Kawabata Analysis of Cotton Denim Fabrics Treated with Industrial Washing Techniques

Abstract

Garment washing of denim fabrics is essential for fading of color, aesthetic effects, vintage look and improvement in handle properties of resulting garments. Denim fabrics of two types, one standard fabric (non-stretch) and other with 2% elastane fiber (stretch), are washed with different industrial washing techniques on Tonello sampling machine. The objective evaluation of handle and mechanical properties of the washed samples are carried out on Kawabata evaluation system (KES-F). Five main characteristics of fabrics are evaluated on KES-F system. The mechanical properties like tensile energy, extensibility and compression energy have increased for both stretch and non-stretch fabrics, while bending stiffness and bending hysteresis have decreased for both types of washed fabrics. The geometrical surface roughness and coefficient of friction have slightly increased after employed washing techniques. The optical microscope is used to investigate the surface changes of the fabric after the employed washing techniques.

Keywords

• denim fabrics
• industrial washing
• objective evaluation
• kes-f system
• optical microscope