DEPARTMENT OF TEXTILE ENGINEERING

Course No.: TEX 319

Course Title: Textile Physics –II

Academic Semester: Spring 2019

Assignment on

KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric

Submitted to

Md. Ershad Khan

Assistant Professor

Submitted by

Md. Ahasan Habib Uddin

ID: 17.01.06.149

Year: 3rd

Semester: 1st

Section: C

Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology

 Table of Content

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................1
2. Brief History………………………………………………………………………..................................................1
3. Working Principle………………….................................................................................................2
3.1. Tensile and shear Test…………………………………………………………………………………………………2
3.2. Bending Test……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
3.3. Compression Test……………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
3.4. Surface Friction & Roughness Test………………………………………………………………………………5
4. Application Field…………………………………..................................................................................6
5. Advantages……………….............................................................................................................6
6. Disadvantages………………………………………………........................................................................6
7. Conclusion……………………………………………………………….............................................................6
8. References…………………………………………...................................................................................7

KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric

1. Introduction:
When the fabrics are used for clothing, they must fit the human body and be adaptable to it’s
movements. The primary function of clothing is to protect the human body from hot or cold
environments and from injury to the skin caused by mechanical contact with external materials.
Textile fabrics made from natural fibers have been used by human for a long time as the most
suitable materials for clothing .Now textile fabrics are made from man-made fibers. These fabrics
have low weight, high ratio of strength and overall fabric quality is excellent [CITATION SKa89 \l 1033
].

The term fabric quality as it is understood by manufacturers and consumers, generally reflects the
level of manufacturing defects present in the fabric and its serviceability as defined by a selected
group of properties such as strength, abrasion resistance, resistance to pilling, etc. The
measurement of the mechanical properties of textile materials has traditionally concentrated upon
aspects that would be important in subsequent processing, e.g. for yarns the strength, evenness,
friction and count are measured on a routine basis and for fabrics tensile strength, bursting strength
and abrasion resistance are measured[CITATION RJH90 \l 1033 ].

The Kawabata Evaluation System (KES) is used to measure the mechanical properties of fabrics. The
system was developed by a team led by Professor Kawabata in the department of polymer
chemistry, Kyoto University, Japan. The Kawabata test methods and their application used in the
fabric producing and garment making industries. The Kawabata system of instruments measures the
properties of textile fabrics and predicts the aesthetic qualities perceived by human touch. The
Kawabata Evaluation System is used extensively in research and the textile industry. The KES system
allows the handle of a fabric to be quantified and so removes the subjectivity of fabric
evaluations[ CITATION Chr88 \l 1033 ].

2. Brief History:
The Kawabata Evaluation System (KES) is used to make objective measurements of hand properties.
The KES instruments measure mechanical properties that correspond to the fundamental
deformation of fabrics in hand manipulation. Five different tests can be performed using KES and the
main mechanical characteristics produced, are described below.

The Kawabata Evaluation System (KES) is a system of sensitive electronic equipment designed to
accurately measure the low-stress mechanical and surface properties of the whole range of flexible
fibrous products, namely woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, and nonwoven materials. The system
consists of a bending tester, a compression tester, a surface tester, and a combined tensile-shear
tester. The uniqueness of the equipment lies in the fact that the instruments permit the
measurement of the complete recovery behavior of the fabrics, in addition to the deformation
behavior. Also, the peak loads for different mechanical tests can be pre-selected to suit the specific
use of the test results (such as softness measurement, measurement of flexibility, surface roughness,
elastic recovery, the ability to withstand cyclic loading, etc.). The precision and versatility of the
equipment, therefore, provide unique opportunities to produce and deliver truly "engineered"
products for a range of demanding end uses. The measurements can also be used to select the most
appropriate raw materials, product designs, and processing parameters for a wide a range of
products and production processes[ CITATION Rad02 \l 1033 ].

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KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric
Scientifically designed protocols used to determine subjective ratings or rankings of fabric softness
are also conducted in the laboratory. These studies analyze tactile response to the texture, softness
and other hand properties of fabric materials. Human panel evaluations, used in conjunction with
the KES are useful for engineering desirable hand qualities into textile materials. The system was
developed by a team lead by Professor Kawabata in the department of polymer chemistry, Kyoto
University Japan. The initial work started in 1968 and the system became commercially available in
its present form since 1978.The system was originally aimed at the objective evaluation of fabric
hand, but the sensitivity and comprehensiveness of the tests offered by the system led to its
widespread application in other areas such as product, process development process control
[ CITATION Baj16 \l 1033 ].
The Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabrics (KESF) has the following four modules for measuring
low stress and surface characteristics of fabrics:

 KES-FB1 for measurement of tensile and shearing characteristics;

 KES-FB2 for measurement of bending characteristics;
 KES-FB3 for measurement of compressional characteristics;
 KES-FB4 for measurement of surface friction and roughness;

3. Working Principle:
3.1. Tensile and Shear test: The KES-FB1 tester is
designed for the tensile and shearing property of
fabrics, paper, nonwovens and film-like materials.
This tester can measure tensile energy, strain and
shearing rigidity. After mounting a specimen, press
the start button. Clamping, initial tensioning (20g)
for standard initial condition and measurement are
performed automatically. This new automated
model improves the accuracy of data by eliminating
human operational errors.
The tensile test is illustrated in Fig. 3.1(a). Extension is applied along the 5 cm direction of the
specimen up to 500 gf/cm.

The transverse contraction is not limited, so the test is a type of biaxial extension. Figure 3.1(b)
shows a typical load–extension hysteresis curve. From this curve, several parameters are derived:

2
KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric
 ℇm
cm
Tensile energy, WT = ∫ Fdℇ( gf × 2
);
0 cm
Linearity of load–extension curve, LT = WT/WOT, where WOT = Fm · ℇm/2;
ℇm
'
Tensile resilience, RT = (WT′/WT) × 100, (%), where WT ′ =∫ F dℇ ;
0

Extensibility, EM, the strain (ℇm) at 500 gf/cm[ CITATION YLi06 \l 1033 ].

The shear test is carried out using the same tester as the tensile test (KES-FB1). It is illustrated in Fig.
3.2(a); a rate of shear strain of 8.34 × 10-3/sec is applied to the specimen under a constant extension
load (10 gf/cm) up to a maximum shear angle of 8°. Figure 12.8b is the obtained shear-force/shear
angle hysteresis curve. From it, the following parameters are measured:

(i) G, shear rigidity, mean slope of the curve in the region = 0.5° ∼ 5°;
(ii) 2HG, hysteresis of shear force at shear angle of 0.5°;
(iii) 2HG5, hysteresis of shear force at shearing angle of 5°.

3.2. Bending test: This measures the texture of the

product. It assess and quantities the tension, stiffness
and flexibility of the products. The length of fabric that
will bend under its own weight.Its is the measure of
stiffness thst determines draping qualiy.

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KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric
 The bending test is carried out using KES-FB2. In the KES bending test, a specimen is bent between
the curvatures -2.5 and 2.5 cm-1, as illustrated in Fig. 3.3(a). Fig. 3.3(b) is a bending curve, from which
two parameters are measured: B, bending rigidity, the mean slope of the curve in the region K = 0.5
∼ 1.5 cm-1; and 2HB, hysteresis of bending moment, measured at K = 0.5 cm-1
[ CITATION Pri14 \l 1033 ].

3.3. Compression test:

The KES-FB3 automated tester is used for measuring
the compressional energy, compressibility, resilience and thickness of the specimen. A compression
test is a method for determining the behavior of materials under a compressive load. The specimen used
for the compression test is 2.5 cm × 2.0 cm and the effective pressure region is a circular area of 2
cm2. The specimen is compressed in the direction of its thickness to a maximum pressure of 50
gf/cm2, as illustrated in Fig. 3.4(a)[ CITATION YLi06 \l 1033 ].

The shape of the obtained pressure–thickness curve (Fig. 3.4(b)) is similar to that of the load–
extension curve, and the parameters are also defined the same way as those for the tensile
property: LC, linearity of compression curve; WC, compression energy; and RC, compression
resilience. The fabric thickness at

4
KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric
50 Pa pressure, T0 and that at 200 Pa pressure Tm can also be obtained from the thickness–pressure
curve. The compression tester can also be used for fabric thickness measurement.[ CITATION YLi06 \l
1033 ]
3.4. Surface Friction and roughness:
Friction is the force that resists the movement of a surface over another surface during sliding.
When the textile materials are processed, then
friction is developed between the fibers. The
properties which are shown by a textile material
during friction is known as frictional property.
This properties are shown during processing. Too
high friction and too low friction is not good for
yarn. Therefore it is an important property
when yarn manufacturing and processing. The
surface friction is carried out using KES-
FB4[ CITATION BPS00 \l 1033 ].

In Fig. 3.5(a) Surface friction is measured by using a contactor consisting of 10 pieces of the wire
used as shown in Fig. 3.5(a).The force required to pull the fabric passing the contactor is measured.
Fig. 3.5(b) shows the obtained plot of friction versus distance travelled, from which two parameters
are calculated: the coefficient of friction, MIU, the mean value of the curve; and the mean deviation
of the coefficient of friction.

The KES-FB4 tester used for evaluating surface properties. Surface roughness is measured by pulling
across the surface a steel wire of 0.5 mm diameter that is bent into a U shape, as illustrated in Fig.
3.6(a)

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KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric
Fig. 3.6(b) shows a plot of the height variation along the distance. The mean deviation of surface
contour, SMD is calculated from the plot, SMD = hatched area/X [ CITATION BPS00 \l 1033 ].

4. Application Field:
The high sensitivity and high level of accuracy associated with KES equipment make the system an
ideal tool in the hands of the process engineer. Virtually all aspects of product design and product
engineering, including raw material selection, web formation, web consolidation and finishing can
benefit from the data generated through the Kawabata Evaluation system.[ CITATION Baj16 \l 1033 ]

The applications of the measured KES data are listed below:

 Optimization of raw materials.
 Optimization of web forming, consolidation, and finishing processes.
 Development of structure-property relationships.
 Quantitative evaluation of primary tactile sensations such as softness, stiffness, smoothness,
etc.
 Development of end products with specifically engineered and precisely controlled
performance properties.
 Refinishing of fabrics to meet certain specific property requirements of end products.
 Selection of appropriate binders and other finishing agents.

5. Advantages:
 KES system is one of the most frequently used system for fabric hand.
 It is used for mechanical and physical properties of fabrics.
 The precision and versatility of the equipment’s provide unique opportunities to produce
engineered products.
 For stiffer fabrics, the FAST tensile meter tends to provide a lower value of extensibility
compared to that obtained from the KES-F tensile tester[ CITATION Kit96 \l 1033 ].
 The Kawabata shear tester, uses the principle of shear at constant length of sides which is
simpler than the fast system.
 KESF has pure bending tester[ CITATION Tus03 \l 1033 ].
 The KESF instruments gives full computerized data[CITATION TOK08 \l 1033 ].

6. Disadvantages:
 KES system measuring the low-stress mechanical properties of fabrics.
 It could not measure hysteresis effects.
 The evaluation process is difficult.
 FAST system can be used to obtain considerable information about fabric hand[ CITATION
Has05 \l 1033 ]
 The cost of KES instruments are very high.
 It is not widely used instruments to measure the properties of textiles.
 The evaluation process is time consuming[CITATION Enr16 \l 1033 ].

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KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric
7. Conclusion:
The quality and performance characteristics of fabric and clothing are closely related to their basic
engineering properties. The evaluated measurements provide objective communication between
various sectors of textile and clothing industries, thus facilitating fabric specification for quality and
performance requirements. KES-F system is designed according to the research of Kawabata with
HESC and it is the first objective evaluation system is based on the measurements of fabrics in low-
load region mechanical properties. In this system scientific principles are applied to instrumental
measurements and fabric low-stress mechanical and surface parameters such as fabric extension,
shear, bending, compression, surface friction and roughness are interpreted. The development and
application of fabric objective measurement technology is consistent and compatible with
continuing trends to high technology in the textile and clothing industries. [ CITATION RJH90 \l
1033 ].

8. References:
Bajzík, V., 2016, 'Some Approaches to Objective Evaluation of Fabric Hand', World Journal of Textile
Engineering and Technology, 2(1), 3-10.

Behery, H. M., 2005, Effect of mechanical and physical properties on fabric hand, Cambridge,
WOODHEAD PUBLISHING LIMITED .

Carr, C. M., 1988, 'Investigation of the Effect of Water Repellent Finishes on the Mechanical
Properties of Textiles Using the Kawabata Evaluation System for fabrics', Journal of Coated Fabrics.,
18(1), 106-110.

Dai, X-Q & Li,Y. , 2006, Basic mechanical properties and their measurement: Biomechanical
Engineering of Textiles and Clothing, Cambridge,WOODHEAD PUBLISHING LIMITED, 210-220.

Gallissa, E. C., 2016, 'Correlation Analysis Between The Kawabata System (KES-F) and The UPC Ring
Methods of Fabric Analysis'. Journal of Engineered Fibres and Fabrics, 11(1), 3-6.

Kit-Lun Yick, k. C. R. D., 1996, 'Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Shirting Materials Measured
on the KES-F and FAST Instruments'. Textile Research Journal, 66(3),625-630.

Parachuru, R., 2002. Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Atlanta, Georgia Institute of Technology Press.

Priyanka P. Bonde and Prof. S.D. Asagekar, 2014. Methods of measuring bending properties. Textile
Today, 1(2),3-4.

R J Hawood, P J Weedall and C Carr, 1990. 'The use of the Kawabata Evaluation System for product
development and quality control'. Journal of the Society of Dyers and Colourists, 106(2),64-68

S. Kawabata, Masako Niwa, 1989 'Fabric Performance in Clothing and Clothing Manufacture'. The
Journal Of The Textile Institute, 80(1), 19-22.

Saville, B. P., 2000. Objective Evaluation of Fabric Handle: Physical Testing of Textiles. Cambridge:
WOODHEAD PUBLISHIBG LIMITED, 283-287.

TOKMAK, Ö., 2008. An Investigation On The Mechanic and Performance Analysis Of Woven Fabrics
by Using Objective Evaluation Techniques, Istanbul: Istanbul Technical University.

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KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric
Tushar K. G. & Zohu. N., 2003,'Characterization of fabric bending behaviour: A review of
measurement principles'. Indian Journal of Fibre and Textile Research, 28(2), 473-475.

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KES-F: Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric