In this paper we present the Sylvie three-dimensional (3D) Drape Tester, developed for fabric drape measurements, and its special auxiliary device that exerts dynamical impact on fabrics during draping. In addition, a new draping characteristic, namely the Drape Unevenness Factor, was defined to describe the evenness of the shape of draped textile material numerically. Three special cotton fabrics were woven exclusively for this work. The three fabrics differ only in the twist direction of their weft yarns. The effect of twist directions in woven fabrics and the influence of the applied dynamical impact on drape test results were analyzed. Based on the test results, we also analyze the process of drape formation, offering proposals for modification of fabric behavior models to contribute to better fabric simulations.

The study aimed to analyze whether the high compression of unique, tight-fitting sportswear influences the clothing physiology comfort of the athlete. Three specific sportswear with different compression were tested on four subjects while they were running on a treadmill with increasing intensity. The compression effect of the sportswear on the body of the test persons, the temperature distribution of the subjects, and the intensity of their perspiration during running were determined. The results indicate that the compression effect exerted by the garments significantly influences the clothing physiology comfort of the athlete; a higher compression load leads to more intense sweating and higher skin temperature.

When fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) components are designed, it is very important to ensure that textiles are formed into complex 3D geometries without folds, and that the reinforcing structure is oriented appropriately. Most research in this context is focused on finite element (FE) forming simulations and the required characterization of textile reinforcements. However, the early stage of the design of FRPs, where kinematic draping simulations are used, is barely considered. In particular, the need for a critical shear angle for the execution and evaluation of kinematic draping simulations is often neglected. This paper presents an extended picture frame test stand with an optical device recording shear-induced deformations with the help of a laser line emitter. Associated hardware and software for detecting and quantifying the fold formation during a picture frame test were developed. With the additional recorded information, a material-specific critical shear angle can be determined, material behaviors can be compared, and FE-based simulation methods can be evaluated. This innovative test stand and the associated software tools will help engineers to decide on suitable materials and improve transparency in the early stages of the design process.

In technical textile engineering, macro-level phenomenological modelling effectively describes the material’s highly nonlinear behaviour. However, existing material laws concentrate on the normal stiffness in the orthotropic yarns and simplify the shear effect because of the two orders of magnitude difference between shear and normal stiffness. This article introduces an improved phenomenological model that includes nonlinear shear behaviour, and it determines the material parameters with a previously applied data fitting method for exponential functions. The nonlinear shear behaviour is valid for the elastic state, that is, at the service level of the loads. Time-dependent, cyclic loading or plastic behaviour is not considered.

Draping is a 3-dimensional, complex shape change caused by gravity. It characterizes the ability of the given sheet-like material, often textiles, with low bending stiffness to adapt to the shape of an object in a complex way, and therefore, knowing it is important, especially from the point of view of simulating the behaviour of this material. In a draping test, a circular sample is placed on a circular sample-holding table, its edges are allowed to bend down, and then the draping coefficient and the number of waves are calculated based on its planar projection. However, both factors have a large standard deviation, and strangely, the number of waves is not unambiguous. In our research, we replaced the circular table with regular, polygonal sample-holding tables of 3–15 corners, which had the same area, and investigated how the number of table corners is related to the draping coefficient and the number of waves. We compared the results obtained on the polygonal sample-holding tables with the results measured on the circular table. In our article, we present the course of the research, the testing equipment and how we changed it, the tested 7 types of fabrics, and the results obtained. Our results prove that with the use of a polygonal sample-holding table, the number of waves can be clear, the size and arrangement of the waves can be uniform, and so the uncertainty of the measurement results can be reduced, and the repeatability of the test can be improved. Based on the data, the regular six-sided sample-holding table can be recommended for the drape test; only very rigid samples cannot follow its corners with their waves, and the draping coefficient is almost the same as that measured on a round table. The optional use of the hexagonal sample-holding table can be recommended, especially for comparative testing of fabrics for the same purpose, for example, when it is necessary to select in terms of draping the most suitable fabric from among the possible ones for a specific garment or even for a curtain.