It is a consumer's instinct to use the sense of touch when choosing a garment; to describe and assess the fabric quality and its suitability for a specific end use. The way that the fabric feels is described as its handle or 'fabric hand'. Fabric hand can be evaluated by mechanical or electronic devices and by human judges using psychophysical or psychological techniques.
Effect of mechanical and physical properties on fabric hand thoroughly explores the techniques and issues involved in this difficult subject. It begins by looking at the concepts of fabric hand, with chapters on the developments in hand measurement, the application of statistical methods and the differences in fabric hand between different cultures. The second part is devoted to the different effects fiber, yarn and fabric can have on fabric hand. The effect of factors including fiber, yarn and woven fabrics are all outlined in separate chapters. Finally, the third section describes the effect that processing has on fabric hand. This includes processes such as wet processing and chemical finishing, mechanical finishing and refurbishing. Finally two important appendices are included for reference. Appendix A is from the Hand Evaluation and Standardization Committee and outlines the Kawabata system for standardization and analysis of hand evaluation. Appendix B describes the SiroFAST system of fabric assurance by simple testing developed by CSIRO, Australia.