Standardization News

proposed new standard being developed by ASTM International Committee D13 on Textiles will be useful to those involved in the design and evaluation of garments that are meant to fit tight on the body.

he proposed new standard, WK27572, Test Method for Elastic/Stretch Properties of Textile Materials, is being developed by Subcommittee D13.59 on Fabric Test Methods, General.

"Elongation using a specified load only tells us a part of what we'd like to know," says Kham Viengkham, materials test engineer, Nike Inc., and a member of D13. "We want to be able to identify the yield point where the material begins to experience permanent deformation or is no longer elastic. This point is useful to designers and pattern makers for properly sizing garments if we can predict the behavior of material below the yield point."Viengkham says that knowing the yield point of a material will enable designers to avoid garment failures such as sagging, bagging and other fabric deformations. The proposed test method will also allow designers to determine how tight or compressive a garment will feel.The subcommittee welcomes participation in the ongoing development of WK27572, particularly from designers who would be using the standard.

CONTACT Technical Information: Kham Viengkham, Nike Inc. • Beaverton, Ore. • Phone: 503-671-6879 • E-mail: kham.viengkham@nike.com O ASTM Staff: Jennifer Rodgers • Phone: 610-832-9694 • E-mail: jrodgers@astm.org O Upcoming Meeting: • June 6-9 • June Committee Week • St. Louis, Mo.