Garment And

Accessories Testing
 Garment Accessories: 

The materials or components except the main fabric

used in the garments are called garments
accessories. Besides the main fabric, various
additional things are used for making the garments.
Accessories include Sewing Thread, Button, Zipper,
Velcro, Label, Shoulder pad, Lining, Interlining,
Elastic Waistband, Snap Fastner , etc.
Some accessories are used for functional purposes
and some are for decorative purposes.
 Zippers
• Zippers are means of closure in a garment.
• They provide the ease of putting a garment on and off with little effort.
• They also offer flexibility to allow garment opening to avoid excessive
heat inside.
• Zippers also provide closure with zero visibility, which is essential for
some garments like the front zippers in trousers and jeans.
• In addition, these can be used on pockets and even for aesthetic
purposes (non-functional) in garments.
• Apart from garments they are widely used in tents, handbags, and
luggage bags.
• Depending upon the area and item they are used on, zippers may be
required to fulfill certain aesthetic and functional necessities.
 Zipper Testing
The strength of a zipper is measured for various
purposes, generally in terms of the:
• Strength of chains and elements
• The holding strength of the stops
• The holding strength of separable units
• Resistance to compression
• Resistance to twist
• Resistance to the pulling-off of the slider pull, and so
on.
Zipper strength of chains and elements

• Cross-Wise Strength
• Element Pull-Off Strength
• Element Slippage Strength
 Cross-Wise Strength
• This is the ability of the zipper to
withstand lateral stress.
• It is measured with a tensile
testing machine equipped with
clamps having special jaws.
• A 1 in. sample of zipper chain is
fixed between the jaws and
loaded until it is destroyed.
• This test is important to
measure the zipper’s resistance
against failures like tape
rupture, unmeshing, or element
separation when the zipper is
exposed to side stresses during
usage.
 Element Pull-Off Strength
• This is the gripping strength of
an element around the bead.
• It is measured by pulling off a
single element from the bead
at right angles to the stringer
by using a specially designed
fixture to the tensile testing
machine .
• It is used to measure the
resistance of the element to
being pulled or fractured by
side stress during usage of the
zipper.
 Element Slippage Strength
• This is the resistance of
the element to
longitudinal movement
along the bead of the
tape .
• It is determined with a
tensile tester equipped
with a special
attachment.
 Zipper holding strength of the stops
• Top Stop Holding
• Bottom Stop Holding, Slider
• Bottom Stop Holding, Cross-Wise
 Top Stop Holding
• This test may be used to determine
the top stop attachment strength,
which measures the ability of the
top stop to prevent travel of the
slider beyond the end of the chain.
• A tensile tester may be used to
determine the top stop strength
with a special attachment on the
upper jaw that holds the slider
puller.
• The lower jaw is set 3 in. apart and
force is applied until failure occurs.
The maximum force and failure
type is noted.
 Bottom Stop Holding, Slider
• This test determines the bottom stopper strength, which measures the
ability of the bottom stop attachment to resist stress caused by
longitudinal force to it by the slider.
• To check bottom stop holding strength the slider is brought to the lowest
position at the bottom stop holder.
• The puller is attached to a specially designed fixture at the upper jaw of
the tensile tester.
• The two stringers are then placed in the lower jaw with equal lengths
between the jaws (3 in. apart).
• The angle includes the stringers and should be such that no elements
meet either at the flanges or the diamond.
• An increasing load is applied until failure occurs. The amount of force
and nature of the failure is recorded.
 Bottom Stop Holding, Cross-Wise
• This test determines the bottom
stop attachment strength, which
measures the ability of the bottom
stop to resist side stresses.
• The slider is removed from the
zipper and elements adjacent to the
bottom stop are removed to a half
inch.
• The side tapes of the zipper are
then placed in the jaws of the
tensile tester such that the bottom
stopper is at the center, vertical,
and horizontal.
• An increasing load is applied until
failure occurs. The force and nature
of the failure is recorded.
Bottom Stop Holding, Stringer Separation
• Position the bottom of the
slider against the bottom
stopper.
• The stringers are placed in
opposite jaws of the tensile
tester such that the slider
stays exactly at the center
with the jaws 3 in. apart.
• An increasing load is applied
until failure occurs and the
nature of the failure and
force applied are recorded.
 Bridge Top Stop Holding, Stringer
Separation
• The bridge top stop attachment strength measures the ability of the
bridge top stop to remain in place, holding the stringers together
and limiting slider travel when the stop is stressed through stringers.
• The zipper is placed with its stringers open and clamped in opposing
jaws of the tensile tester.
• Position the stop along the axis of clamps and midway between
them.
• An increasing load is applied until failure occurs. The holding
strength of the separable units is measured through the test
methods that simulate the various stresses faced by the zipper over
long term usage.
 Buttons, Snap Fasteners
• Buttons are the most common means of closure for
garments, especially for men.
• There are various types of buttons depending on the
materials used in their manufacturing, such as metallic
and plastic buttons.
• These may also be differentiated with respect to their
types, such as sew through buttons, flange buttons, snap
buttons, and shank buttons.
• Each of these involves its own performance
requirements and hence different testing techniques.
 Testing methods related to buttons

• Impact resistance test

• Tension strength test

• Button Snap Pull Test

 Impact resistance test
• The impact resistance test is used on the sew-through flange
button.
• It determines the ability of a button to resist breaking under
impact.
• Vernier calipers are used to determine the button diameter in
mm, which is divided by a constant 0.635 mm to obtain the
relevant ligne size.
• The specimen is then placed in the centering device for the ligne
size of the button so that it lies at the center of the vertical tube.
• A mass is allowed to fall from a predetermined height onto the
button.
• The specimen is then analyzed with a 5× magnifying glass for
cracking, chipping, and breakage.
 Tension strength test

• The tension strength test is used to determine the resistance

of the bridge of a sew-through flange button to strain that
may cause it to fall off the garment to which it is attached.
• A tensile tester with a working principle of CRE is used for this
test.
• The button is sewn to the fabric and positioned in the clamp
of the testing fixture.
• The clamped fixture is positioned on the testing machine and
two ends of the fabric are placed into the open jaws of the
lower clamp with proper alignment.
• It is then pulled until failure occurs.
• The force used and the kind of damage is noted.
 Button Snap Pull Test
• To determine the holding or breaking
strength of prong-ring attached snap
fasteners onto garments.
• Consists of an Upper Snap Clamp, a Lower
Fabric Clamp & Force Gauge mounted on a
Stand.
• The snap component is gripped by the
Upper Snap Clamp and the garment is fixed
to the lower Fabric Clamp.
• By turning the Top Flywheel, the operator
can apply a specific force and the holding
force or the breaking strength can be
recorded.
 Seams & Stitches
• A seam is a series of stitches that may be functional or
ornamental.
• Generally a seam is made to join two or more pieces of fabric in
garment construction.
• The aesthetics and performance of the garment are strongly
dependent on the seam’s appearance and performance
characteristics.
• The considerations related to seam appearance include
colorfastness and the area covered under the seam, as was
discussed earlier in the thread testing section.
• Performance characteristics are more related to strength,
elongation, and elasticity.
 Properties of Seams & Stitches
• Level of strength
• Elasticity
• Durability
• Security
• Service life
• Appearance
 Types of Seams & Stitches
• The determination of the appropriate stitch type, seam configuration,
and thread type for a particular assembly requires a thorough
understanding of many variables.
• A single type of stitch and seam may not offer strength and flexibility
at the same time.
• One may need to consider certain tradeoffs while making a particular
selection of stitches and seams.
• Moreover, the place of stitching in a garment also requires certain
characteristics.
• A standard classification along with a method of determination for
eachstitch and seam type can be followed from standard ASTM-
D6193
 Seam Efficiency
• Standard seam efficiency testing can be performed by using a tensile testing machine.
• First of all, fabric without a seam is placed between the clamps of a tensile testing
machine and force is applied until failure occurs. The amount of force required to
break the fabric sample is noted.
• Then, a sewn sample of woven fabric is prepared as explained in ASTM-D1683.
• The sewn sample size is 4 in. × 8 in. Seam allowance should be 1/2 in.
• To test seam strength, the fabric specimen containing the seam is placed between the
two jaws of a tensile testing machine such that it is directed toward the rear of the
machine, using vertical alignment guides.
• The seam should also be equidistant from the upper and lower clamps of the testing
machine.
• The force is applied until the thread breaks and seam failure occurs. The amount of
force required to break the seam is noted.
• The seam efficiency is then calculated using Equation
Seam efficiency(%) = Seam strength ( N ) X 100
Fabric breaking force ( N )
 Seam Inspection
• Seam slippage is a major fault, though one not caused by the seam itself, yet it
destroys the aesthetics and functioning.
• A miss stitch is a major seam fault owing to which the seam fails to grip one or
more plies of the fabric in the seaming process.
• A seam may also be inspected for its appearance. Sometimes the lower thread
appears
on top and deteriorates the seam’s appearance.
• Such a problem is usually caused by improper tension setting of the machine and
can be rectified with a little care. Ideally, the lower and bottom threads should
meet at the center
• point of the fabric plies.
• Seams are also inspected for too many protruding fibers on the sewing thread,
which indicates rough contact with the surfaces of the guides or the needle eye.
Friction can be overcome by lubrication and appropriate thread selection.
• Finally, seams are also checked for the appropriate stitch and seam types with
respect to the location of usage or customer directions.
 Dimensional Stability Of Fabrics
• Fabric shrinkage is one of the prime considerations for the
selection of fabrics in apparel manufacturing.
• If the appropriate shrinkage is not considered the garment
may run short on the wearer’s body after washing.
• For that purpose, the shrinkage along both warp and weft
is calculated and adjusted in garment specifications in the
cutting room.
• The stitched garment may appear enlarged in some
dimensions, but it adapts to the original customer
requirements after washing. Similarly, it is important to
measure fabric elongation.
 Dimensional Stability Calculation
•To calculate fabric shrinkage, a square of a particular size is cut from the
individual fabric roll.
• A further square is marked inside at a certain distance from the edges.
•This is done because the fabric may experience fraying in washing and
run short on dimensions, which will not represent the true shrinkage
percentage.
•The marked sample is then washed and dried as per standard conditions.
•The difference in measurements is used to calculate shrinkage by
•Percentage dimensional change(%) = Change in dimension X 100
Original dimension

•The reference standard is AATCC TM 135.

 Colour Fastness of Garments
• The garment has to undergo wet processing
that may result in color bleeding.
• Similarly, dry cleaning may also cause
alteration of shade and staining.
• Thread staining may be the result of
treating the garment under home care
conditions like keeping it in a wet state for a
specified time.
 Colour Fastness of Garments to
Washing

• To test colorfastness to laundering, the

garment, in contact with a multifiber
test cloth, is washed with home
washing and drying machines with or
without bleach under conditions
intended to reproduce the effect of
home laundering on garment.
 ↓ 
Measuring the staining and color change

• The alteration in shade of the garments

and the degree of staining of the
multifiber test cloth are gradedby
reference to the AATCC Gray Scale for
Color Change or to the AATCC Chromatic
Transference Scale, as appropriate. The
reference standard is ASTM-D204 .
Colour Fastness of Garments to Light
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