Abstract:
Fabrics made of natural fibers like cotton, flax, and their blends present elevated wear-
ing comfort, but they are unfortunately subject to creasing. Attempts made to improve the
wrinkle recovery of flax fabrics by embedding shape memory alloy (SMA) wires in a woven
structure highlighted the low cohesion of the smooth wires and the overall “non-textile”
aspect of the fabric. This study aimed to overcome these disadvantages by developing hy-
brid yarns that contain a superelastic SMA wire - Smartflex as a core, covered by textile
yarns or fibers. Three types of hybrid yarns were produced, and their structure, aesthetics
as well as tensile and bending properties were assessed and compared. The hybrid yarns
were embedded in a woven structure, and it was found that they significantly contributed to
the increase in the crease recover angle of the flax fabrics.
