Analysis and improvement of tactile comfort and low-stress mechanical properties of denim fabrics

Despite the fact that the tactile comfort of a garment is an important criterion that determines consumers' preferences and has been investigated for almost a century by many researchers, the number of studies regarding tactile comfort of denim fabrics is limited. The aim of this study is to propose suggestions to enhance the tactile comfort of denim fabrics and investigate their efficiency in terms of low-stress mechanical properties and sensory evaluation results. For this purpose, the compressibility, extension ability, bending rigidity and shear rigidity of 51 denim fabrics were experimentally determined. Meanwhile, stiffness–softness, roughness–smoothness and tactile comfort scores were evaluated by consumers and specialists via sensory tests. The effects of the raw material, blend ratio, weaving parameters and washing processes were statistically investigated. Low-stress mechanical properties, particularly biaxial and multiaxial ones, were found to be highly related to the perceived tactile comfort. Statistical investigations highlighted that stone washing is the most effective method to improve the tactile comfort. Nonetheless, the effect of enzyme washing was relatively small. It was observed that the suggested weaving parameters provide a significant improvement in fabric properties. Increasing the ratio of viscose content in polyester/viscose blend weft yarns was quite effective as well.