PLANNING THE MACROPORE AREA OF WOVEN FABRICS

This paper reports the comparative analysis of predictive models for one of the macroporosity properties of woven fabric; e.g., the area of a macropore's cross-section. The following construction parameters are observed in this research - yarn linear density, fabric tightness, weave type and denting. Predictive models are derived to describe the influence of fabric construction. Empirical models, based on a statistical technique (a three-factor analysis) that shows much better agreement with real values according to ideal mathematical models that include some simplifying assumptions, were first developed. While woven fabrics made from staple yarns are much more heterogeneous in terms of the size, shape and orientation of its macropores compared to fabrics made from mono- or multifilament yarns, the results were not good enough. The next stage of our research was to use another modelling tool (genetic programming) to more precisely predict the macropore area of woven fabrics. This work is focused on the engineering of staple cotton fabrics in a grey state in terms of the area of the macropore.