Effect of laundering on fabric drape, bending and shear

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of laundering on the drape, shear, and bending properties of bottom weight fabrics. Design/methodology/approach - Six bottom-weight 100 percent cotton fabrics were included. Collier's Drape Tester was utilized to obtain drape values. Bending and shear values were measured on the KES-F Shear Tester and the Pure Bending Tester. Three laundering cycles (unlaundered, one and five home launderings) following AATCC methods were explored. Findings - Laundry cycle did not have a significant effect on fabric drape, shear or bending properties. However, drape values increased overall, while shear and bending modulus and hysteresis decreased, resulting in a more drapable, pliable fabric after five laundry cycles. Research limitations/implications - Future research examining a wider variety of fabrics and conducting a greater number of laundry cycles to approximate an average yearly number of laundry cycles is recommended. An expansion of this preliminary study should give more conclusive evidence of the trends observed. Originality/value - Objective measurement of drape and fabric mechanical properties related to drape after laundry treatments would assist the apparel manufacturer in developing laundry recommendations based on the fabric's performance and in selecting fabrics which maintain their drape characteristics, mechanical properties, and dimensional stability with use. Higher quality garments with increased consumer satisfaction would result.