Seam Performance of the Inseam of a Military Trouser in Relation to Garment Fit

Abstract

Tensile properties of fabrics and seams are often theoretically and experimentally investigated for principal directions but in actual garments the stress is applied at the non-principal directions which are defined according to the fit of the garment. This study attempts to find out the effect of change of garment fit on the seam qualities i.e. seam breaking strength and seam breaking elongation with reference to the angle of cut in the garment. The seam at the inner leg of a male military trouser was analysed as it is most prone to stress. The trouser was analysed for two fits, viz. a viz. regular fit and slim fit, and the results were compared with a straight cut fabric. It was observed that the breaking strength and elongation were maximum in the case of a slim fit followed by regular fit and it is lowest for a straight cut. It implies that test standard (based on straight cut seam) does not provide real seam strength in practice. It was found that the breaking strength and elongation were greater for lap felled than plain seam. In all the above cases, the twill fabric showed higher breaking strength and elongation than plain fabric.