Influence of temperature on corona discharge treatment of cotton fibers

In this study, corona discharge treatment was applied to modify the surface of cotton fibers at various temperatures. The fiber surface was roughened during this treatment and the surface oxygen content increased at a considerably low temperature, and then declined when temperature increased. Weight loss rate showed the treatment was fiercer as treated temperature increased. The breaking strength and surface adhesion property of the fabric treated with starch sizing increased to a certain extent and then decreased. These results suggest that the treated temperature plays a great role in the surface properties of cotton fiber when treated via corona discharge.     

Effect of ultrasonic laundering on thermophysiological properties of knitted fabrics

The paper focuses on the application of ultrasonic energy in textile laundering. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in ultrasonic energy application in textile industry; however, the effect of ultrasonic laundering on the thermophysiological properties of knitted fabrics has not been studied yet. This study was conducted by using polylactic acid (PLA), cotton, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and poly acrylic (PAC) fibres containing yarns and their blends. Knitted fabrics, single pique, were made from these yarns by using weft knitting machine. The fabrics were washed ten times for 15 and 60 minutes under 40 °C by using conventional and ultrasonic washing methods. The main aim was to determine the effect of washing methods on the thermophysiological properties of the fabrics. It is also aimed to analyse and evaluate the thermophysiological properties of the PLA fabrics. The incorporation of 100 % PLA and cotton/PLA yarns into single pique knitted fabrics has been attempted to produce for the first time and studied their thermal comfort properties. The results show that the washing processes have a critical importance for the tested fabrics in terms of thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, thermal absorbtivity, water vapour permeability, and heat loss. It has been also demonstrated that the fabric cleaning by using ultrasonic method enhanced the properties of tested fabrics such as thermal conductivity and % recovery. It was also noted that 15 minutes ultrasonically washed fabrics had significantly lower thermal resistance as compared to conventionally washed fabrics.     

Cutinase treatment of cotton fabrics

Our study proposes an enzymatic scouring method for cotton fabrics using the enzyme cutinase. We established cutinase treatment conditions for cotton fabrics from their relative activity at different pH levels, temperatures, enzyme concentrations, and treatment times. Weight loss, moisture regain, K/S value, tensile strength, and SEM micrographs of cotton fabrics were analyzed. We determined the optimum cutinase treatment conditions to be as follows: pH of 9.0, temperature of 50°C, cutinase concentration of 100 %, and a treatment duration time of 60 min. We discovered that this cutinase treatment hydrolyzed the cuticle of cotton fabrics. The cutinase treatment did not decrease the moisture regain and the K/S value. The optimum concentrations of Triton X-100 and calcium chloride, which were used as auxiliaries for cutinase treatment, were found to be 0.5 % (v/v) and 70 mM, respectively. Some cracks were observed on the surface of the cotton fibers; however, the tensile strength did not decrease.     

The mechanical properties and abrasion behavior of warp knitted fabrics for footwear

The abrasion behavior of three kinds of warp knitted fabrics, which are normally used for upper sole of footwear, was evaluated. We measured the changes of mechanical and structural properties of each sample as abrasion cycle increased. Each sample showed similar trends in compression and surface properties but there were significant differences in abrasion rate among the samples. The mechanical properties showed remarkable differences with directions. The frictional coefficient (MIU) of fabric surface increased at the beginning of abrasion and decreased as abrasion cycles increased. The weight and thickness of the fabric linearly decreased with abrasion cycles. The surface roughness (SMD) and the compressional resilience (RC) decreased as abrasion cycles increased while compressional energy (WC) increased.     

Dimensional and physical properties of plain knitted fabrics made from 50/50 bamboo/cotton blended yarns

In this study, the dimensional and some physical properties of plain knitted fabrics made from 50/50 bamboo/cotton blended yarns are investigated. In order to see the differences and similarities, the results are then compared with those for similar fabrics knitted from 50/50 conventional viscose/cotton and 50/50 modal/cotton blended yarns. Each fabric type was produced with three different stitch lengths. After all fabrics were dyed under identical dyeing conditions, they were subjected to dry and full relaxation treatments. For dimensional properties of fabrics, course, wale and stitch densities were measured. Then, by calculating statistically best-fit lines passing both through the experimental points and the origin, dimensional constants i.e. k values were predicted in terms of the fiber types. The result show that each fabric type knitted from bamboo/cotton, viscose/cotton and modal/cotton blended yarns behaves in a similar manner. However, in both dry and fully relaxed states, the modal/cotton knitted fabrics tend to have slightly higher k values than the bamboo/cotton and viscose/cotton knitted fabrics. For physical properties, fabric weight per unit area, thickness, bursting strength, air permeability and pilling were evaluated. The results show that the weight, thickness and air permeability values are independent of the fiber type. Plain knitted fabrics from modal/cotton blended yarns have the highest bursting strength values. Plain knitted fabrics from bamboo/cotton blended yarns tend to pill less.     

Study on the aging and yellowing properties of sebum-soiled cotton fabrics

The accumulation and autoxidation of residual oily soil from human sebum is regarded as a major reason for the aging and yellowing of clothing and household textiles. In this study, the yellowing degree of cotton fabrics soiled with human sebum components and aged under various environmental conditions (various temperatures, humidities and light intensities etc.) were investigated. The representative sebum components including olive oil, squalene, oleic acid and cottonseed oil were selected and their chemical changes were studied by FTIR analysis. The results showed that, olive oil, squalene, oleic acid and cottonseed oil could caused more significant fabric-yellowing than other components in human sebum, and the yellowing degree could become higher with increasing temperatures, humidities and/or light intensities of aging environments. The chemical structures of olive oil, squalene and oleic acid changed remarkably after aging treatment. The aging products contained hydroxyl groups and carbonyl groups, and the conjugated C=O group was considered to be the chemical species leading to the yellowing of sebum-soiled fabrics.     

An extensive look into the effect of mercerization treatment on dimensional properties of cotton plain knitted fabric

Following our previous research [1], an extensive investigation on the effects of four mercerization treatment parameters namely, alkali concentration, time of treatment, bath temperature, and mercerization tension on dimensional properties of plain knitted fabric produced from cotton yarn is presented in this paper. Numerical values of constant geometry of the dry relaxed, wet relaxed, and mercerized samples were calculated according to Munden’s equations. Study shows that the area geometry constant values (K _s ) achieved after mercerization treatment was higher than values obtained for the samples subjected to dry and wet relaxations. Also, ANOVA test confirmed significant effects of each parameter itself and their interactions on dimensional properties of the fabric samples. Based on the results, applying less value of tension improves dimensional stability of the fabric but not for the samples mercerized in higher values of three other parameters. The alkali concentration had an optimum value in mercerization treatment. In mercerizing conditions carried out in high temperature and long time, lower alkali concentration is more efficient. Increasing time of treatment leads to achieve higher K _s value when lower value of alkali concentration is used. Most of the samples mercerized in bath temperature of 40 °C had the highest K _s . At the end of the research a statistical model was derived to predict the area geometry constant of the fabric.     

Performance of cotton single yarns and knitted fabrics produced by a 2-step spinning method

A low torque spinning method has been recently developed by integrating the ring spinning process with false twisting techniques. As a result of false twist and true twist, a novel single yarn of low torque and soft handle is generated. Based on the similar spinning principle, this paper proposed a 2-step spinning method, which is composed of twisting-anduntwisting operation and can be considered as a variant of the low torque spinning method. The proposed spinning method separates the false twisting process into twisting and untwisting processes which are combined in one step in the low torque spinning method. In this paper, physical properties of yarns produced by the proposed spinning method were evaluated and compared with the conventional yarns. Influences of various spinning parameters on the properties of 2-step yarns were also examined. Furthermore, a systematic study of the physical properties of the 2-step yarns and resultant fabrics with respect to the conventional and low torque ones was carried out. The experimental results showed that the 2-step yarns exhibit slightly higher tenacity, lower wet snarl and much less hairiness than the conventional yarns, which, however, are inferior to the low torque yarns, particularly the evenness. The fabrics made by the 2-step yarns show the softest handle feeling, best airpermeability and moderate spirality angle with acceptable pilling resistance.     

Dyeing and DP treatment of sol-gel pre-treated cotton fabrics

Cotton samples were pre-treated with various sol solutions containing different alkoxysilanes (TEOS, GPTMS, APTES, and TESP-SA). The as-prepared cotton samples were dyed with 2 % owf Red and 4 % owf Blue. Furthermore, dyed cotton samples were after-treated with the alkoxysilanes. The alkoxysilane were also incorporated into the dyeing bath. The as- prepared cotton samples were subjected to a treatment with the non-formaldehyde durable press finishing agent BTCA in conjunction with the catalyst SHP. The textile materials were evaluated with respect to the colorimetric data (L*, a*, b*, ΔE*) and the color strength expressed in terms of K/S values. Tensile strength and dry crease recovery angles of the durable pressfinished samples were measured. The findings indicate that APTES and TESP-SA exert a significant influence on the color properties.     

Compression properties of weft knitted fabrics consisting of shrinkable and non-shrinkable acrylic fibers

High-bulk worsted yarns with different shrinkable and non-shrinkable acrylic fibers blend ratios are produced and then single jersey weft knitted fabrics with three different structures and loop lengths are constructed. The physical properties of produced yarns and compression properties of produced fabrics at eight pressure values (50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 g/cm²) were measured using a conventional fabric thickness tester. Then, weft-knitted fabric compression behavior was analyzed using a two parameters model. It is found that at 40% shrinkable fibre blending ratio the maximum yarn bulk, shrinkage, abrasion resistance and minimum yarn strength are obtained. It is also shown that high-bulk acrylic yarn has the highest elongation at 20% shrinkable fibre blend ratio. The statistical regression analysis revealed that the compression behavior of acrylic weft-knitted fabrics is highly closed to two parameter model proposed for woven fabrics. It is also shown that for weft-knitted structure, there is an incompressible layer (V′) which resists against high compression load. Acrylic weft-knitted fabrics with knit-tuck structure exhibit higher compression rigidity and lower softness than the plain and knitmiss structures. In addition, at 20% shrinkable fibre blend ratio, the high-bulk acrylic weft-knitted fabrics are highly compressible.     

Effect of hollow polyester fibres on mechanical properties of knitted wool/polyester fabrics

The physical and mechanical characteristics of hollow polyester fibres were compared with solid polyester fibres in order to establish their processing behaviour and performance characteristics. The effects of hollow fibres on fabric properties were investigated by using microscopy and tests of tensile and bursting strength, pilling, abrasion resistance, water vapour permeability, and handle. The results show that tensile strength of hollow polyester fibres and yarns are negatively affected by the cavity inside the fibre. Hollow fibres also have higher stiffness and resistance to bending at relaxed state. Fabrics made from hollow polyester/wool blends and pure wool fabrics show three distinguishable steps in pilling. During pilling, hollow fibres break before being pulled fully out of the structure, leading to shorter protruding fibres. Microscopy studies showed that the breakdown of hollow fibres started during entanglement by splitting along the helical lines between fibrils. KES results showed that the friction between fibres and the fibre shape are the most important parameters that determine the fabric low stress mechanical properties. However, in some aspects, the hollow structure of the fibre does not have a significant effect.     

A comparative study of cotton knitted fabrics and garments produced by the modified low twist and conventional ring yarns

Spirality is one of the major potential problems in knitted fabrics and garments. It affects the aesthetics and physical properties of the garment produced, such as the seam displacement, shape retention, pattern distortion and sewing difficulties. In this paper, a comparative study has been carried out to evaluate the physical performance of 100 % cotton knitted fabrics and garments produced by the modified low twist and conventional ring yarns through the actual wearing and washing trials. Experimental results showed that the properties of side seam displacement, fabric spirality, dimensional stability and skewness change of the T-shirts and sweaters made by the modified single yarns are comparable to those of garments made from the control plied yarns but much improved when compared to those from the control single yarns. In addition, the pilling resistance and bursting strength of the knitted fabrics made by the modified single yarns can still maintain a reasonably high level at a low yarn twist.     

The effects of wool surface characteristic on fuzzing and pilling of knitted fabrics

The fuzzing and pilling of untreated, chlorinated and oxidized wool knitted fabrics were compared with frictional coefficients measured by capstan method, surface modification observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the surface roughness and the scale height assessed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and hairiness imaged on the three-dimensional rotational microscopy. The pilling comparative experiments of the corresponding knitted fabrics were conducted by means of Pillbox method. Experimental results showed that some scales on the oxidized fiber surface were partially cleaved and some grooves generated. With oxidization treatment, the anti- and with-scale of friction coefficient increase with decreasing the thickness of scales and the yarn hairiness. There is good correlation between the result of AFM and the change in frictional coefficients. The pilling grade of knitted fabric comprised of oxidization wool is 2.5, and the average numbers of pills per 25 cm² is 25. It is postulated that the surface topography, the frictional properties of oxidized wool fibers and surface hairs of corresponding yarns may limit the ability of those surface fibers to form fuzz and of those fuzz for pill formation.     

Colorimetric properties and color sensibility of naturally colored organic cotton fabrics

This study was done to propose color conditions and fabrics that satisfy the particular sensibilities of consumers and producers through an analysis of color sensibility factors for an environmentally-friendly material, i.e., naturally colored organic cotton (NaCOC) fabrics. Toward that end, the colorimetric properties of eight NaCOC fabrics were measured, and the fabrics?? subjective color sensibilities were evaluated. In addition, based on the relationship between the colorimetric properties and subjective color sensibilities, the prediction models for color sensibilities of NaCOC fabrics were developed. According to the established models, hard-soft, cool-warm, deep-pale, vague-distinct, plain-showy, and subdued-vivid sensibilities can be predicted by some variables of colorimetric properties such as L*, a*, C*, and h. As another ultimate goal of this study, suitable NaCOC fabrics to evoke certain sensibilities were proposed by multidimensional scaling method. The proposed fabrics and color sensibility factors are believed to offer an important guideline for those who design clothing products made of NaCOC.     

Mechanical properties and tactile sensation of naturally colored organic cotton fabrics

This study was carried out to investigate mechanical properties of naturally colored organic cotton (NaCOC) fabrics, to evaluate tactile sensory perceptions, and finally to identify the related mechanical parameters with the sensory perceptions. Two species, coyote-brown and green NaCOC fiber, commercially available, were selected and woven into plain and twill fabrics. Seventeen mechanical properties were measured by KES-FB system. Then, primary hand value (PHV) and total hand value (THV) were calculated by KN-203-LDY and KN-302-SUMMER, respectively. For sensory perception evaluation, 30 participants answered the questionnaire consisted of nine different bipolar adjectives dealing with tactile sensation using the semantic differential scale (SDS). As the result of mechanical properties, there were meaningful differences in shear, surface, compression properties, thickness, and weight of 4 NaCOC fabrics. For hand value, a coyotebrown twill fabric was evaluated as the most appropriate for lady’s summer dress applications. In sensory perception evaluation, meaningful differences of sensory perception were shown among 4 specimens except ‘fineness’ and ‘wetness’ perceptions. Prediction models for sensory perceptions of NaCOC fabrics were extracted by regression analysis in ‘softness’, ‘fineness’, ‘warmth’, ‘pliability’, ‘limpness’, ‘thinness’ and ‘wetness’ perceptions.     

A comparative study on performance properties of yarns and knitted fabrics made of biodegradable and conventional fibers

Biodegradable products are parts of a natural cycle. The biopolymers and the fibers that can be produced from them are very attractive on the market because of the positive human perception. Therefore, PLA being a well known biodegradable fiber and some conventional fibers were selected for the current study to examine the differences between them and to emphasize the importance of biodegradability beside fabric performance. 14.8 tex (Ne 40/1) combed ring spun yarns produced from biodegradable fiber PLA, new generation regenerated fibers Modal and Tencel, synthetic and blends 50/ 50 % cotton/polyester and 50/50 % viscose/polyester, polyester were selected as yarn types and by using these yarns, six knitted fabrics were produced and some important yarn and fabric properties were compared. In this context, moisture and the tensile behavior of yarns and pilling, bursting strength, air permeability and moisture management properties of the test fabrics are discussed.     

Investigation on the effect of titanium dioxide nano particles on camouflage properties of cotton fabrics

Cotton fabrics were dyed with three commercial vat dyes in order to provide camouflage in Vis-NIR regions and imitate reflectance profile of greenish leaves. To investigate the effect of nano particles on camouflage properties of dyed fabric, nano particles of TiO₂ were applied on dyed fabrics using pad-dry-cure method. The nano TiO₂ padded dyed fabrics were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Reflectance curves of coated dyed samples with different concentrations of nano TiO₂ were measured. Results showed that in both of the standard shades, nano TiO₂ increases the reflectance value in NIR region and with increasing the concentration of nano TiO₂, the reflectance curves of samples tend to show the maximum reflection of greenish leaves (deciduous leaves) in NIR region. Chromatic values (CIE1976 L*, a*, and b*) and color difference (according to CIECMC color difference ΔE*cmc (2:1)) of each of the coated samples were measured using the reflection spectrophotometer. By considering the influence of white color of nano TiO₂ on green shade of dyed cotton fabrics and increasing the color difference (between coated samples and the standard shades of the 1948 U.S army pattern) in visible range, optimum concentrations of nano TiO₂ for development of camouflage properties on cotton fabrics in both NIR and visible region were determined. These values for NATO and forest green shades were 0.75 % and 0.5 %, respectively. Fastness results showed that both of the samples have acceptable color fastness. The effect of washing and exposure to light on camouflage properties of coated dyed fabrics in visible (in term of chromatic values) and NIR region (in term of spectral reflectance) was investigated when those were coated in optimum concentrations of nano TiO₂. The results showed that the effect of after treatments (washing and exposure to light) on surface color spectral characteristics and camouflage properties was inconsiderable.     

An investigation of continuous finishing and dyeing on the mechanical properties and handle of cotton fabrics

In this paper, the effect of continuous finishing-desizing, scouring, bleaching and dyeing of woven cotton fabrics on the low stress mechanical and surface properties has been studied. The cotton fabric properties were measured by the famous KES-FB system. The handle of the finished fabrics were calculated by the handle evaluation programme. The results showed that the mechanical properties changed significantly by the desizing and gradually by the scouring, bleaching and dyeing processes.     

Dimensional stabilization of cotton plain weft knitted fabric using mercerization treatment

Investigation on dimensional stability of cotton plain weft knitted fabric manufactured from rotor spun yarn, subjected to mercerization treatment has been represented. Several fabric samples were mercerized considering variation in time of treatment, bath temperature, concentration of alkali solution and also mercerizing tension. Values of constant of course (K _c ), constant of wale (K _w ), the area geometry constant (K _s ) which are indicative of fabric dimensional stability were calculated after treatment for mercerized samples. Then, these values were compared with those of un-treated samples subjected to dry and wet relaxation and also were compared with each other. Based on the effect of each variable itself and their simultaneous effect, it was concluded that, mercerization treatment and considered parameters had a distinctive influence on dimensional stability of the fabric. Mercerized samples had better dimensional stability in comparison with un-treated ones. A comprehensive experimental analysis showed that, there is meaningful difference between K _s values of the samples mercerized at various conditions. Also, the area geometry constant (K _s ) achieved after treatment was higher than that of other relaxation methods.     

Effects of softeners and laundering on the handle of knitted PLA filament fabrics

We have studied the effects of softeners and repeated laundering on the handle of knitted fabrics constructed from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) filament yarns derived from corn-starch. The fabrics were assessed: a) subjectively, via a panel of volunteers, in terms of their perceived softness and ‘scroopiness’; and b) objectively, using a Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabrics (KES-F), in terms of their low-stress mechanical properties. The study employed two fabric variants and a range of commercial softeners in an attempt to determine the combination that would provide optimal handle and durability to laundering. We found the standard KES-F parameters B, 2HB, G, 2HG, and SMD to be generally well-correlated with the subjective assessment of softness and scroopiness. Although repeated laundering reduced somewhat the beneficial effects of the softeners, this deterioration was not severe, and we were able to identify specific formulations that can provide good handle coupled with acceptable durability. The fabric handle was seen to be influenced by the chemical nature of the softening agent, the type of emulsion employed and the degree of hydrophobicity (assessed in terms of wettability); on the other hand, the ionicity of the softener appeared not to play a significant role.