Investigating the effect of yarn count and twist factor on the packing density and wicking height of lyocell ring-spun yarns

The moisture transport expressed with wicking is one of the most important aspects in clothing science and strongly effects on the quality of clothes. Wicking is a spontaneous transport of liquid driven into a porous system by capillary forces. Furthermore, the packing density has a direct relation with the yarn structure. At the present work, the effects of yarn count and twist factor on the wicking height and packing density of lyocell ring-spun yarns was investigated. Achieving the objectives of this research, an image processing method was developed to determine the packing density of samples. Experimental results were also used to develop a regression model to predict the wicking height based on the packing density, yarn count, twist factor and rising time. The results demonstrated that the correlation coefficient between the predicted and measured wicking height was 0.98 indicating the capability of the presented model to predict the wicking height of lyocell ring-spun yarns.     

Wicking properties of polyamide 66 twisted nanofiber yarn by tracing the color alteration in yarn structure

In view of the interest in wicking properties of these flexible structures, analysis of the wicking phenomena in nylon 6.6 nanofiber yarns is carried out by considering the twist rate effects. A novel method is used based on adding a pH-sensitive dye to yarn interstructure and the analysis of color alteration of nanofiber yarn structure, resulting from a shift in pH, during the capillary rise of distilled water. The results show that the addition of pH- sensitive dye has no influence on the average nanofiber diameter and the wicking behavior of yarns. This study shows that in short durations, the kinetic of the capillary rise follows the Lucas-Washburn equation. The Lambertw, a mathematical function, has been incorporated, which helps measure an equivalent structural factor of nanofiber yarns and vertical wicking height at any given time considering the gravitational effects. The statistical results show that the average of equilibrium wicking height and capillary rise rate coefficient tend to decrease with increasing the nanofiber yarn twist, due to the reduction of continuity and size of capillaries.     

Study on the liquid flow behaviour of cotton wick

The present paper reports the interaction effect of yarn twist, yarn count and number of plies on wicking behaviour of plied cotton yarn. A three-variable factorial design technique proposed by Box & Behnken was used to investigate the combined interaction effect of the above variables. Both the vertical as well as horizontal wicking experiments were carried out with liquids of varying surface tensions, like distilled water, saline water and petrol. Each wick samples were subjected to nine different types of wicking related tests. The yarn count and number of plies in the cotton wick was found to play major role in wicking related properties, whereas the effect of twist in plied cotton wick was not that prominent when the twist per unit length of single and plied yarns were the same and in opposite direction. The rate of vertical wicking for saline water was found to be significantly lower than that of distilled water. The rate of horizontal wicking for distilled water was less than that of vertical wicking of distilled water. Use two or three parallel strands instead of one resulted in marked increase of vertical wicking.     

The effect of spinning parameters on mechanical and physical properties of core-spun yarns produced by the three-strand modified method (TSMM)

The effect of spinning parameters on core-spun yarns properties manufactured using three-strand modified method (TSMM) was analyzed. Of the various spinning parameters, strand spacing, yarn linear density and yarn twist have a crucial effect on core-spun yarn properties. To achieve the objectives of this research, general physical properties of core-spun yarns together with existing standards were thoroughly studied. First of all, the strand spacing and yarn linear density were optimized. Afterwards, the effects of variation of yarn twist and sheath roving linear density on core-spun yarns properties were investigated. Finally, the physical and mechanical properties of TSMM yarns were compared with those of siro and conventional ring core-spun yarns counterparts. It was found that, the best strand spacing and yarn linear density to produce core-spun yarns are 8 mm and 45 tex, respectively. Results showed that, tenacity of TSMM yarns increases up to a certain twist level beyond which it reduces. The result confirmed that 45 tex yarns produced by three rovings of the same count are superior with regards to tenacity and hairiness. The optimized yarns produced by three-strand modified method enjoy superior physical and mechanical properties in comparison to the ring and siro core-spun yarns.     

牵切苎麻在棉纺设备上的纺纱初探

对苎麻长麻纺（复精梳）工艺中的苎麻预并条和头道精梳条进行牵切,然后分别将其在棉纺设备上进行并条、粗纱和细纱加工。探讨牵切纱断裂强度与捻系数的相互关系,并对比分析牵切纱与常规纱的质量。结果表明,牵切纱临界捻系数αt 在405左右,苎麻牵切精梳纱的条干、粗细节、棉结及3 mm以上的毛羽与苎麻常规精梳纱的接近,且断裂强度优于苎麻常规精梳纱的。     

Influence of the core-sheath weight ratio and twist on the tensile strength of the ring core yarns with high tenacity filaments

Core spun yarns are applied for various purposes that especially require the multi-functional performance. This research reports on the core spinning effect on the yarn strength. We prepared various core yarns by combining different kinds of high tenacity filaments in core with cotton staples in sheath with various twist levels in the ring spin system. And the tensile strength was tested to investigate the contribution of the core-sheath structure to the core yarn strength. The influence of the twist level was also checked up on the relationship between the core-sheath structure and the yarn strength. Results turned out that the core-sheath weight ratio had influence on the tensile properties of the ring core-spun yarns in different ways according to the core filaments used for the yarn. Increasing the twists yielded a monotone decreasing strength for the aramid and the basalt core yarns, while the PET core yarns showed almost unchanged strength, which could be ascribed to the extensional property of the filaments.     

Exponentially autocorrelated mass distribution along staple fiber yarns

In this work, a series of cotton carded ring-spun yarns of different counts and different twist multipliers is prepared and the mass distribution along the yarns is studied as a random process. The mass autocorrelation coefficients of the coarser yarns are found to be higher as compared to those of the finer yarns and this difference is found to be low at lower twist multiplier of the yarns. The decay of mass autocorrelation at higher distances along the yarns is explained by a double exponential autocorrelation function which raises the probable existence of two highly different random effects that are acting additively on the yarns to decrease the mass autocorrelation at higher distances along the yarns. The finer yarn exhibits faster decay of mass autocorrelation than the coarser yarn, but this difference is low at lower twist multiplier of the yarns.     

Structural analysis of finer cotton yarns produced by conventional and modified ring spinning system

Yarn structure plays an important role in determining the properties of spun yarns. Recently, a modified spinning technique has been developed for producing a low torque and soft handle singles yarn by modifying the fiber arrangement in a yarn. Comparative studies revealed that the finer modified yarns possess significantly higher strength and lower hairiness over the conventional yarns of the same twist level, implying a different structure of finer modified yarn. Thus this paper aims to quantitatively study the structures of the finer conventional and modified cotton yarn (80 Ne) produced at the same twist level. Various measuring techniques, namely the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), cross section technique and tracer fiber technique, are adopted to analyze their structural characteristics, including fiber configuration, fiber spatial orientation angle, fiber packing density, yarn surface appearance, and fiber migration behavior. Results showed that finer modified yarns exhibit a smoother surface and much more compact structure with less hairiness. The fibers in the finer modified yarn have a complicated fiber path with relatively lower fiber radial position, larger migration frequency and magnitudes. In addition, it was noted that 73% of fibers in the finer conventional yarn follow concentric conical helix, which is contrary to those in the coarser conventional yarn. The analyses conducted in this paper provide deep insights into the mechanism of modified spinning technique and evidential explanations on the difference of properties between the finer conventional and modified yarns.     

Assessment of the surface roughness of cotton fabrics through different yarn and fabric structural properties

The effects of some yarn properties (i.e. type, count, twist level, ply number, unevenness and crimp) and fabric constructional properties (i.e. cover, thickness and balance) on surface roughness values of cotton woven fabrics were investigated. A general overview of the results showed that surface roughness values of fabrics were affected from yarn and fabric properties and the effects were related to fabric balance, fabric cover (not cover factor), fabric thickness and crimp values of yarns in fabric structures. Surface roughness values of fabrics decreased as yarn fineness and yarn twist levels increased but as yarn ply number decreased. Also, surface roughness values gradually decreased from open-end yarn constituting fabrics to combed yarn constituting fabrics. Results showed that different properties of yarns caused changes in yarn crimps in fabric structure and also governed the changes in fabric balance, as well as changes in roughness of fabric surfaces. The changing properties of yarns and impact of these properties on fabric construction affected the formation of cotton fabric surfaces from smooth to coarse.     

An investigation of methodology and apparatus to assess twist liveliness of spun yarns

A methodology and apparatus have been proposed to indirectly evaluate twist liveliness of spun yarns by measuring the number of snarl turns formed of a yarn submerged in a water bath. A comparative study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of water in the measurement of yarn snarls. T tests showed that water has a significant effect in the snarl forming and testing results. Systematic studies were then carried out in the intra and inter laboratories to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed measurement system. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the studies showed that there is no significant difference in measuring twist liveliness between the operators in the same laboratory and between the operators from different laboratories, respectively. The largest variance in the tests is attributed to the expected variation in the level of snarl turns in different yarn specimens. The experimental results showed that the developed yarn snarling apparatus has made accurate and repeatable measurements of twist liveliness over a range of 100 % cotton ring spun yarn counts.     

Moisture and thermal permeability of the hollow textured PET imbedded woven fabrics for high emotional garments

This study examined the effects of the total porosity, pore size, and cover factor on the moisture and thermal permeability of woven fabrics made from DTY (draw textured yarns) and ATY (air jet textured yarns) composite yarns with hollow PET (polyethylene terephthalate) yarns. The wicking of the hollow composite yarn fabrics was found to be superior to that of the high twisted yarn fabrics, which may be due to the high porosity in the hollow composites yarns, but this was not related to the cover factor. The drying characteristics of the hollow composite yarn fabric with high porosity were inferior compared to the high twisted yarn fabrics due to the large amounts of liquid water in the large pores, which resulted in a longer drying time of the fabric. The thermal conductivity of the hollow composite yarn fabrics decreased with increasing measured pore diameter due to the bulky yarn structure. The effects of the hollowness of the yarn on the thermal conductivity were more dominant than those of the yarn structural parameters. The air permeability increased with increasing measured pore diameter but the effects of the cover factor on the air permeability were not observed in the hollow composite yarn fabrics. The effects of porosity on the moisture and thermal permeability of the woven fabrics made from the hollow composite filaments were found to be critical, i.e., wicking and air permeability increase with increasing porosity. In addition, the drying rate increased with increasing porosity and the thermal conductivity decreased with increasing pore diameter, but were independent of the cover factor.     

Effect of strand spacing and twist multiplier on structural and mechanical properties of Siro-spun yarns

The effect of strand spacing and twist multiplier on strength of Siro-spun yarns with reference to the yarn structural parameters was investigated. Of the various structural parameters for staple yarns, fiber migration has a crucial influence on the yarn strength, which in turn to a considerable extent is influenced by the strand spacing and twist multiplier. Achieving the objectives of this research, the yarns were produced from lyocell fibers at five strand spacings and four different twist multipliers. Tracer fiber technique combined with image analysis were utilized to study the yarn migration parameters. Afterwards, the yarns were subjected to uniaxial loading by a CRE tensile tester. The measured results are presented in forms of diagrams and tables. The findings reveal that, as strand spacing is increased, yarn tenacity increases up to strand spacing of 8 mm beyond which it reduces. Analysis of the results indicates that the higher tenacity values at the strand spacing of 8 mm can be attributed to the higher mean fiber position, higher migration factor, higher proportion of broken fibers and lower hairiness.     

A novel method to reduce hairiness level of ring spun yarn

The quality of ring spun yarns is largely determined by its level of hairiness. The existence of hairiness inevitably affects the quality of ring spun yarns. This paper presents an innovative method on lowering the level of hairiness of ring spun yarns. This can be achieved by shooting compressed air to the yarn, through a swirl nozzle comprising a yarn duct and an airjet nozzle attached to a traditional ring spin frame. When compressed air is applied from the air-jet nozzle to the yarn duct, the swirling air flow tucks surface fibers of the ring spun yarns into its body. Four controllable variable parameters for the process, supplied pressure, nozzle position, twist factor and spindle speed, and their effects on the lowering of yarn hairiness will be clarified. Their impact on the quality of the yarn is statistically analyzed, and the optimum outcome of the combination of parameters for the process, will thus be determined.     

The effect of physical ageing on torque in worsted spun yarns

The intrinsic torque of freshly spun wool yarns is affected by ageing of wool roving prior to spinning as well as the storage time of the yarn after spinning. The effect of physical ageing of roving on yarn torque properties has not been observed before and this study shows that the yarn intrinsic torque increases with ageing of the roving and decreases or relaxes with the yarn storage time. The dependency of the intrinsic torque on the roving ageing time and the yarn storage time after spinning show a simple double-logarithmic shift factor of 0.42 compared with the value of 1 found generally for amorphous polymeric materials. The self-plying twist of the yarns used in this study shows a close link to the intrinsic torque and both are affected by the history of the roving prior to spinning. Significant reductions in the self-plying twist were obtained when deaged rovings were used in spinning. When self-plying twist is used as a predictor of fabric spirality the roving and yarn history needs to be considered. This study shows that low intrinsic torque yarns can be produced by deageing of the roving prior to spinning.     

Continuous twisted nanofiber yarns fabricated by double conjugate electrospinning

In order to fabricate continuously twisted nanofiber yarns, double conjugate electrospinning had been developed using two pairs of oppositely charged electrospinning nozzles. The principle and process of this novel yarn spinning method were analyzed, and the effect of applied voltage, nozzle distance between positive and negative, solution flow rate and funnel rotating speed on the diameters, twist level and mechanical properties of resultant PAN nanofiber yarns were investigated in this paper. The results indicated that electrospun nanofibers aggregated stably and bundled continuously at the applied voltage of 18 kV, the nozzle distance of 17.5 cm between positive and negative, the overall flow rate of 3.2 ml/h and the flow ratio of 5/3 for positive and negative nozzles. The resultant nanofiber yarns had favorable orientation and uniform twist distribution, and the twist level of nanofiber yarns increased with the increase of the ratio of funnel rotating speed and winding speed. The diameters and mechanical properties of nanofiber yarns depended on their twist level. The diameters of prepared PAN nanofiber yarns ranged from 50 µm to 200 µm, and the strength and elongation of PAN nanofiber yarns at break were 55.70 MPa and 41.31%, respectively, at the twist angle of 41.8 °. This method can be also used to produce multifunctional composite yarns with two or more components.     

Effects of bleaching and dyeing on the quality of alpaca tops and yarns

This paper reports the effects of bleaching of alpaca tops and dyeing of bleached alpaca tops/yarns on the quality of tops and yarns. A dark brown alpaca top was bleached with hydrogen peroxide. Two bleaching methods were tried for effectiveness of color removal. A portion of each bleached top was dyed after bleaching. Color parameters were examined for unbleached, bleached and bleached/dyed tops, these tops were then converted into yarns of different twist levels and counts using a worsted spinning system. Some of the bleached yarn from each bleaching method was dyed in a package dye vat to compare the difference of top dyeing versus yarn package dyeing on yarn quality. Fiber diameter, yarn strength, yarn evenness, yarn hairiness and fiber degradation were tested to examine the effects of bleaching and dyeing on these properties at top and yarn stages. A processing route for bleaching and dyeing alpaca fiber was recommended.     

Analysis on the pilling factors of cashmere knitted fabric

The effect of cashmere yarn twist, knitted fabric density, and cashmere properties on pilling rates of cashmere knitted fabric is investigated in this paper. The experimental results show that yarn twist and fabric density have little influence on pilling rates of cashmere knitted fabric for yarn 38.4 tex/2 when yarn twist varies from 234 T/m to 272 T/m, and the fabric density is 9.7, 10.7, and 11.2 yarns/inch, respectively. The length of cashmere fiber, in particular less than 7.5 mm, is responsible for the pilling rates of cashmere knitted fabric based on optimal scaling regression analysis.     

An experimental investigation of yarn tension in simulated ring spinning

Yarn tension is a key factor that affects the efficiency of a ring spinning system. In this paper, a specially constructed rig, which can rotate a yarn at a high speed without inserting any real twist into the yarn, was used to simulate a ring spinning process. Yarn tension was measured at the guide-eye during the simulated spinning of different yarns at various balloon heights and with varying yarn length in the balloon. The effect of balloon shape, yarn hairiness and thickness, and yarn rotating speed, on the measured yarn tension, was examined. The results indicate that the collapse of balloon shape from single loop to double loop, or from double loop to triple etc, lead to sudden reduction in yarn tension. Under otherwise identical conditions, a longer length of yarn in the balloon gives a lower yarn tension at the guide-eye. In addition, thicker yarns and/or more hairy yarns generate a higher tension in the yarn, due to the increased air drag acting on the thicker or more hairy yarns.     

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.