Mechanical and Chemical Analysis of Seam Behaviour

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to investigate the performance of seams after successive treatments applied to a woven fabric. Performance of seams was assessed by their load/elongation behaviour. Successive chemical treatments such as desizing, scouring, bleaching and dyeing followed by a type of mechanical finishing known as sueding were applied to the fabrics. After each treatment, mechanical tests performed on seamed and non-seamed fabrics. Three factors were studied: the treatment type, the stitch density (number of stitches per centimetre) and the direction (weft or warp direction) of the seam. Three responses were measured: the seam elongation at break, the seam breaking force and the seam efficiency. This study shows that the qualities of the seams depend on the fabric modifications generated by the chemical and/or mechanical treatment. Furthermore, the rigidity of the fabrics was shown to vary with dyeing and colour class. The initial fabric properties before stitching have an important impact on the behaviour of the seams. This work shows that it is more useful to study the yield point (elastic phase) than the rupture point of the load/elongation curves; as stitched fabrics are worn, the elastic phase (fabric recovery) is more important than the plastic phase. The yield point of seams characterizes the real limit of use of stitched fabrics better. In this work we have used a complete-factorial plan to study interactions between factors affecting the seam breaking force, elongation at break and efficiency; and found the most significant interactions between the factors that affect the seam breakage.