Visual ratings of “softness/hardness” of rotating fabrics
International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology
ISSN: 0955-6222
Article publication date: 3 June 2019
Issue publication date: 9 March 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to find the optimal rotary motion conditions to create drapes in fabric to visually convey tactile “softness/hardness” and identify key physical factors in visual evaluations of fabric “softness/hardness” via videos of fabric draping.
Design/methodology/approach
Subjects evaluated visually and by touch, the “softness/hardness” of fabrics draped over a cylinder. In the visual evaluation experiment, subjects were presented with 16 videos of the movement of fabric drapes when the cylinder was rotated (four rotation speeds and four angular acceleration rates) and they evaluated the “softness/hardness” of each fabric visually. By examining the “softness/hardness” ratings in the two experiments, the optimal rotary motion condition that conveyed fabric “softness/hardness” was identified. Changes in the shape of fabric drape when moving under optimal rotary motion conditions were analyzed to determine key physical factors that affected visual evaluations of fabric “softness/hardness.”
Findings
Optimal rotary motion conditions (rotation speed and angular acceleration rate) that expressed each fabric’s “softness/hardness” appropriately were identified. Additionally, the magnitude of change in the angle of fabric drape when rotating under optimal rotary motion conditions was the key factor used in visual evaluation of each fabric’s “softness/hardness.”
Originality/value
The conditions needed to produce visual images that convey fabric “softness/hardness” only through visual information (i.e. without touching the fabric) were identified, based on the fabric’s bending rigidity. The magnitude of change in the angle of fabric drape enabled accurate visual judgments of fabric “softness/hardness.”
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was funded under the Strategic Information and Communications R&D Promotion Program (SCOPE) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (152303002), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)(18H03317 and 18H03458), and the UU-COE grant of Utsunomiya University. The authors wish to thank Associate Professor Yosuke Horiba of Shinshu University for his advice on changes in the shape of fabric drape and Technical Instructor Norio Kawakami for his help with the construction of the fabric rotation equipment.
Citation
Jimba, N., Ishikawa, T., Yanagida, Y., Mori, H., Sasaki, K. and Ayama, M. (2020), "Visual ratings of “softness/hardness” of rotating fabrics", International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 48-62. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCST-07-2018-0088
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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