A Study of Tearing in Coated Cotton Fabrics: Part I: the Influence of Fabric Construction

Thirty-one experimental fabrics were woven and coated with a PVC plastisol. The design of these fabrics was varied in a systematic way to permit evaluation of the influence of a variety of constructional variables. The coating was applied using knife-over- blanket technique. Measurements made before and after coating in cluded an end and pick count, coating weight and thickness, break ing strength and elongation, tearing strength, and flexural rigidity. Application of the coating increased the breaking strengths of almost all constructions slightly. All fabrics were stiffened by the application of coating, the extent of the change not being affected to any marked degree by the construction of the fabric. Tearing strengths were all reduced by coating, the amount of reduction depending upon the weave, but not particularly by the constructional variables. Plain weaves lost about 25% of their tearing strength on the average, twills about 60%, and baskets at least 70%. In spite of this, the basket weaves had the highest tearing strengths in the coated state.