Investigation of the effects of elastane usage on tailorability and usage properties in woolen fabrics

Wool fibers are the most important protein-based animal fibers used in the textile industry. Due to its physical and chemical structure, wool fiber has become a preferred fiber in every period of history. Combining the wool fibers with different fiber groups such as PES / Nylon / Elastane to improve their properties has increased the usage of wool and provided a significant place in our lives. In this study, the effect of the use of elastane on the formability and tailorability characteristics of the selected fabrics consisting of a mixture of wool and synthetic fibers was investigated. For this purpose, the most commonly used 14 types of blend fabrics in the outer garment market were selected and the bending and shear rigidity, formability and compressibility properties were tested by using siroFAST test equipment to determine the tailorability and formability of these fabrics. The statistical significance of the differences (p < 0.05) between the results of fabrics with and without elastane was investigated with SPSS statistical method. According to the results, the fabric type in which the addition of elastane provides optimum extensibility, bending rigidity, formability, shear rigidity and dimensional change in all fabrics is A4 (88% Wool-10% Nylon-2% EA) and A12 (65% Wool-24% Pes-8%) Nylon - 3% EA). It was observed that the addition of elastane improved the fabric formability and tailorability properties and had a positive effect on the appearance and comfort of the garment.