A study of the relationship between clothing pressure and garment bust strain, and Young’s modulus of fabric, based on a finite element model

In an effort to provide a technology platform for the mechanical analysis of the clothing pressure on the bust and to investigate the relationship of clothing pressure on the bust and garment bust strain, and Young’s modulus of fabric, accurately, a finite element model of the standard female body bust cross-section was created. The model was composed of skin, soft tissue and bone. The clothing pressure exerted on the busts by 10 elastic sports vests of two types of extensibility in fabric with different bust girth and identical style was measured, then the pressure was taken as load and applied to the model. The bust strain of 10 sports vests after wearing was calculated based on the finite element model. The data from eight out of the 10 vests was chosen to find the linear equation of the relationship between the clothing pressure exerted on the bust, the vest bust strain and Young’s modulus of fabric. The data from the other two vests were used to verify the equation, and results indicated that the calculated clothing pressure was very similar to that measured, proving that the equation can provide a database for the design, from bust size, of functional pressure comfort tight-fit garments.