Effect of a Softening Agent on Yarn Pull-out Force of a Plain Weave Fabric

This paper describes a study of the effect of a cationic softening agent on the processes involved in pulling out a single warp yarn from a plain weave cotton fabric. In par ticular, measurements are made of the pull-out force and the corresponding yarn and fabric deformations, and these parameters are compared with those observed on un treated fabric. These forces and weave deformation data are combined using a simple model to provide estimates of the weave's shear stiffness and a single yarn's tensile stiffness in the weave. In addition these data uniquely attribute the maximum pull- out force to the rupture of one crossover and the subsequent decrease in pull-out force to a sliding friction per crossover. The conclusion is that the treatment reduces the yarn tensile "modulus" in the weave, the interyam adhesion, and the interyam sliding friction, and it increases the deformability as well as the recoverability of the fabric.