Measurement of the Shearing Properties of Fabrics

F()IZ fabrics in ordinary use it may be assumed that the stresses applied are small. A suit, for instance, must follow the wearer’s movements without uncomfortable hindrance. The fact that relatively large deformations may be produced 1>v small -,tresses i....1B1(’ to the pliability of fabric structures. Small forces can alter the angle between warp and weft, i.e., give rise to &dquo;shear&dquo; (Figure 1), until creasing occurs. This property of course varies from one type of fabric to another. Together with the bending properties and weight of a fabric, the shear properties should 1>e of great importance for the pliability and drape, or hand. Methods for measuring the bending and drape properties of fabrics are described in the literature 11, 5 ~ . liut there is no published method for determining the relation shearing force and shear deformation. The t’tanonex of I)reby ( 2, 31 1 (FigUft’ 2) merely measures the deformation in degree at which creasing begins, and is designed to evaluate the stiffness of similar fabrics nnished in various