Until recently, Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) were predominantly developed for applications in the biomedical and engineering industry, and only a limited number of applications in textiles are known. Fabrics made of natural fibres (e. g. cotton, flax and their mixtures) present many advantages, such as wearing comfort, but they are subject to creasing. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of compensating for this disadvantage by using SMAs to create aesthetic low crease flax/cotton fabrics. Body Temperature SMAs (BT SMA) that regain their (straight) form when they are subject to human body temperature were used for this purpose. Clothing and bed sheeting are potential applications of these hybrid structures, which become wrinkle-free when they are exposed to the heat of the body, a hair dryer or that generated by an electrical current. The materials selected to achieve this purpose were the following: (1) textile yarns (e. g. single cotton or flax/cotton yarns, two-fold flax yarns and two types of loop fancy yarns) and (2) BT SMA wires of 300 mu m diameter. A power weaving loom and a hand-weaving shuttle loom were used to embed the SMA wires, and four types of hybrid fabrics were produced. The thickness, wrinkle recovery, dimensional stability as well as the cohesion of the SMA wires in the woven fabric were tested. All the tests were performed before and after a washing cycle for both the hybrid and reference fabrics. An increase in thickness was noticed after washing, and the recovery time after crushing varied according to the type of fabric. The slippage of SMA wires from the fabrics was noticed for all the samples, which was dependent on the type of yarns used, their linear density and the weaving process.
展开▼
