The study on mechanical properties and clothing pressure of novel elastic knitwear

The traditional elastic fibre applied widely in knitwear has a fatal disadvantage, i.e. the sensitivity to heat. After the knitwear made of Lycra fibre was ironed several times, colour quality and shape stability are degraded. In order to improve the heat stability of elastic fibre, American Dow chemical company has developed a latest elastic fibre-XLA fibre3. This paper analyses mechanical properties and knitwear pressure of this kind of novel fibre. A pressure testing system has been developed to measure human body pressure data correctly. Several representative structures are knitted to make a profound comparison. This paper discusses the relationship between them and puts a further study on human body comfort of this fibre. By a series of experiments, the optimal parameters of knitting technology have been obtained.