Testing fabric properties
It is important to test fabric properties throughout the production process, as part of quality control. Testing fabric properties at regular intervals ensures that they are suitable for their intended purpose. The following are a few of the important fabric properties that need to be checked regularly:
fabric weight, fabric thickness, fabric strength, fabric abrasion resistance.
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Fabric weight
Fabric weight is expressed as the weight of the fabric in grams per m2. It has no limits but does affect the many of the fabric properties.
Fabric weight is a fundamental property that needs to be controlled during the manufacturing process in order to avoid economic loss, for example, by buying heavier fabric than is necessary for the product being manufactured.
Fabric weight, that is, GSM, influences other fabric properties such as thickness, flexural rigidity, bending rigidity, drape, air permeability and thermal properties. For example, the lighter the fabric, the lower its bending rigidity.
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Fabric thickness
In order to determine the thickness of a compressible material such as textile fabric, the precise measurement of the distance between two parallel plates should be measured when they are separated by the cloth. A known arbitrary pressure between the plates should be applied and maintained.
It is useful to measure fabric thickness, in order to check the material against the specification.
Fabric thickness is also useful in studying fabric properties such as thermal insulation, resilience, dimensional stability, fabric stiffness, abrasion and total handle value.
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Fabric strength
Fabric strength can be divided into three components: its resistance to tensile force, its resistance to tearing force and its resistance to bursting force. Whether the strength of the fabric is measured in all these components depends on the type of fabric and its end use.
(Reference: Rail car liners - roll off container liners - dump liners)
