Factors affecting recovery of PTT shape memory fabric to its initial shape

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the recovery mechanism of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) shape memory fabrics. Design/methodology/approach Tests were designed to study the effects of force, temperature and their combinations on the fabrics' crease recoveries. In the test a cantilever device and an ironing force which simulated people ironing their clothes were used, respectively. Findings Temperature was found to have little effect on the recovery of both the warp and filling of the fabrics. Crease recoveries did not improve significantly when the temperature was increased to above the polymer's glass transition. However, forces, applied in primarily compressive and tensile modes to simulate ironing and hand stroking actions, were found to be very effective in the fabrics' crease recoveries. Recoveries were 81‐87 per cent even when the applied force was very small, at 5 N/cm 2 . When forces were applied at elevated temperatures, just below and above the polymer's glass transition, there were no significant improvements in crease recoveries. Therefore, force was the main factor in PTT shape memory fabrics' recovery mechanism for the fabrics to return to their initial shapes. Originality/value The results suggest that PTT shape memory fabric has excellent shape recoverability and easy care property and it has large application potentiality.