The Characterization of Bulk

Abstract

An attempt is made to define the physical connotations of the aesthetic concept of bulk. In a review of the past usage of this term, it is shown to have originated as a purely aesthetic description of certain properties of fabrics, particularly hosiery fabrics. The linking of bulk to the physical measurement of specific volume is traced, and the wide acceptance of specific volume as the physical equivalent of bulk is demonstrated to be false. By the use of factor analysis techniques, sensory bulk is shown to be related to fabric thickness and to be entirely independent of fabric specific volume, weight, and cover.