A New Approach to the Assessment of Textile Performance

The performance of textiles depends not only on their initial properties but also, more importantly, on how they behave in service. A new technique, the fuzzy-comprehensive-evaluation method, for the assessment of comfort behaviour is proposed. The mathematical principle and manner of calculation for the technique, in which sets of numerical values for the evaluation of performance are obtained, are presented. As an example of the application of this method, an analysis of data from two sets of results previously obtained (the change in physical and mechanical properties of a range of fabrics after abrasion and an evaluation of preferences among female university students of the relative importance of comfort-related factors in clothing) is carried out.