The effect of pattern construction on the tactile feeling evaluated through sensory analysis

Over the past 30 years, textile manufacturers have been facing heavy competition, and now they urgently need to know consumer perceptions and preferences whereby fabric quality can be controlled and new products can be developed. Sensory factors are the most important parameters in product quality assessment, and tactile feeling is one of the most important factors in the case of fabrics. In this framework, tactile sensory analysis has been used as a new approach to characterize fabric quality in textile industry. This new tool has been used to study the effect of pattern construction on fabric tactile feeling. Nine different woven fabrics, having the same composition but different patterns, have been selected. They have been evaluated using a sensory panel: a group of individuals trained to objectively describe fabric tactile properties using a set of 15 attributes (NF-ISO, 5492 (1992) Analyse sensorielle-Vocabulaire and NF-ISO, 11035 (1995) Analyse sensorielle-Recherche et selection do descripteurs pour l'elaboration d'un profil sensoriel, par approche multidimensionnelle). The results have shown a considerable effect of the pattern on tactile properties, especially the surface parameters. Some particular feelings for special patterns have been observed, such as grooved feeling for waved twill, granulous for crepe, and pilous for 12-satin. This study aims to establish a meaningful relationship between fabric quality and weave structure parameters.