactile perception is important to be evaluated. Subsequently, the final aim of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge of influence of sterilisation treatment on the tactile perception.

An Application of the Kubelka-Munck Relationship to Calculate the Color Fastness of a Fabric1

The fastness of a dyed fabric is currently estimated using empirical rules, and gen erally the same rule is used for a complete class of dyes, such as reactive dyes. Actually, by measuring the different colorimetric coordinates of a fabric before and after the test. it is possible to calculate a fastness assessment, this measurement being more reliable than the classical visual fastness assessment. The relation between the dye concentra tion in the fabric and the shade of the fabric is the Kubelka-Munck relation, which determines the dyeing. By using the degradation kinetics of a dye during the fastness test, it is possible to calculate the concentration variation, and with the Kubelka-Munck relationship, the change in shade during the fastness test and then a fastness assessment. But this simple calculation can be used only if we assume that the degradation of every dye is independent of the other dyes. If this hypothesis cannot be assumed, the calcu lation is much more complex. We have studied the prediction of shade degradation during a fastness test for cellulose fabrics dyed with reactive dyes.

Study of the influential inputs on the bagged denim fabric behaviors using the principal component analysis method

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to predict the appearance of denim fabric after repetitive uses judging the denim cloth behavior and performance in viewpoint of bagging ability. Hence, it attempts to carry out the significant inputs and outputs that have an influence on the bagging behaviors using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique. In this study, the Kawabata Evaluation System parameters such as the frictional characteristics, the bending, compression, tensile and shear parameters are investigated to propose a model highlighting and explaining their impacts on the different bagging properties. To improve the obtained results, the selected significant inputs are also analyzed within their bagging properties using Taguchi experimental design. The linear regressive models prove the effectiveness of the PCA method and the obtained findings. Design/methodology/approach – To investigate the mechanical properties and their contributions on the bagging characteristics, some denim fabrics wer...