(published in melliand International, 01-2013 in March)
In combination with the visual appearance, the handle of a textile is often a determining buying criterion for the consumer. The handle is influenced by a multitude of factors: the fiber surface, the yarn and surface structure and applied finishes. The goal of achieving particular handle properties in textile fabrics always comes with the desire to describe them metrologically with measured values. Here a new measuring system is presented for quantitatively describing the handle or softness of a textile fabric on the basis of a sound analysis.