46—THE DEPENDENCE OF FABRIC DRAPE ON BENDING AND SHEAR STIFFNESS

Abstract

The dependence of the drape of fabrics on bending stiffness and shear stiffness has been investigated. A version of the Fabric Research Laboratories Drapemeter is described, and the drape coefficient obtained is used as a measure of the fabric drape. The regression of the drape coefficient on bending length for a large number of fabrics was highly significant, and the addition of shear stiffness to the regression made a highly significant difference. The regression equations provide the relations between the variables for the conditions used. Theoretical values of drape coefficient for zero shear stiffness were lower than the measured values.