Dimensional Changes in Multicomponent Systems of Fabrics: A Theoretical Study

In a system of two fabrics attached to each other, dimensional changes may give rise to compression and extension stresses in the plane of the fabrics. High stresses may lead to buckling of the compressed fabric, which may impair the appearance of the system. The paper discusses three different types of dimensional change occurring in practice, namely changes due to external stresses, changes due to setting operations, and changes due to releasing frozen-in internal stresses or producing internal stresses by swelling. Each of these dimensional changes is defined. Equations are derived which, for a smooth system, give the relation between the initial difference in dimension between the fabrics, dimensional changes taking place after the fabrics are attached to each other, and certain mechanical properties of the fabrics. Three fundamental cloth parameters are shown to govern the results, namely formability, settability, and dimensional stability.