Prediction of seam pucker in garments by measuring fabric mechanical properties and geometric relationships

Seam pucker can only be assessed subjectively, by using photographic standards, since instrumental techniques have so far failed to produce accurate results. A low cost means of predicting the degree of pucker has been provided, by correlating measured values of fabric and thread mechanical properties and geometrical relationships with the degree of pucker obtained in the seams. These properties were experimentally measured, for a set of commercial lightweight woven fabrics, and when their values were suitably plotted, three distinct clusters were obtained which, when compared with fabric grading, were found to correspond to severe, critical and acceptable seam pucker. The most important properties were found to be fabric and thread bending, fabric shear, fabric thickness and weight, and certain fabric geometrical parameters using Peirce geometry. The various methods of plotting these properties provide, within the test set of fabrics, a means of predicting the tendency of a fabric to exhibit structural jamming seam pucker.