Compression Hosiery Measurement Centre


Garment Positioning (Draft only)

This section describes a flat stretch method of positioning garments prior to compression measurement on a HATRA or other compression tester. It is designed to provide consistent garment positioning and is similar to the method specified in CEN/TR 15831:2009 Method for testing compression in medical hosiery, but with a modified procedure for positioning of the garment foot and widthways marking.

Please note that this is a draft for discussion only, and does not supercede existing operating instructions.

The HATRA Mk2A+ is designed to provide garment positioning comparable to this method.

Stretching and Marking

  1. The garment is laid flat, held, for example by clamping, at the welt and at the foot end, and stretched lengthways to its designated length.
  2. The foot end of the garment is held so that the rear midpoint of the garment heel is at the floor line and the line extending through the midline of the garment heel meets the opposite side of the garment at a position 3cm above the floor line (1,2).
  3. The garment is marked with a marker pen along the midline of the garment at 5cm intervals and/or at the required measurement positions and then at right angles to the midline of the garment, to the garment edges.

Figure 1. Garment marked while subject to a flat stretch

Mounting and Measurement

  1. The garment is loaded onto the HATRA, or other compression tester, and manipulated as necessary to achieve the same marked lengthways positioning as when the garment was stretched flat, with the lines running at right angles to the garment midline (3). With respect to a HATRA tester this is carried out prior to expansion of the form.
  2. To achieve consistent positioning at the heel with particular respect to a HATRA tester, the rear midpoint of the garment heel is set:
      - for a Mk2 HATRA, at the transition between the rounded heel of the tester foot and the flat under-part of the tester foot (4);
      - and for a Mk2A HATRA, at the top of the rounded heel of the tester.
Notes
  1. The rear midpoint of the garment heel, together with the midline through the heel, provide a definite reference for the foot end of the garment. It is observed that the rear midpoint of a garment heel as worn by a person standing is generally at floor level. Where there is no identifiable heel mid point, this point can be defined by measurement from the toe of a stretched garment as in BS661210.
  2. This allows a range of garments to lie reasonably flat at the ankle area during stretching, while producing garment courses roughly parallel to the floor line. A typical angle between the midline of the garment heel and the floor is approximately 20 degrees.
  3. Stretching the garment on the instrument prior to measurement, to achieve the same positioning as when the garment was stretched flat, provides an repeatable reference, especially in the absence of better information regarding garment positioning on actual legs.
  4. This positioning of the garment heel represents a shift towards the tester sole point compared to the original mounting instructions.