Seam Strength Prediction for Different Stitch Types Considering Stitch Density of Cotton Woven Fabrics

Abstract

Seam strength is critical in achieving the proper and adequate quality seam, which eventually determines the overall quality of any garment. The target of this research was to investigate exactly how different stitch density affected seam strength for different stitch types. Commercially available, 100% cotton plain weave structured woven fabric with mass per unit area of 270 g/m2 was used in this analysis. Two different stitch types, such as lock stitch (ISO#301) and chain stitch (ISO#401), along with four stitch densities like 8, 10, 12 and 14 per inch were utilized. The seam strength of the prepared samples was determined using a tensile strength tester followed by the ASTM D1683 standard procedure. The impact of independent variables on superimposed seam strength was statistically analyzed using a regression correlation with the help of SPSS software to construct a regression equation to predict seam strength before the manufacturing process. The study found a non-linear relationship between seam strength and stitch density. When the stitch density is too low, the seam strength is shown low as well, because the cloth cannot be held under tensile load. In a very compact woven fabric, structural jamming or intrinsic puckering occurs if it is too high. As a result, the best stitch density should be chosen to achieve the best seam strength. This study will help the manufacturers choose a suitable SPI for lock and chain stitches from polynomial regression equations before the sewing production of cotton woven fabric, which was not predicted by any researcher before. Therefore, the optimum stitch density can be chosen using regression equations to get the best result for seam strength.