Effect of fabric mechanical properties on drape

We investigate the relationship between the fabric drape coefficient from the Cusick drapemeter and mechanical properties tested on the Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabrics (KES-F) for woven fabrics. This is the first attempt at determining a comprehensive relationship between the fabric drape coefficient and mechanical properties. Drape coefficient (DC) is the dependent variable. Sixteen mechanical properties tested on the KES-F system and their transformed forms are the independent variables. Four regression models are proposed: the multiple linear regression of the DC with KES-F original data, Niwa's model, logarithms for KES-F data, and logarithms for both the DC and KES-F data. Except for an initial run with Niwa's model, the mechanical properties correlated to drape coefficient are reduced to three or four by screening out intercorrelated parameters using stepwise regression. The regression results are analyzed in terms of correlation coefficients, residuals, and T values. The version with logarithms for mechanical properties and drape coefficient seems to be more accurate. We know that bending and shear properties are close related to drape coefficient, and this analysis shows that two other parameters-mean deviation of friction coefficient and tensile linearity-are also highly correlated with drape coefficient and may be independent.