untitled-1 [] · yarn quality is an essential target in fiber-to-yarn production and has a...

March - April 2019 423

Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

PEER REVIEWEDSPINNING

1. Introduction:Innovations in fiber-to-yarn production have focusedon developing new products with unique propertiesthrough utilization of fibers blends to meet the customer'sneeds. Seeking to achieve optimal yarn characteristicsand quality while keeping the price reasonable [1].Blending refers to the processes of converting two ormore types of staple fibers into a single yarn, wherefibers are oriented in the yarn structure in which eachcomponent ratio remains the same along the yarn length[2,3]. This process shall confirms the good qualities ofthe used fibers and reduces their poor properties, whichin return enhances the performance of the producedfabric and offers better characteristics than that ob-tained from using a single fiber yarn [4,5,6].Generally, blending process is applied to enhance vari-ous yarns properties such as; Durability whereas inte-

gration of more durable fiber may extends the func-tional life of a less durable one. For instance, whennylon or polyester fibers are blended with cotton orwool fibers, they provide strength and abrasion resis-tance while wool or cotton appearance retained. Eco-nomically, a considerable reduction in yarn costs couldbe achieved through proper blending of expensive fi-bers with more plentiful fibers like cashmere and wool.Physical properties, a compromise utilizing the prefer-able characteristics of the blended fibers, like usingrayon to give luster and softness to cotton fabrics.Color and appearance, where novel designs may becarried out by incorporating multi-color effects [1, 2].The properties of blended yarns are depending on theconstituent fibers characteristics and their proportions.Thus, fibers selection is a significant matter for threecomponent blends as it is for the common binary blends[2,5].

Blending natural fibers with synthetic fibers offers thepossibility of combining the desirable performance prop-erties of both components since they are so dissimilar[2], whereas blending ratios are determined accordingto the end-use, the economical and environmental con-

Comparative Study of Quality Properties for Open-end SpunYarns Produced from Blending Natural and Synthetic Fibers

Eman Y. Abd-Elkawe1 & Nermin M. Aly*21Spinning Research Dept., Cotton Research Institute,

2Spinning and Weaving Engineering Dept., Textile Industries Research Division,National Research Centre

Abstract :Blending natural fibers with synthetic fibers had gained a lot of interest, as it proposes a variety of textileproducts with unique properties. It successfully combines the good properties of both components toovercome the drawbacks of using fibers separately and enhances the aesthetic features and performanceof the produced fabric. Yarn quality is an essential target in fiber-to-yarn production and has a significantimpact on post spinning processes. In this work, the quality properties of Open-end spun yarns producedfrom cotton, flax, polyester and acrylic fibers and their blends were investigated. The 100% single fiberyarns, binary blended yarns (50:50%) and triblend yarns (40:30:30%) all were produced with count 12 Ne.The influence of fibers properties and blending ratio on yarns physical and mechanical properties includingyarns diameter, evenness and imperfections, hairiness, twist/m, tenacity and elongation, as well fibersmorphology were studied to find out the optimum blending ratio that offers the best yarn quality properties.It was indicated from the experimental findings that, the 100% polyester yarn achieved the best propertiesand performance compared with all yarns samples followed by the binary blended yarns (Cotton/Polyester),(Cotton/Acrylic) and the triblend yarn (Cotton/Flax/Acrylic). Although, the (Cotton/Flax) binary blendedyarn showed the lowest functional performance due to its low evenness and high hairiness.

Keywords :Binary blended yarn, Open-end rotor spinning, Triblend yarn, Yarn quality.

*All the correspondences shall be addressed to,Nermin M. AlySpinning and Weaving Engineering Dept.,Textile Industries Research Division, National Research Centre,33 ElBuhouth st., Dokki,Cairo, Egypt, P.O.12622.E-mail : [email protected]

March - April 2019424

Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

SPINNING

ditions [7]. Cotton is the most used natural fiber, itpresents approximately 33% of total fibers productionand it is extensively used in apparel and textiles sec-tors. Cotton's quality depends on fibers properties suchas length, strength, maturity degree and fineness [2,8,9].Blending cotton fibers with other fibers assist in opti-mizing fabrics cost and also improve final fabrics prop-erties like drapeability, comfortability, durability, dyeability,…etc . Among the natural and synthetic fibers that arebeing used in cotton blends are flax, polyester andacrylic fibers. Flax fibers are characterized by theirhigh tenacity, natural brightness and comfort properties[6,9]. They are very compatible with cotton fibers, sotheir blends will improve quality, reduce costs, andposses better functional properties like tensile strengthand elongation, abrasion resistance, drapeability, absor-bency, etc. These blends are used to produce fine wovenapparel, household textiles and upholstery fabrics [2,10].

Polyester fibers play a vital role in all textile areasfrom traditional textiles to medical and geotextiles. Theyare characterized by their high strength, luster, aesthet-ics, low cost, but have a low moisture regain comparedto cotton [4,8]. Cotton/polyester blends are used inapparel and home furnishing, as cotton enhances com-fort properties, while polyester fibers improve fabric'sdurability owing to its strength, abrasion resistance,crease resistance, and better easy-care properties com-pared to 100% cotton. Also, their blends have pos-sessed other advantages such as low pilling, low staticelectrification, better evenness compared to 100%polyester [4,11,12]. Acrylic fibers are characterized bygood durability and shape retention, low thermal con-ductivity, easy-care properties, etc. About 75% ofacrylic fibers are used in apparel, 20% in home fur-nishings, and 5% in industrial applications [8]. Cotton/acrylic blends are used in bulky woven and knittedfabrics, whereas cotton fibers offer moisture regain,absorbency and antistatic properties, while acrylic fi-bers provide heat insulation, crease recovery and abra-sion resistance [2].

Several studies have investigated the quality propertiesof blended yarns and revealed that, they are mainlyinfluenced by materials types and their blending ratios,machine type and its setup parameters, and the spin-ning system type [1, 11]. Ring and Open-end rotorspinning systems comprise about 90% of total yarnproduction in the world [13]. Open-end rotor spinningis a modern technique, where spinning and winding arecombined in one process to overcome all of ring spin-ning issues , through separating twisting and winding in

yarn manufacturing processes. So, it exhibits less en-ergy cost due to less machinery used in production.Moreover, the yarns are more regular due to multipledoubling or back doubling of fibers in the rotor groove[14,15] and have low breakage rate which improvestheir quality. Thus, there is a significant increase inyarn production which is about 3-5 times compared toring spinning system [16].

The main quality characteristics of blended spun yarnsare tenacity, elongation, evenness which depend on thefibers used properties [1, 4]. Jackowska-Strumillo etal. [17] had investigated the quality properties of cottonyarns spun using ring, compact and Open-end rotorspinning machines. It was indicated that, Open-end yarnsare characterized by their tenacity, low hairiness andunevenness. Anandjiwal et al. [18] found that, blendingdissimilar fibers had resulted in non-uniform distributionthroughout the yarn cross-section, which leads to pref-erential migration relying on both fiber properties andspinning processes. Nawaz S.M et al. [19], reportedthat, yarn strength reduced gradually as polyester fi-bers share decreased in the blend. Cierpucha et al.[20], studied the quality properties of cotton and cot-ton/flax blends rotor spun yarns and had found that, theblended yarns had low strength and high coefficientsof variation of linear density compared to cotton yarns.Barella et al., [21], studied the properties of ring androtor polyester/cotton (50:50%) blended yarns for di-ameter and hairiness compared with 100% cotton andpolyester yarns. They found that, hairiness was higherfor cotton yarns than for polyester yarns with blendssituated in an intermediate position for both ring androtor-spun yarns.

The present work aims to study the quality propertiesof Open-end spun yarns produced using four differentnatural and synthetic fibers and their blends. Cotton,flax, polyester and acrylic fibers were used and blendedto produce binary blended yarns and triblend yarns tobe compared with the 100% single fiber yarns. Thephysical and mechanical properties of the producedblended spun yarns such as; diameter, hairiness, even-ness and imperfections, twist/m, tenacity and elonga-tion were examined to assess their performance. Theresults obtained are discussed and evaluated to find outthe optimum blending ratio that offers the best yarnquality properties.

2. Materials and methodsGreek cotton, flax, polyester and acrylic fibers werechosen to produce 100% single fiber yarns and their


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

SPINNING

possible blends including binary blended yarns (50:50%)and triblended yarns (40:30:30%). Fibers physical andmechanical properties were examined and presented inTable 2.1. Fibers length and length uniformity weremeasured using Fibrograph instrument according toASTM-D1447. Fibers fineness and maturity weremeasured using Micronaire-675 device according toASTM-D1448. Fibers tenacity and elongation wasmeasured using Stelometer instrument according toASTM-D1445. Testing of fibers properties were car-ried out in Cotton Research Institute laboratories, Giza,Egypt.

Table 2.1. Fibers physical and mechanical properties

Fibers properties Cotton Flax Polyester Acrylic

Fiber Length (mm) 33.03 62.2 35.8 66

Length uniformity (%) 86.6 87.3 89 93.33

Tenacity (g/tex) 24.5 29 59.1 32

Elongation (%) 6.3 5.4 15.8 10.3Fiber Fineness

(Micronaire) 4.74 12.7 6.25 6.8

Maturity (%) 74.5 60 62.5 56

2.1. Yarn spinning processThe experimental work was carried out in El-SharkiaSpinning and Weaving Co. (SharkaTex) in Zagazig city.Open-end rotor spinning system was chosen for pro-ducing the 100% spun yarns and their blends. The rawmaterials were obtained from the spinning mills. Thefibers were prepared and processed for the cardingsection. The carded slivers of all fibers were carried tothe drawing process, where blending of natural andsynthetic fibers was performed according to the re-quired ratios on the drawing frame to provide the bestblend in the longitudinal direction. The drawn sliverswere fed to the spinning machine (Ingolstadt rotorspinner RU11). The used machine parameters includ-ing 52 mm rotor diameter with speed of 40000 rpm andan opening roller with speed of 6000 rpm. The pro-duced Open-end spun yarns were of count 12 Ne witha twist multiplier 4 for all yarn samples. The specifica-tions of the Open-end spun yarns samples are listed inTable 2.2.

Table 2.2. Open-end spun yarns specifications

Sample Yarn materials Blending ratioNo (%)

1 Cotton (C) 100

2 Polyester (P) 100

3 Acrylic (A) 100

4 Cotton/Flax (C/F) (50:50)

5 Cotton/Acrylic (C/A) (50:50)

6 Cotton/Polyester (C/P) (50:50)

7 Flax/Polyester (F/P) (50:50)

8 Acrylic/Polyester (A/P) (50:50)

9 Cotton/Flax/Polyester (C/F/P) (40:30:30)

10 Cotton/Flax/Acrylic (C/F/A) (40:30:30)

11 Cotton/Acrylic/Polyester (C/A/P) (40:30:30)

12 Flax/Acrylic/Polyester (F/A/P) (40:30:30)

Note: 100% Flax yarns and the binary blended yarnFlax/Acrylic (F/A) were unspinnable due to unsuitablespinning conditions. This is may be related to the stiff-ness, brittleness and low pliability of flax fibers, whichlack convolution to produce the necessary cohesionbetween the fibers [22]. But when flax fibers blendedwith cotton and polyester fibers, it gave good results inproducing blended yarns as its share decreased in theproduced yarns.

2.2. Yarn testingThe produced Open-end spun yarns quality propertieswere tested after conditioning the samples for 24 hoursunder the standard atmospheric conditions (20±2°C)and (65±2% RH). Yarn diameter was determined us-ing Nikon profile Projector Model V-12. Yarn even-ness and imperfections refers to the number of thick& thin places and neps per 1000 meters of yarn weremeasured using Uster Tester 1-Model B according toASTM D-1425 and with test speed of 400 m/min.Yarn hairiness was measured using F-Index Tester ac-cording to ASTM D-5647 with test speed of 30 m/min.Hairiness value refers to the total number of protrud-ing fibers on the yarn's outer surface including fibersof length 3 mm andabove. Yarn tenacity (cN/tex) and Elongation at break(%) were measured using Uster Tensorapid tensiletesting machine according to ASTM D-2256. The testcross-head speed was 500 m/min. Yarn twists per meter(TPM) was determined using Asano Machine digitaltwist tester according to ASTM D-1423. Spun yarnproperties were examined at Textile Industries ResearchDivision laboratories, National Research Centre, Giza,

Texttreasure

The important thing in science is not so muchto obtain new facts as to discover new ways ofthinking about them

- William Lawrence Bragg


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

SPINNING

Egypt. Yarns morphology was examined using LeicaDMLS microscope at 10x zoom at Cotton ResearchInstitute laboratories, Giza, Egypt.

The properties of the produced Open-end spun yarnswere studied and analyzed with respect to the influ-ence of fiber materials properties and blending ratios toassess their performance. Overall comparison of allyarns properties was carried out using radar charts tofind out the optimum blending ratio that offers the bestyarn quality properties.

3. Results and discussionsIn this work, the quality properties of the producedOpen-end spun yarns in terms of their physical andmechanical properties were studied and evaluated withrespect to the influence of fiber materials propertiesand blending ratios to assess their performance.

3.1. Yarn diameterYarn diameter has an effect on fabric quality as itassists in expecting fabric constructional parameterslike cover factor and porosity [23]. The influence offibers properties and blending ratios on the Open-endspun yarns diameters is shown in figure 3.1. It wasobserved that, the 100% acrylic yarn showed the high-est diameter of 0.41 mm followed by the 100% cottonyarn with diameter of 0.39 mm and then the triblendyarn (C/F/P) with 0.38 mm .While the 100% polyesteryarn showed the lowest diameter of 0.28 mm followedby the binary blended yarn (C/P) with diameter of 0.29mm. This could be related to polyester yarn structurewhich has finer fibers in its cross-section comparedwith the acrylic fibers which are characterized by theirbulkiness. This is clearly shown with increasing cottonand acrylic fibers share ratios in the blended yarns.

Figure 3.1. Open-end spun yarns diameter values.

3.2. Yarn evennessYarn evenness refers to the variation level in yarnlinear density. The presence of more yarns imperfec-tions in terms of thin & thick places and neps leads toa decline in their performance which affects negativelyon the fabric appearance and quality. The influence offibers properties and blending ratios on the Open-endspun yarns evenness is shown in figures 3.2 and 3.3respectively. It was found from figure 2 that, the 100%yarns didn't record any thin places. The triblend yarn(F/P/A) recorded the lowest thick places value of 10,followed by the 100% polyester yarn with thick placesvalue of 20. Also, the binary blended yarn (C/A) re-corded the lowest neps value of 50, followed by the100% polyester yarn with neps value of 110. On theother hand, the triblend yarn (C/F/P) recorded the high-est value of imperfections with 410 thin places & 2210thick places and 3330 neps. This may be attributed toincreasing the content of cotton and flax fibers in theblending ratios, since natural fibers are characterizedby having high variations in their cross-section alongtheir length compared with synthetic fibers which mayleads to increasing the yarns imperfections.

Also, it is observed from figure 3 that, the triblend yarn(C/F/P) has the highest unevenness value (U%) of25.6% followed by the binary blended yarn (C/F) with25%. Whereas the binary blended yarns (C/A) showedthe lowest unevenness value of 8.6% followed by thetriblend yarn (C/P/A) with unevenness value of 10.9%.This could be due to increasing in the proportion ofsynthetic fibers in the blending ratios which have longfibers with a controlled diameter and low variationsthat may reduces the presence of thick and thin places.Although natural fibers may have short and immaturefibers in their cross-section which leads to formingneps along the yarns length.

Figure 3.2. Open-end spun yarns imperfections values.


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

SPINNING

Figure 3.3. Open-end spun yarns unevenness values.

3.3. Yarn hairinessHairiness has an effect on yarns appearance and per-formance. The presence of protruding fibers on theyarn's outer surface results in accumulation of contactpoints between yarns and weaving machine parts andthus leads to yarn breakages during weaving processand may causes pilling problems [24]. The influence offibers properties and blending ratios on the Open-endspun yarns hairiness is shown in figure 3.4. For fibersprotruded of 1mm length and shorter, it was found thatthe binary blended yarn (C/F) recorded the highesthairiness value of 80.5 followed by the triblend yarn(C/F/P) with hairiness value of 37.9. Although, lowerhairiness values was observed in the triblend yarn (C/F/A) of 5.9 followed by the binary blended yarns (C/P) with hairiness value of 11. This could be related tolower length uniformity of cotton and flax fibers and tothe presence of the short fibers in their blend yarncross-section. This may leads to increasing the numberof protruding fibers on the yarn's surface that causesincrease in the hairiness level as well.

On the other hand, for protruded fibers of 3 mm lengthand longer, the 100% acrylic yarn recorded the highesthairiness value of 33.5 followed by the binary blendedyarn (C/A) with hairiness value of 26.6. While thebinary blended yarns (C/P) recorded the lowest hairi-ness value of 0.3 followed by the 100% polyester yarnwith hairiness value of 0.7. High hairiness of acrylicfibers may be related to the occurrence of the electro-static forces that results from the frictions formed byfiber to-metal surfaces and fiber-to-fiber during yarnsproduction on the Open-end-rotor machine [25].

Figure 3.4. Open-end spun yarns hairiness values.

3.4. Yarn tenacityYarns tenacity has a direct effect on the efficiency ofwinding, weaving and knitting processes. The influ-ence of fibers properties and blending ratios on theOpen-end spun yarns tenacity is shown in figure 3.5.It was found that, the 100% polyester yarns showedthe highest tenacity value of 13.6 cN/tex, followed bythe binary blended yarn (F/P) with tenacity value of13.2 cN/tex and 100% cotton yarns with tenacity valueof 11.85 cN/tex. Although the lowest tenacity valuewas observed with the binary blended yarn (C/P) of8.23 cN/tex followed by the binary blended yarn (C/F)with tenacity value of 8.5 cN/tex. This may be relatedto polyester fibers high strength compared to otherfibers. It may be also due to increasing the number offibers in the yarn cross-section that are able to bearthe tensile load and the high stiffness of flax fibers thatincreases its tenacity. As well it was clarified that,decreasing the share of cotton fibers in the blend leadsto a reduction in the yarns tenacity.

Figure 3.5. Open-end spun yarns tenacity values.

3.5. Yarn elongation at breakYarn elongation at break is influenced by fibers exten-sion and their arrangement in yarn body. The influenceof fiber properties and blending ratios on the Open-endspun yarns elongation is shown in figure 3.6. It was

Texttreasure

Science does not know its debt to imagination- Ralph Waldo Emerson


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

SPINNING

found that, the binary blended yarn (P/A) showed thehighest values of elongation with 16.1%, followed bythe binary blended yarns (F/P) with elongation valuesof 14.5% and (C/A) with value of 14.1%. While thelowest elongation were noted in the binary blendedyarn (C/F) with value of 9.31%, followed by the 100%cotton fibers with value of 9.77%. This may be attrib-uted to the high elongation properties of polyester andacrylic fibers compared to flax and cotton fibers. Also,it was indicated that, there is an improvement in theelongation values with the binary blended yarns com-pared to the 100% yarns and the triblend yarns.

Figure 3.6. Open-end spun yarns elongation values.

3.6. Yarn twists per meterThe influence of fiber properties and blending ratios onthe Open-end spun yarns number of twists/m is shownin figure 3.7. It was indicated that, the 100% cottonfibers showed the highest values of twists/m with 791,followed by binary blended yarn (C/F) with 787.4 andthe triblend yarn (C/P/A) with 748. While the lowestnumber of twists/m was found with 100% acrylic yarnof 572.5 and the binary blended yarn (F/P) with 602.4.This may be attributed to cotton fibers nature of pres-ence of short fibers that need a high number of twiststo increase its strength. Although acrylic fibers havehigh hairiness level due to presence of protruding fi-bers on its surface that leads to decreasing the numberof twists/m.

Figure 3.7. Open-end spun yarns twists/m values.

3.7. Yarns performance evaluationAn overall comparison of all yarns properties wascarried out using radar charts to find out the optimumblending ratio that offers the best yarn quality proper-ties. Figure 3.8 shows the evaluation of the best fiveOpen-end spun yarns performance in terms of theirphysical and mechanical properties. While figures 3.9and 3.10 show the best binary blended yarns andtriblended yarns performances. It was revealed that,the 100% polyester yarn achieved the best functionalperformance compared to all yarns, due to its hightenacity and elongation, evenness and low diameterand hairiness values, followed by the binary blendedyarn (C/P), the binary blended yarn (C/A), the triblendyarn (C/F/A) and the binary blended yarn (P/A). Onthe other hand, it was revealed that, the (C/F) binaryblended yarn showed the lowest functional performancecompared to all yarn samples due to its low evennessand high hairiness.

Figure 3.8 shows the evaluation of the best five Open-end spun yarns performance

JTA : An effective marketing tool for

strengthening business promotion


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

SPINNING

Figure 3.9. Evaluation of the binary blended Open-endspun yarns performance.

Figure 10. Evaluation of the triblend Open-end spunyarns performance.

3.8. Yarns morphology:Figures from (3.11-3.14) show the cross-section andlongitudinal views of cotton, flax, polyester and acrylicfibers, respectively. It can be seen, that cotton fiberscross-section is oval kidney-shaped with a thick walland small lumen. The fiber looks like a flat twistedribbon with convolutions. Flax fibers have a polygonalcross-section with a central lumen. The fibers have asmooth surface with nodes at intervals that cause theunevenness [26]. Polyester fibers have a smooth roundcross-section and a rod-like appearance. Acrylic fibershave a bean shaped cross-section and the fibers lookslightly wavy in appearance that give bulkiness to theyarns and provide warmth. [27].

Figure 3.11. Cotton fibers: a) cross sectional view and b)longitudinal view.

Figure 3.12. Flax fibers; a) cross sectional view and b)longitudinal view.

Figure 3.13. Polyester fibers; a) Cross sectional viewand b) longitudinal

Figure 3.14. Acrylic fibers; a) Cross sectional view andb) longitudinal view.

Fibers properties and blending ratios had a great influ-ence of on the arrangement of fibers and distributionin the produced Open-end spun yarns cross-sections.Figure 3.15(a-e) shows the cross-sectional views ofthe binary blended yarns (C/F), (C/P), (F/P), (C/A),and (A/P), respectively. It can be observed from fig-ure 3.15-a, that the cotton fibers are gathered togethertowards the yarn center due to its high density sur-rounded by the flax fibers. In 3.15-b, cotton fibers aresurrounded by the polyester fibers which are charac-terized by their low density that leads to their distribu-tion in the outer layers, while in figure 3.15-c, the flaxfibers are surrounded by the polyester fibers. Also in3.15-d, cotton fibers are found in the center and atedges while acrylic fibers are oriented preferentiallypositioned in the yarn outer layer surface due to its lowdensity. In 3.15-e, both polyester and acrylic fibers aresubstantially distributed in the yarn cross-section.


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

SPINNING

While figure 3.16(a-d) show the cross-sectional viewsof the triblended yarns (C/F/P) (C/F/A), (C/A/P) and(F/A/P), respectively. In figure 3.16(a-b) natural fibersratio in the blend is higher than the synthetic fibers. So,it was observed from figure 3.16-a, the cotton fibersare gathered together towards the yarn center sur-rounded by the flax fibers and the polyester fibers arelocated mostly at the surface layer because of its lowerdensity. This leads to the presence of structural irregu-larities in the yarn and accordingly affected on its prop-erties like evenness and hairiness. In figure 3.16 (b-d),the acrylic fibers distribution in the blended yarns seemedto be random for all yarns cross-section, which may berelated to its low density and the electrostatic forcesthat resulted from the frictions formed during yarnsproduction. Although in figure 3.16(c-d) the proportionof synthetic fibers is higher than natural fibers, cottonand flax fibers are found surrounded with polyesterfibers more in the yarns cross-section.

Figure 3.15. Cross-sectional views of the binary blendedyarns; a) C/F, b) C/P,

c) F/P , d) C/A, and e) A/P ,respectively.

Figure 3.16. Cross sectional views of the triblend yarns;a) C/F/P, b) C/F/A,

c) C/A/P and d) F/A/P, respectively.

4. ConclusionBlending process is performed for enhancing the aes-thetic and functional qualities of yarns at a reducedcost. In this work, cotton, flax, polyester and acrylicfibers were used to produce 100% Open-end spunyarns and their possible binary and triblend yarns. Theproduced Open-end spun yarns quality properties wereexamined in terms of their physical and mechanicalproperties. Their characteristics are mainly influencedby the fibers characteristics and the blending ratio. Thetrend indicated that, as cotton and flax fibers shareincreases in the blend, it affects on the yarns evenness,imperfection values and hairiness. Also it affected onreducing yarns elongation compared to all yarn samples.On the other hand, the blended yarns performancesimproved with increasing the share of polyester fibersin the blend, due to its high tenacity and elongation,evenness, low diameter and hairiness value. An overallcomparison of all yarns properties had revealed that,the binary blended yarns(C/P) , and (C/A), followed bythe triblended yarn (C/F/A) had achieved the best qualityproperties and performance in the blended yarns. Ad-ditionally, it was found that, the (C/F) binary blendedyarn showed the lowest functional performance due toits low evenness and high hairiness. Further studies areneeded on blending more various natural and syntheticfibers, seeking for improving the quality properties ofthe triblend yarns to widen their applications in thetextile industry.

References1. El-Sayed M.A.M. Quality characteristics of Ring

and O.E. yarns spun from Egyptian and Uplandcotton blends. https://www.fibre2fashion.com/in-dustry-article/3227/quality-characteristics-of-ring-and-o-e-yarns-spun-from-egyptian-and-upland-cot-ton-blends page=9 & amp=true .

2. Charankar S.P., Verma V., Gupta M. and NanavatiB.M., Journal of the Textile Association, 67(5),201,(2007).

3. Samanta A.K., Indian Journal of Fiber andTextile Research, 39(1), 89, (2014).

4. Bhardwaj S. and Juneja S., Studies on Homeand Community Science, 6(1), 33, (2012).

5. Rajalakshmi M., Koushik C.V. and Prakash C.,Journal of Textile Science and Engineering,2(6),1, (2012).

6. Prakash C., Ramakrishnan G., and Koushik C.V.,FIBERS & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe,19:6(89), 38, (2011).

7. Shad S.S., Mumtaz A. and Javed I., Pakistan


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

SPINNING

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 38(3-4), 35,(2001).

8. Lawrence C.A., Fundamentals of Spun YarnTechnology, Boca Raton London New YorkWashington, D.C, CRC Press LLC, 28, (2003).

9. ?evkan A. and Kado lu H., TEKSTIL veKONFEKSIYON, 22(3), 218, (2012).

10. Lawal A.S., Bawa I., and Nkeonye P.O., Inter-national Journal of Science and Research, 3(9),41,(2014).

11. Malik S.A., Farooq A., Gereke T. and Cherif C.,AUTEX Research Journal, 16(2),43, (2016).

12. Baykal P.D., Babaarslan O., and Erol R., FIBERS& TEXTILES in Eastern Europe, 14:1(55), 18,(2006).

13. Kilic G.B. and Okur A., Industria Textila, 67(2),81, (2016).

14. Open-end Rotor Spinning, (2015). https://textileapex.blogspot.com/2015/01/open-end-rotor-spinning.html

15. Rameshkumar C., Anandkumar P., SenthilnathanP., Jeevitha R. and Anbumani N., AUTEX Re-search Journal, 8 (4), 100, (2008).

16. Nawaz S.M., Jamil N.A., Iftikhar M. and FarooqiB., Pakistan Textile Journal, March,22, (2003).

17. Strumillo J.L., Cyniak D., Czekalski J. andJackowski T., FIBRES & TEXTILES in EasternEurope, 15(1):(60), 24,(2007).

18. Anandjiwala R.D., Goswami B.C., Bragg C.K.,and Bargeron J.D., Textile Research Journal,69(2), 129, (1999).

19. Nawaz S.M, Shahbaz B., Yousaf C.K., PakistanTextile Journal, 48(6), 26,(1999).

20. Cierpucha W., Czaplicki Z., Mankowski J.,Kolodziej J., Zareba S. and Szporek J., FIBERS& TEXTILES in Eastern Europe, 14(5),80,(2006).

21. Barella A., Manich A., Castro L. and Hunter L.,Textile Research Journal, 54(12), 840,(1984).

22. Schulze, G., Experience in Linen Fiber Process-ing, Melliand Textilberichte (Eng. Ed.), 5,(1998).

23. Jaouadi M., Msehli S. and Sakli F., The IndianTextile Journal, 117, September issue,1, (2007).

24. Kova evi S., Schwarz I.G., and Skenderi Z., In-dustria Textile, 67(2), 91, (2016).

25. Morton W.E. and Hearle J.W.S., Physical Prop-erties of Textile Fibers, 4th Edition, The TextileInstitute ,CRC Press, Boca Raton Boston NewYork Washington, DC, Woodhead Publishing Lim-ited, Cambridge, England,(2008).

26. Smole M.S., Hribernik S., Kleinschek K.S. andKre•e T., Plant Fibers for Textile and Techni-cal Applications, In: Advances in AgrophysicalResearch, InTech open, p.376 (2013).

27. Synthetic Fibers, Acrylic. https://nptel.ac.in/courses/116102026/39.

❑ ❑ ❑

Solutions That Can Enhance

Your Brand

Add life to your business

ideas with our Brand

Building Solutions


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

1. Introduction:In the blow room, where rolling of cotton, the beatingof cotton, improper carding action and immature fibercontent in raw material causes the fiber to be tangledinto neps [1]. The carding is the heart of the entirespinning process as carding performance effects largelyon the yarn quality. In carding feed fiber are individu-alized, cleaned by removing trash and micro dust em-bedded in the tufts of fibers [2]. Carding also removesshort fibers and Neps by the carding action of flats andcylinder wire points. While carding neps are removedas well as generated due to the beating of fibers withfine wire points results into formation of neps. Thegeneration of neps at card increases above the accept-able level due to improper settings, worn out wire points,immature fibers etc [3, 4]. The ultimate object of card-ing is to open out thoroughly the tiny lumps, flocks ortufts to a state where every fiber becomes individual-ized and the cotton is no more in an entangled state[5]. The carding performance is indicated by Nep re-moval efficiency NRE. It is defined as the no of nepsare removed after carding action in carded sliver it isexpressed in percentage. NRE is calculated by follow-ing formulae

Impact of Card Neps Removal Efficiency on Yarn Quality

Sujit Gulhane1*, Vishal Patil1, Prafull Kolte1, Jaikisan Gupta21Center for Textile Functions MPSTME, SVKM's NMIMS

2Welspun India Limited

Abstract :The paper focused on the impact of carding performance particularly Neps Removal Efficiency (NRE) onthe yarn quality. The carding parameters, settings and machine condition plays an important role in theproduction of good quality sliver. These improper settings and parameters are responsible for fiber entangle-ment and subsequent generation of Neps. The Neps are an undesirable factor which reduces the qualityof the yarn and ultimately reduces the cost of the final products. Even though the cards are feed with thesame mixing received from the blow room and set with same carding parameters they show variation in thecarding performance. This variation in the carding performance needs to be studied to find out its causesand impact on yarn quality. Here in this paper five cards running with the same material and processparameters with different neps removal efficiency were considered. The sliver of each card was channelizedup to ring frame yarn formation, and the quality of the yarn was tested and analyzed with respect to theneps removal efficiency of the cards. It is found that the neps removal efficiency has an impact on yarnquality. The causes of variation in the card to card NRE were also discussed in this paper.

Keywords :Carding, Nep Removal Efficiency, Card Setting, Yarn Quality

(Neps in feed - Neps in delivered)NRE= ---------------------------------------------- X100

Neps in feed

In general practice, the NRE at cards is set with wideracceptance level. As in further process these sliversare blended and drafted in the subsequent process ofbreaker draw frame and finisher draw frame. Thus itis not possible to identify the card which is responsiblefor higher imperfection level. This becomes a problemin the path of quality improvement at the carding stage.In the context of this, we have selected this topic tofind out the importance of the NRE level of individualat cards.

2. Material and methodsMedium grade cotton of Shankar H6 variety with 30.2mm UHML and 4.3 micronier value is used to spin acarded yarn of 20 Ne was used to study the impact ofNRE at cards on yarn quality. The cotton fibers wereprocessed through a blow room, carding and one pas-sage of draw frame as Breaker, Finisher, Speed Frameand Ring Frame. The quality of the card feed andsliver is tested on AFIS to determine the NRE of eachcard. The carded sliver of each card was processed tillRing frame stage to produce 20s Ne yarn. All yarnsamples are tested by standard test methods afterconditioning in standard atmospheric conditions to de-termine imperfection, (thick, thin, neps) and short-term

*All the correspondences shall be addressed to,Prof. Sujit Gulhane,Center for Textile Functions MPSTME,SVKM's NMIMS, ShirpurEmail : [email protected]

PEER REVIEWED WEAVING


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

WEAVING

evenness (U %) and single yarn strength. Test resultsand their interpretation is given in the results and dis-cussion.

Table 2.1. Shows the Nep Count and the NRE of theselected five cards. It is found that the five cards arefeed with same raw cotton fiber mixing but the levelof NRE varies due to variation in carding performance.The card E shows the lowest NRE level whereas cardA shows highest NRE level.

Table 2.1: NRE of Cards

Particular Card Card A Card B Card C Card D Card EFeed delivery delivery delivery delivery delivery

Neps/gm 266 96 112 131 138 144

Nep size 710 678 710 715 720 722

NRE % 63.91 57.89 50.75 48.12 45.86

2.1 Possible Causes for Variation in NRE of theCards2.1.1 Card speed ParametersCard speed Parameters are one of the main reasonsfor variation in NRE. If the two cards are running atthe small variation in speeds, they lead to variation inNRE, due to variation in carding action at differentspeeds. Thus, it is necessary to maintain a constantspeed of all moving parts of the cards [8].

2.1.2 Opening of fibersIn carding, the fibers are open in licker-in zone if thereis an improper opening of fibers it leads to variation inNRE of the card. If there is variation in the opening offibers between two cards it causes high variation in

NRE. Variation in the opening zone happens due to thedifference in licker-in speed, damaged wire points oflicker in or the blunt edge of licker-in wire points. Toreduce the variation in NRE of card it necessary to doregular maintaining the licker-in and as well as thewhole card.

2.1.3 Card settingThe setting between flats and cylinder of the cardaffects fiber individualization, neps removals and gen-eration during carding action. If two cards are runningwith a minute change in their settings, then that willlead to variation in their NRE. The wider setting be-tween flat and cylinder reduced carding action i.e.removal of neps and too closer setting causes forma-tion of neps. Thus, flat to cylinder setting need to bekept at an optimum level to achieve minimum nepscount in the card sliver.2.1.4 Card maintenanceThe card maintenance is not only effects on produc-tion but also on the quality of the sliver. If the preven-tive maintenance cycles of the cards were not main-tained equally for all card, it will lead to variation in themechanical condition in between cards. This variationin the condition of the cards leads to variation in NRElevels of cards.

3. Results and DiscussionThe yarn samples produced by canalizing the materialof each card were tested for its evenness and singleyarn strength. The test results obtained at differentNep level in card sliver is given in table 3.1 givenbelow.

Table 3.1: Effect of NRE on yarn test results.

Card NRE U% CVm CV10m IPI RKM Elongation CSP

Card A 63.91 11.58 14.74 2.34 259 17.25 4.58 2988

Card B 57.89 11.67 14.71 2.28 287 16.73 4.51 2838

Card C 50.75 11.55 14.89 2.43 324 14.66 4.36 2964

Card D 48.12 11.75 14.98 2.56 365 15.39 4.72 2971

Card E 45.86 11.68 14.79 2.52 389 16.82 4.37 2879

Raise your profile in global

technical textiles


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

WEAVING

3.1 Effect of NRE on U% and CV% of yarnThe results show that the unevenness parameters ofthe tested yarns are similar to negligible deviations thuswe conclude that the effect of NRE on yarn uneven-ness is negligible. As unevenness is governed by thevariation in the number of fibers in cross section ofyarn, and NRE does not effect on the probability of anumber of fibers in the yarn cross-section.

3.2 Effect of NRE on IPIThe results show that the card with higher NRE valueshows lower thick and neps count as compared withthe card with lower NRE vale. This difference is ob-served in a large amount in the form of IPI value. IPIvalue not only decides the quality of yarn but also itsperformance in the subsequent process. Thus it isconcluded that the card with higher NRE gives betterresults of IPI in comparison with a card of lower NREvalue.

3.3 Effect of NRE on Yarn StrengthThe test results of the yarn samples do not show anyrelation with the NRE. The strength of yarn is decidedby the number of fibers in the cross section and twistlevel. The level of Nep has no impact on the numberof fibers in the cross section and twist level in the yarnit does not have any correlation with the yarn RKM,Elongation, and CSP.

4. ConclusionThe results show that the card with higher NRE valueshows lower IPI as compared with the card with lowerNRE vale. This difference is observed in a large amountin the form of IPI value. IPI value not only decides thequality of yarn but also its performance in the subse-quent process. Thus, it is concluded that the card withhigher NRE gives better results of IPI in comparisonwith a card of lower NRE value. The unevenness andstrength of the tested yarns are more or less equivalentwith negligible deviations thus we conclude that theeffect of NRE on yarn unevenness and strength isnegligible. The carding neps removal efficiency de-cides the yarn IPI and it has a significant effect onyarn appearance, thus it essential to reduce card tocard nep level variation by optimization of card set-tings.

5. Acknowledgement :The authors are grateful to Dr. P.P.Raichurkar Asso-ciate Dean SVKM's NMIMS MPSTME CTF, Shirpurfor continuous guidance and support.

6. References1. Rokonuzzaman, Md, Ahmed Jalal Uddin, Md Abu

Bakar Siddiquee, Md Abdullah Al Mamun, andAKM Ayatullah Hosne Asif. "Impact of Card Pro-duction Rate on the Quality of Ring Yarn." Inter-national Journal of Current Engineering and Tech-nology, 7, (1), 144-147, (2017).

2. Regar, Madan Lal, and Niharika Aikat, A Studyon the Effect of Pin Density on Stationary Flatsand its Setting on Carding Quality, Tekstilec,60,(1),58-64, (2017).

3. Syed Khuram Hassan, Syeda Mona Hassan,Samra Naseem and Munawar Iqbal. Evaluationof factors affecting the fiber quality used for yarnproduction, Current Science Perspectives, 2, (4),116-119, (2016).

4. V.D.Chaudhari, Prafull P.Kolte, A.D.Chaudhari,Effect of Card Delivery Speed on Ring YarnQuality, International Journal on Textile Engineer-ing and Process, Vol.3(4), 2017, 13-18.

5. Bhushan Chaudhari, P.P.Kolte, A.M.Daberao,Sanjay Mhaske, Performance of Card and CombSliver Blended Yarn, International Journal on Tex-tile Engineering and Process, 3, (1), 30-35, (2017).

6. Gaurav Thakare, Tushar Shinde SujitShrikrushnarao Gulhane Pramod Raichurkar, Ef-fect of Piecing Index in Comber on Sliver andYarn Quality, Spinning Textiles, Mar- April, 132-136, (2018).

7. Mayur Suryawanshi, Tushar Shinde SujitShrikrushnarao Gulhane, Rajendra DhondinathParsi, Pramod Raichurkar, Optimization of Draft-ing Parameter of Speed Frame For Better YarnQuality, Spinning Textiles, July-Aug, 04-12, (2018).

8. V.D. Chaudhari, P.P. Kolte, A.M. Daberao, P.W.Chandurkar, Effect of Licker-in speed on yarnquality, Melliand International, Vol. 23(4), 2017,193-195.

❑ ❑ ❑


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

1. IntroductionAir permeability, the ability of the fabric to permit theflow of air through it, is one of the most importantproperties of non-woven fabrics in many applications.Though by far the major use of air permeability innonwoven is in the filtration application, there are somemarkets where ventilation resistance is vital to the func-tion of the product. For example, in the apparel andinterlining applications, it is essential to affirmthe opti-mum insulation so that too much heat will not escapein cold weather. In addition, in industrial garments likemedical gowns and biohazard suits, ventilation resis-tance is very important to ensure no exposure to harm-ful substances.

Many researchers have addressed the relationshipbetween air permeability and geometrical and struc-tural characteristics of nonwoven like mass per unitarea, fabric thickness, fabric density, porosity, pore sizedistribution; raw material characteristics like fibre length,fibre denier, fiber cross-section, fibre crimp; and pro-cessing parameters like feed rate, type and size ofneedle, number of barbs, needling stroke frequency,arrangement and density of needles, punching densityof fabric and depth of needle penetration. [1-12].In thisstudy, the effect of fibre composition, mass per unit

areas and depth of needle penetration on air perme-ability and ventilation resistance of polyester-viscoseblended nonwoven is investigated using Box-Behnkendesign.

2. Material and methods2.1 Preparation of nonwoven fabricsFifteen non-woven needle-punched fabric sampleswere prepared from Polyester and Viscose fibres hav-ing linear density 1.5 deniers. Three factors namelyblend ratio, mass per unit area and depth of needlepenetration were selected at three equidistant levels(Table 2.1). The Box-Behnken design was used toprepare the sample.

Table 2.1: Three levels of factors

Factors (-1) (0) (1)

Blend Ratio (P:V) 20:80 50:50 80:20

Mass per unit area (gsm) 100 150 200

Needle Penetration (mm) 4 6 8

The needle-punched nonwoven samples were producedat DKTE Centre of Excellence in Nonwovens,Ichalkaranji. The fibers were opened and blended byhand, and then fed to the blender for further intenseblending. The blended fibers were fed to the Trutzschlercard and the webs formed were oriented in a cross-machine direction using a cross-lapper to get the webof the required weight per unit area.The webs were

A Study of Air Permeability and Ventilation Resistance ofNeedle Punched Nonwovens

V. K. Dhange & Dr. P. V. Kadole*D.K.T.E. Society's Textile & Engineering Institute

Abstract :In this study, an investigation of the air permeability and ventilation resistance of the polyester/viscoseblended needle-punched nonwovens has been carried out using the Box-Behnken design.Three differentblend ratios of polyester/viscose webs were created, cross-lapped and needle punched in three differentmass per unit areas and three different depths of needle penetration. Air permeability and ventilationresistance of thirteen nonwovens were determined by following standard test methods and the test resultswere statistically analyzed using Minitab software.In conclusion, within the ranges of measurements made,the most crucial factor having prime effectson the air permeability and ventilation resistance of nonwovensis fabric mass per unit area.

Keyword :Air permeability, blend ratio, Box-Behnken design, needle-punched nonwovens, ventilation resistance

*All the correspondences shall be addressed to,V. K. Dhange, Asst. Prof.D.K.T.E. Society's Textile & Engineering Institute,Ichalkaranji, India (Affiliated to Shivaji University, Kolhapur)E-mail : [email protected]

PEER REVIEWEDNON-WOVENS


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

NON-WOVENS

then fed to the Trutzschler needling looms. For the firstneedling loom the line speed, feed rate, needle depth,andneedle density were set to 0.96 m/min, 4.61 mm, 8mm,and 136 / cm2respectively.For the second needlingloom the line speed, feed rate, and needle density wereset to 1.53 m/min, 5.31 mm, and 188 / cm2respectively.Needle depth in the second needling loom was changedfor each run as shown in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2 : Parameters for each run

Run Fabric Blend Mass per Needlenumber Code ratio (P:V) unit area Penetration

(gsm) (mm)

1 A1Y 20:80 100 6

2 C1Y 80:20 100 6

3 A3Y 20:80 200 6

4 C3Y 80:20 200 6

5 A2X 20:80 150 4

6 C2X 80:20 150 4

7 A2Z 20:80 150 8

8 C2Z 80:20 150 8

9 B1X 50:50 100 4

10 B3X 50:50 200 4

11 B1Z 50:50 100 8

12 B3Z 50:50 200 8

13 B2Y 50:50 150 6

14 B2Y 50:50 150 6

15 B2Y 50:50 150 6

2.2 Testing of nonwovensAll fabrics produced were conditioned for 24 hours inthe standard atmosphere before tested.Ten samples of10 cm ×10 cm were cut from the random parts of

each fabric and weighed individually using electronicbalance. The mean weight was used to calculate thefabric mass per unit area. The same samples weretested for thickness on the Mag Evolvics ThicknessTester. The thickness was measured after exerting apressure of 100gf/cm2 for 10 sec. The fabric densitywas calculated by using a mean of mass per unit areaand thickness, using the following formula:

Mass per unit area Density = ------------------------------- ×0.001

Thickness (mm)The constant 0.001 is derived from the following equa-tion:

100.001 = ------------

10000

where 10 is the conversion factor to the centimeter,10000 is the number of square centimeters in one squaremeter.

The air permeability of the nonwoven samples wasmeasured with both air permeability testing methods,using fixed flow and a fixed pressure. The KES-F8Air-permeability Tester was used to measure the ven-tilation resistance of the samples at a fixed air flowand the Kurups Innovations Air-permeability Tester wasused to measure the air permeability of the samples inaccordance with the standard testing methods at a fixedair pressure.The KES-F8 provides ventilation resistance(R) in kPa.s/m, whereas Kurups Innovations Air-per-meability Tester provides air permeability values in cc/sq.cm/sec.

3. Results and discussion3.1 Statistical analysisAll the experimental results are listed in Table 3.1.

ADVERTISEMENT INDEXA.T.E. A-7 Lakshmi Machine Works A-1Colourjet Gatefold LOEFE Cover3GITS Ichalkaranji A-9 Precision Rubber Ind. Pvt. Ltd. A-12Intex South Asia Gatefold Reliance Industries Ltd. Cover 1ITMA A-8 Rieter India Ltd. A-3ITMACH A-10 Rieter India Ltd. (Components) Cover 2ITME AFRICA A-11 Trutzschler India A-5ITSE A-2 Unitech Techmech Cover 4ITTA A-4 Vibrant Terry Towel A-6


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

NON-WOVENS

For statistical analysis of the data, Minitab softwarewas used.The regression equations for air permeabilityand ventilation resistance were developed by the soft-ware as follows:

Air Permeability(cc/sq. cm/sec) = 458.6 + 0.418 Polyester % - 4.103

GSM - 15.10 Needle Penetration- 0.00199 Polyester %*Polyester% + 0.010535 GSM*GSM+ 0.348 Needle Penetration*Needle Penetration - 0.00292Polyester %*GSM+ 0.0625 Polyester %*NeedlePenetration + 0.0578 GSM*NeedlePenetration

Ventilation Resistance(kPa.s/m) = -0.0714 - 0.000361 Polyester % +

0.002050 GSM- 0.0025 Needle Penetration+ 0.000003 Polyester %*Polyester %- 0.000003 GSM*GSM+ 0.00063 Needle Penetration*NeedlePenetration+ 0.000000 Polyester %*GSM- 0.000000 Polyester %*Needle Penetration- 0.000050 GSM*Needle Penetration

The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tables for airpermeability and ventilation resistance are given in Table3.2 and Table 3.3 respectively.

Fabric Measured Mass Thickness Fabric density Air Permeability Ventilation ResistanceCode per unit area (mm) (g/cm3) (cc/sq.cm/sec) (kPa.s/m)

(gsm)

A1Y 99.21 1.29 0.077 120.13 0.07

C1Y 89.46 1.14 0.078 142.56 0.07

A3Y 203.10 1.26 0.161 49.17 0.16

C3Y 192.56 1.14 0.169 54.11 0.16

A2X 161.81 1.90 0.085 65.84 0.13

C2X 156.94 1.74 0.090 63.41 0.12

A2Z 162.01 0.92 0.176 62.18 0.13

C2Z 146.80 2.64 0.056 74.75 0.12

B1X 99.51 1.04 0.096 133.19 0.08

B3X 199.53 2.01 0.099 53.09 0.17

B1Z 97.24 2.36 0.041 124.71 0.07

B3Z 188.61 2.41 0.078 67.72 0.14

B2Y 157.22 1.60 0.098 66.95 0.12

B2Y 157.22 1.60 0.098 66.95 0.12

B2Y 157.22 1.60 0.098 66.95 0.12

ADVERTISE IN

JOURNAL OF THE TEXTILE ASSOCIATION

For more details, contact:

THE TEXTILE ASSOCIATION (INDIA)

Call: +91-22-2446 1145, Mobile: +91-9819801922

E-mail : [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Website: www.textileassociationindia.org


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

NON-WOVENS

Table 3.2: ANOVA for air permeability

Source DF Adj SS Adj MS F-Value P-Value

Model 9 14071.0 1563.4 78.43 0.000

Linear 3 11188.8 3729.6 187.09 0.000

Polyester % 1 175.9 175.9 8.82 0.031

GSM 1 10989.0 10989.0 551.25 0.000

Needle Penetration 1 23.9 23.9 1.20 0.323

Square 3 2615.9 872.0 43.74 0.001

Polyester %*Polyester % 1 11.9 11.9 0.60 0.475

GSM*GSM 1 2561.2 2561.2 128.48 0.000

Needle Penetration*Needle Penetration 1 7.1 7.1 0.36 0.576

2-Way Interaction 3 266.2 88.7 4.45 0.071

Polyester %*GSM 1 76.5 76.5 3.84 0.107

Polyester %*Needle Penetration 1 56.3 56.3 2.82 0.154

GSM*Needle Penetration 1 133.5 133.5 6.70 0.049

Error 5 99.7 19.9

Lack-of-Fit 3 99.7 33.2 * *

Pure Error 2 0.0 0.0

Total 14 14170.7

Table 3.3: ANOVA for ventilation resistance

Source DF Adj SS Adj MS F-Value P-Value

Model 9 0.015073 0.001675 27.91 0.001

Linear 3 0.014700 0.004900 81.67 0.000

Polyester % 1 0.000050 0.000050 0.83 0.403

GSM 1 0.014450 0.014450 240.83 0.000

Needle Penetration 1 0.000200 0.000200 3.33 0.127

Square 3 0.000273 0.000091 1.52 0.318

Polyester %*Polyester % 1 0.000023 0.000023 0.38 0.562

GSM*GSM 1 0.000208 0.000208 3.46 0.122

Needle Penetration*Needle Penetration 1 0.000023 0.000023 0.38 0.562

2-Way Interaction 3 0.000100 0.000033 0.56 0.667

Polyester %*GSM 1 0.000000 0.000000 0.00 1.000

Polyester %*Needle Penetration 1 0.000000 0.000000 0.00 1.000

GSM*Needle Penetration 1 0.000100 0.000100 1.67 0.253

Error 5 0.000300 0.000060

Lack-of-Fit 3 0.000300 0.000100 * *

Pure Error 2 0.000000 0.000000

Total 14 0.015373


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

NON-WOVENS

The parameters having p-values lower than 0.05 havea significant effect on air permeability and ventilationresistance of nonwovens. Pareto charts for air perme-ability and ventilation resistance are shown in Figure3.1.

Figure 3.1 : Pareto Chart for Air Permeability andVentilation Resistance

ANOVA tables and Pareto charts indicate that theprime factor having great influence on both air perme-ability and ventilation resistance is the fabric mass perunit area, and there is no significant interaction be-tween blend components and process parameters.

3.2 Effect of fabric mass per unit area and blendratioThe effect of fabric mass per unit area and blend ratioon thickness, air permeability and ventilation resistanceof nonwoven are demonstrated with contour plots inFigure 3.2, Figure 3.3 and Figure 3.4.

Figure 3.2 : Effect of fabric mass per unit area andblend ratio on thickness

Figure 3.3 : Effect of fabric mass per unit area andblend ratio on air permeability

Figure 3.4 : Effect of fabric mass per unit area andblend ratio on ventilation resistance

It is observed from the figures that for all fabric massper unit areas, the thickness of the fabrics increaseswith the increase in polyester content in the blend till60 %.This is because the density of polyester fibre islower than that of viscose fiber. Hence, increasing theproportion of polyester in the blend produces bulkierfabrics. Maximum thickness is observed when fabricmass per unit area is 180 gsm and polyester contentlies between50-70%.

It is observed that when the fabric mass per unit areais increased, air permeability decreases and ventilationresistance increases. Fabric density also increases with

Make more people aware ofMake more people aware ofMake more people aware ofMake more people aware ofMake more people aware ofyour brand and servicesyour brand and servicesyour brand and servicesyour brand and servicesyour brand and services


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

NON-WOVENS

the increase in fabric weight.The decrease in air per-meability and increase in ventilation resistance with theincrease in fabric weight can be ascribed to the highertotal surface area of the heavierand dense fabric.Theair permeability slightly increases with the increase inpolyester content in the blend for all fabric mass perunit area, which may be due to the low packing densityof the polyester.

3.3 Effect of depth of needle penetration and fabricmass per unit area

The effect of fabric mass per unit area and needlepenetration on the air permeability and ventilation re-sistance values at the constant level of polyester con-tent in the blend (50%) are shown in Figure 3.5 andFigure 3.6.

Figure 3.5 : Effect of fabric mass per unit area andneedle penetration on air permeability

Figure 3.6 : Effect of fabric mass per unit area andneedle penetration on ventilation resistance

The initial increase in needle penetration causesa slightdecrease in the air permeability. It may be due to thefact that with the increase in depth of needle penetra-tion more number of fibres will be trapped by the barbsresulting in an enhanced interlocking of fibres. This

increased interlocking of the fibres offer more resis-tance to air flow and so the permeability of the fabricreduces. This effect is more pronounced at lower valuesof mass per unit area and at lower penetration. Withthe increase of fabric mass per unit area and needlepenetration, increasing trend in air permeability anddecreasing trend in ventilation resistance has beenobserved. With the increase in needle penetration athigher fabric weight, more number of fibres will break,and it will cause an increase in the size of the pores.This change in the fibre alignment and number of poresmay result in less air drag, which may be outweighingover the effect of the interlocking of the fibres, whichcauses the ventilation resistance to decrease and airpermeability values of the fabric to increase.

3.4 Effect of blend ratio and depth of needle pen-etrationThe effect of polyester content in the blend and needlepenetration on the air permeability and ventilation re-sistance values at the constant level of mass per unitarea (150 gsm) are shown in Figure 3.7 and Figure3.8.

Figure 3.7: Effect of blend ratio and needle penetrationon air permeability

Figure 3.8: Effect of blend ratio and needle penetrationon ventilation resistance


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

NON-WOVENS

Figures show that for all values of blend ratio, ventila-tion resistance reduces with increase in needle pen-etration. Air permeability increases with higher polyes-ter content in the blend at a higher depth of needlepenetration. This may be due to the bulkiness and highbending rigidity of polyester fibres and a greater num-ber of fibre breakages at higher needle penetration.Conclusion

The work reported in this paper was concerned withthe measurement of ventilation resistance and air per-meability on a series of nonwoven fabrics. Within theranges of measurements made, it was found that themost prominent factor very closely associated with airpermeability and ventilation resistance was the fabricmass per unit area. Increase in fabric weight increasesventilation resistance. Air permeability increases withhigher polyester content in the blend at a higher depthof needle penetration and lower fabric mass per unitarea. The contour graphs will be useful in getting aseries of amalgamations of fabric mass per unit area,depth of needle penetration &fibre content in theblendfor a definite air permeability or ventilation resis-tance.

References1. Anandjiwala R.D. and Boguslavsky L.,Textile Res

J,78 (7), 614, (2008).2. Atwal M.S.,Textile Res J.57(10), 574, (1987).3. Cincik E. and Koc E., Textile Res J,82 (5), 430,

(2012).4. Davis N.C.,Textile Res J,28(4), 318, (1954).5. Debnath S. and Madhusoothanan M., Indian

Journal of Fibre & Textile Research, 36, 122,(2011)

6. Dent R.W.,J Textile Inst,46(6), 220, (1976)7. Kothari V.K. and Newton A.,J Textile Inst, 65(8),

525, (1974).8. Mohammadi M., Banks-Lee P. and Ghadimi P., J

Industrial Textiles, 32 (1), 45, (2002).9. Mohammadi M., Banks-Lee P. andGhadimi P., J

Industrial Textiles, 32 (2), 139, (2002).10. Rawal A.,J Textile Inst, 97 (6), 527, (2006).11. Rawal A. and Anandjiwala R.,Geotextiles and

Geomembranes, 25, 61, (2007).12. Subramaniam V., Madhusoothanan M.and Debnath

C.R.,Textile Res J,58(11), 677, (1988).

❑ ❑ ❑


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

PEER REVIEWED APPAREL

1. IntroductionStitches are used to join the apparel components andseams givethe shape of the apparel for wear. Thesetwo factors togetherand their performance propertiesadd to the quality of theapparel products. Seam inter-relate with the components of the fabric to ensure thebest product stability. The quality ofapparel productsdepends on two factors, physical propertiesandperformance features [2].

The visual and functionalrequirements of the apparelare mainly contingent with theperformance features.Visual requirements are grounded onpatterns, design,colors, trends and accessories used. Thefunctional re-quirements for the apparel are more associated tothedurability of the apparel end use The Seam enhancesservice ability and durability for functional performanceof the fabric.

Better quality and lower cost are the most basic fac-tors for the success of apparel industry. Challenge is toreduce the cost while maintaining the quality standards.Quality of the product has been given major impor-tance in the garment assembly [4].Quality seams inapparel contribute to the overall performance of theapparel in use. Poor quality seam makes apparel unus-able even though the fabric may be in good condition[6].

The characteristics of a properly constructed sewn seamarestrength, elasticity, durability, security and appear-ance. Thesecharacteristics must be balanced with theproperties of thematerial to be joined to form the op-timum sewn seam [1].Other factors also influence toaccomplish of these characteristicsin a properly con-structed sewn seam. Such factors includetype andweight of fabric, seam type, type of needle, threadtypeand size, and stitches per inch [3].

As seam is one of the basic requirements in the con-struction of apparel, seam quality has great significancein apparel products. Seam quality relies on the type ofthe seam and stitches per unit length of the seam, the

Influence of Stitch Density and Sewing Thread Count on theSeam Performance of Denim Fabric

Dr. Shweta Tuteja1* & Ms. Poulomi Sen11Department of Textile Science, Clothing & Fashion Studies, J. D. Birla Institute,

Abstract :Seam quality an important aspect of any form of textile assembly using seam is characterized by seamstrength, seam elongation, seam efficiency and seam puckering. The purpose and objective of this studywas to investigate and scrutinize the impact of commercial sewing thread counts and stitch densities onseam strength, seam elongation and seam efficiency on medium-heavy and heavy weight cotton denimfabrics. For the experimental work, core spun polyester sewing thread in three different counts (Tex-60, Tex-90, and Tex-150) was selected. Lapped seam using Stitch Class-300 (Lock Stitch) at two different stitchdensities (SPI 10 and SPI 13) were used on 3/1 right handed warp face twill woven cotton fabric. The effectof different sewing thread size and different levels of stitch densities was assessed on the selected seamparameters. The interaction effect of the independent variables was also investigated. The experimentalresults were evaluated statistically using variance analysis (ANOVA) and regression models which correlateseam quality with stitch density and sewing thread size for both medium-heavy & heavy type of fabrics.The findings of the study revealed that for all the three seam parameters, an increasing trend was seen withthe increase in the sewing thread count at higher value of stitch density on both the fabrics for both theseams. Statistically, it was found that for both types of fabric, medium-heavy and heavy weight denimfabricssome of the independent variables have significant effect on the seam quality. It was seen thatstatistically there was a significant interaction between stitch density, sewing thread count and fabric weighton strength, elongation and efficiency of lapped seam.

Keywords :Lapped Seam, Sewing Thread count, Stitch Density, Seam Strength, Seam Elongation, Seam Efficiency

*All the correspondences shall be addressed to,Dr. Shweta Tuteja,Assistant Professor, Department of Textile Science,Clothing & Fashion Studies,J.D. Birla Institute, Kolkata (India)Email : [email protected]


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

thread tension and the seam efficiency of the fabric[7]. So, it is necessary to determine the most appropri-ate seam for each type of fabric to achieve a desiredproduct quality. Quality reflects the performance of theapparel or textile product. Distinct seams are suitablefor particular fabrics because each fabric has its ownunique properties. The fiber content influences theoverall characteristics of a fabric. Understanding thecomponents of the fabric and the quality of the seamwill ensure the best performance for that particularproduct[5].

Thus, the present study was planned to investigate theeffect of sewing thread count & stitch density on theseam quality of 3/1 twill woven cotton denim fabric ofmedium-heavy & heavy weights using lappedseam. Thespecific objectives of the study were:

1. To investigate the performance of different sew-ing thread counts on seam quality.

2. To determine the effect of different levels of stitchdensity on seam strength, elongation and efficiency.

2.Materials &Methods2.1 Selection of Fabrics100% cotton 3/1 right handed warp faced twill wovendenim fabrics in two different weights medium-heavyand heavy weight were used. The constructional pa-rameters of the test fabric are presented below in Table2.1.

Table 2.1: Construction Particulars of Test Fabric

Parameters Medium- Heavy Heavy WeightWeight Cotton Denim Cotton DenimFabric Fabric

Warp Count (Tex) 84 118

Weft Count (Tex) 74 84

Fabric Thickness (mm) 0.54 0.71

EPI 46 44

PPI 21 19

GSM 317 386

2.2 Selection of Seam ParametersThe various parameters selected for seaming are givenbelow in Table 2.2 &2.3.2.3 Seam PreparationThe seam samples were prepared according to ASTMD1683-04 method. Each specimen of the fabric wascut in the warp and weft direction into 350 mm (14inches) length and 100 mm (4 inches) width.For seamstrength testing, five specimens each for warp and

weft was prepared from each fabric type for all thethree different counts of sewing thread at both thestitch densities level.

Table 2.2 : Selected Sewing Parameters

Parameters Specifications

Seam Class Lapped Seam

Type of Stitch Lock Stitch-300

Stitch Class 301

Needle Size Metric 110/18

Stitch Density 10 & 13 SPI

Sewing Machine Industrial single needle lock stitch

Machine Speed (rpm) 1000

Table 2.3 : Specification of Sewing Threads

Raw Material Specifications

Material 100% Core spun polyester

Ply Double

Sewing ThreadLinear Density 60 Tex, 90 Tex&150 Tex

The specimen was folded at 100mm (4") from one endwith the fold parallel to the short direction of thefabric.The lapped seam was then applied using lockstitch with two different types of stitch densities, par-allel to warp and weft direction. The seam allowancewas fixed at 0.625". Seam strength, seam elongationand seam efficiency was tested using the MAGUnistretch 250 tester according to method ASTMD1683 - 04 with the following specifications

Table 2.4 : Seam Strength Testing Parameters

Parameters Specifications

Test Type Grab Test

Extension Range 300 mm/min

Test Speed 100mm/min

Gauge length 75mm

Load cell 250 kg

Jaw return rate 20%

Pretension 100 gms

With the fabric in the open front position into the clampand seam line centrally located between the clampsand perpendicular to the pulling force. Maximum forceneeded to break the seam perpendicular to the direc-

APPAREL


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

APPAREL

tion of extension was recorded. Observation was madein order to make sure that the seam failure is due tobreak not due to fabric tears. The mean of the re-corded maximum forces for seams to rupture for allthe samples of one fabric was calculated.

2.4 Analysis of DataTo find out the performance and interaction betweentwo levels of stitch density and three levels of sewingthread count on the lappedseam quality of medium -heavy and heavy weight cotton denim fabric: Two-Way ANOVA, Multi-Way ANOVA and Regressionequation was used.

3. Results and discussion3.1 Medium-Heavy Weight Denim Fabric3.1.1 Effect on Seam StrengthPerusal of Graph 3.1 & 3.2 reveals that overall theseam strength is higher in warp direction as comparedto filling direction. The graph with average seamstrength for lapped seams produced using differentsewing thread counts at varied stitch density shows adefinite trend. The maximum strength values of me-dium-heavy weight denim fabric at 13 SPI was foundto be 554.07 Newton in warp and 454.57 Newton inweft direction for 150 Tex count sewing thread. It maybe due to the fact that higher thread size holds thefabric plies more firmly than the lower thread size andthis happens due to the fact that higher thread sizegives higher cover factor to the sewing thread.

Overall, the seam strength values ranges from 391.28to 554.07 Newton (warp) and 338.33 to 454.57 New-ton (weft) for stitch density 13 at different sewingthread count ranging from 60 to 150 Tex. The range ofaverage seam strength of lapped seam at 10 SPI is358.92 to 517.79 Newton in warp and 297.14 to 343.23Newton in filling direction at different count of sewingthread. This means that the higher sewing thread sizesin conjunction with more stitches per inch are suitablefor medium-heavy weight cotton denim fabrics.

The statistical analysis revealed that the P-Value re-garding the test of two levels of stitch density for warpdirection do not have significant effect on the seamstrength. The P-Value regarding the test of three typesof sewing thread size for warp direction have signifi-cant difference on seam tensile strength.For weft di-rection, two levels of stitch density and three levels ofsewing thread count do not have any significant effecton the seam strength.

The regression relationship which correlates the seamtensile strength, with stitch density and sewing threadsize for both the directions, has the following linearform: seam strength (Newton) = 221.009 + 1.213 SewingThread + 19.204 Stitch Density - 96.347 Direction.The calculated R2 value for the model is 80.7%. Thismeans that these models fit the data very well.

Graph 3.1: Seam Strength Comparison at DifferentStitch Density using Different Sewing Thread Countsfor Medium-Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric (Warp

Direction)

Graph 3.2: Seam Strength Comparison at DifferentStitch Density using Different Sewing Thread Countsfor Medium-Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric (Weft

Direction)

3.1.2 Effect on Seam ElongationSeam elongation is defined as the ratio of the extendedlength after loading to the original length of the seam.Graph 3.3 &3.4 clearly shows effect of sewing threadsize at two different stitch densities on the seam elon-


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

APPAREL

gation for the medium-heavy weight fabrics. It can beseen that increasing the sewing thread size from 60 to150 Tex increased the seam elongation in general butthe value dropped a little at 90 Tex. It is also apparentthat the seam elongation is augmented with the in-crease in the stitch density.The highest elongation valuewas found at 13 SPI using 150 Tex count of threadwith values of 24.1 mm in warp and 23.4 mm in weftdirection. The seam elongation values decreased a littleat the medium count of sewing thread i.e. at 90 Tex inthe warp direction and remain constant at both thestitch density levels in the weft direction.

Graph 3.3: Seam Elongation Comparison at DifferentStitch Density using Different Sewing Thread Counts

for Medium-Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric(Warp Direction)

Graph 3.4: Seam Strength Comparison at DifferentStitch Density using Different Sewing Thread Counts

for Medium-Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric(Weft Direction)

The statistical analysis tabulated for seam elongationfor both warp and weft direction revealed that the P-Value for two levels of stitch density and three levelsofsewing thread count is greater than the level of sig-nificance (0.05) concluding that there is no significanteffect of these variations on seam elongation.

The regression relationship is of the linear form in bothwarp & weft directions. The linear regression modelhas the following form: Seam elongation (mm) = 1.741+ .027 Sewing Thread + 1.622 Stitch Density - 2.867Direction. The calculated R2 value for this model is74%. This means that these models do not fit the data.

3.1.3 Effect on Seam EfficiencyData elucidated in graph 3.5 shows a constant increas-ing trend on the seam efficiency with the increasingcount of sewing thread at higher value of stitch den-sity. The increase in sewing thread count (60, 90 &150 Tex) at higher stitch density level leads to theincrease in the seam efficiency from 76.50 per cent to89.76 per cent in the warp direction and from 57.05per cent to 73.69 per cent in the weft direction.

Graph 3.5 : Seam Efficiency Comparison at DifferentStitch Density using Different Sewing Thread Counts

for Medium-Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric(Warp Direction)

Graph 3.6: Seam Efficiency Comparison at DifferentStitch Density using Different Sewing Thread Counts

for Medium-Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric(Weft Direction)


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

APPAREL

Statistically, the P-Value for the two levels of stitchdensity and three levels of sewing thread count onseam efficiency is greater in warp direction and smallerin weft direction than the level of significance (0.05)reveals significant effect in weft and non-significanteffect in warp directions.

The linear regression for medium-heavy weight cottondenim fabric has the following form: seam efficiency(%) = 57.305 + .166 Sewing Thread + 2.591 StitchDensity - 22.001 Direction. It was found that this modelfit the data very well with a high R2 value, which is95.3%.

3.2 Heavy Weight Denim Fabric3.2.1 Effect on Seam StrengthThe strength values were checked in both warp andweft directions with more strength value in warp ascompared to weft. The strength value of heavy weightdenim fabric for stitch per inch 13 was maximum whensewn using lapped seam with 150 Tex thread (719.80N -warp &657.04- weft direction).

The variation of seam strength according to the varia-tion of sewing thread count at 13 SPI ranges from467.77 to 719.80 Newton in the warp direction and397.17 to 657.04 Newton in the weft direction. Thismeans coarser the sewing thread higher will be theseam strength values. At 10 SPI with different valuesof sewing thread (60, 90 & 150 Tex) the values rangesfrom252.03 to 478.56 Newton (warp) and 373.63 to406.97 Newton (weft).

Graph 3.7 : SeamStrength Comparison at DifferentStitch Density using Different Sewing Thread Counts

for Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric(Warp Direction)

Graph 3.8 : Seam Strength Comparison at DifferentStitch Density using Different Sewing Thread Counts

for Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric(Weft Direction)

The statisticalanalysis proves that for both the indepen-dent variables (two levels of stitch density& three lev-els of sewing thread size) there is a significant impacton the seam strength at 0.05 significant levels, sincethe P-Value is smaller in all the cases for warpdirection.The analysis also proves that for both theindependent variables there is no significant impact onthe seam strength at 0.05 significant levels, since theP-Value is greater in weft direction.

The regression relationship which correlates the seamtensile strength, with which stitch density and sewingthread size in warp direction, has the following linearform: seam tensile strength (Newton) =- 352.025 +2.044 Sewing Thread + 60.637 Stitch Density - 51.483Direction.The R2 value for this modelis 80.1%. Thismeans that this model fits the data well.

3.2.2 Effect on Seam ElongationGraph 3.9&3.10 clearly shows that seam elongationvalues are more in the warp direction than in the weftdirection and there is a constant increasing trend. Seamelongation increases with the increase in the sewingthread size (60 to 150 Tex) from 28.9 mm to 33.8 mmin the warp direction and from 18.6 mm to 30.5 mm inthe weft direction for stitch density 13. It was foundthat the seam elongation decreased a little at the mod-erate value (90 Tex) of sewing thread count.

Texttreasure

Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom isorganized life

- Immanuel Kant


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

APPAREL


for Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric (Warp Direction)


for Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric (Weft Direction)

The statistical analysis for warp direction revealed thatthe P-Value regarding the test of two levels of stitchdensity is smaller than the level of significance andthree levels of sewing thread size is greater than thelevel of significance (0.05). So, we accept that stitchdensity has a significant effect and sewing thread countdoes not have any significant effect on seamelongation.The statistical analysis for weft directionrevealed that the P-Value regarding the test of twoindependent variablesare greater than the level of sig-nificance (0.05). So, we accept that two independentvariablesdo not have any significant effect on seamelongation.

The linear regression relationship in warp direction, hasthe following linear form: Seam Elongation (mm) =-10.342 + 0.055 Sewing Thread + 3.267 Stitch Density- 6.467 Direction. The R2 value for this modelis equal65.3%. This means that the modeldoes not fit the datawell.

3.2.3 Effect on Seam EfficiencyIt is shown that seam efficiency has increased withthe increase in sewing thread count from 60 to 150Tex at higher value of stitch density for heavy weightdenim fabric. The average seam efficiency is higher inwarp direction as compared to weft direction and fol-lows the similar trend as the seam strength.

As the sewing thread number increases the seam ef-ficiency also increases. The increase in sewing threadcount at 13 SPI leads to the increase in seam effi-ciency from 83.13 per cent to 97.58 per cent in thewarp direction and 70.82 per cent to 81.26 per cent inthe weft direction Stitch density was found to have apositive influence on the seam efficiency. Higher seamefficiency is associated with higher stitch densities.


for Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric (Warp Direction)


for Heavy Weight Cotton Denim Fabric (Weft Direction)


Jour

nal

of t

he T

EX

TIL

E A

sso

ciat

ion

APPAREL

The statistical analysis revealed that the P-Value re-garding the test of two levels of stitch density andthree types of sewing thread count is greater than thelevel of significance, which is 0.05 for both the direc-tions. So we accept that two levels of stitch density donot have significant difference on seam efficiency.The linear regression model which correlates the inde-pendent variables to the seam efficiency in warp direc-tion has the following form: seam efficiency (%) =46.208 + .173 Sewing Thread + 4.123 Stitch Density- 23.152 Direction. It was found that the model fit thedata very well with a high 89.8 R2 value which is %.

ConclusionThis study will thus provide information on proper sew-ing thread selection in the manufacturing of apparel.The current study offers scientific basis for the con-ventional practice (i.e., the use of different stitch den-sities and thread types in sewing different types offabrics). By defining the relation between seam quali-ties and sewing thread counts and stitch density inrelation to the weight of the fabric, apparel manufac-turers can make decision about the optimal sewingthread selection in apparel manufacturing. Comprisingthe knowledge of a specific seam that produces thegreatest seam strength will be highly beneficial for newtests and products.

References1. ASTM D6193-09. Standard Practice for Stitches

and Seams. Retrieved from http://www.astm.org/standards/D6193.htm,(2009).

2. Brown, P. and Rice, J. Ready to Wear ApparelAnalysis. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, US,45,(2001).

3. Danquah, Patience Asieduah. The Effect ofThread Type, Stitch Density and Washing on SeamPerformance of a Ghananian Real Wax CottonPrinted Fabric. Retrieved from http://ir.ucc.edu.gh/dspace/bitstream/123456789/1217/1/DANQUAH%202010.pdf),(2010).

4. Fernando, S. & Jayawardena, T. Measurement ofSeam Puckering and Influence of its Causes. IOSRJournal of Engineering (IOSRJEN), 4 (4),1,(2014). doi: 10.9790/3021-04460107.

5. Lapere, C. The Effects of Different Fabric Typesand Seam Designs on the Seams Efficiency.Eastern Michigan University Digital Commons,5 (3), 1,(2006).

6. Mehta, P.V. & Bhardwaj, K.S. Managing Qualityin the Apparel Industry,New Age InternationalPublishers Ltd,India, 85, (1998).

7. Nassif, A. A. N. Investigation of the Effects ofSewing Machine Parameters on the Seam Qual-ity. Life Science Journal, 10(2), 1427,(2013).

❑ ❑ ❑

The Textile Association (India) Visit us

on www.textileassociationindia.org

Follow us on


Jour

nal

of t

he

TE

XT

ILE

Ass

oci

atio

n

TEXPERIENCE

Carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas produced by combus-tion of fuels, has become a cause of global panic as its concentration inthe Earth's atmosphere has been rising alarmingly.

This devil, however, is now turning into a product that helps people, coun-tries, consultants, traders, corporations and even farmers earn billions ofrupees. This was an unimaginable trading opportunity not more than adecade ago.

Carbon credits are a part of international emission trading norms. Theyincentives companies or countries that emit less carbon. The total annualemissions are capped and the market allocates a monetary value to anyshortfall through trading. Businesses can exchange, buy or sell carboncredits in international markets at the prevailing market price.

India and China are likely to emerge as the biggest sellers and Europe isgoing to be the biggest buyers of carbon credits.

India is one of the countries that have 'credits' for emitting less carbon.India and China have surplus credit to offer to countries that have adeficit.

Carbon, like any other commodity, has begun to be traded on India's MultiCommodity Exchange. MCX has become first exchange in Asia to tradecarbon credits.

◆◆◆◆◆ What is carbon credit?As Nations have progressed, we have been emitting carbon, or gaseswhich result in warming of the globe. Some decades ago a debate startedon how to reduce the emission of harmful gases that contributes to thegreenhouse effect that causes global warming. So, countries came togeth-er and signed an agreement named the Kyoto Protocol.

The Kyoto Protocol has created a mechanism under which countries thathave been emitting more carbon and other gases (greenhouse gases in-clude ozone, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and even water va-pour) have voluntarily decided that they will bring down the level of carbonthey are emitting to the levels of early 1990s.

Developed countries, mostly European, had said that they will bring downthe level in the period from 2008 to 2012. In 2008, these developed coun-tries have decided on different norms to bring down the level of emissionfixed for their companies and factories.

A company has two ways to reduce emissions. One, it can reduce theGHG (greenhouse gases) by adopting new technology or improving uponthe existing technology to attain the new norms for emission of gases. Orit can tie up with developing Nations and help them set up new technology

Carbon Credit Information

Mr. Vilas Gharat is working as a ManagingDirector of Gharat& Associates, having over40 years' experience in manufacturing functionin all composite sectors of Textile Industry. Outof which more than a decade in Operations andHR with emphasis in Business ProcessConsulting,Mr.Gharat is having Specialization in variousfield of textile value chain like;◆ Change Management, Business

Development and Project Management◆ Project Management, Business

Development◆ Supply Chain Management◆ Resource allocation◆ Process Reengineering◆ Change management, Production and

Business◆ Planning function◆ Training and Mentoring CEO'sHe has wide experience in:◆ Business Consultant for Oswal Hammerle,

for their upcoming state of art technologyplant for manufacture of sophisticatedYarn Dyed Shirting Project, primarilycatering to the needs of internationalgarment manufacturers. This is a JointVenture project of Oswal group and F.M.Hammerle (Austria)

◆ His previous assignment involvesrestructuring and transformation of alarge Textile units

◆ He worked with various executivecapacities as Executive Director - SuvinAdvisors Pvt Ltd.; Senior President in SKumar's., Technical & Commercial Advisorin J.K. Cotton Mills, Senior President inMorarjee Brembana Ltd., Birla's inIndonesia, Oswal Hammerle, Bhojsons,Nigeria etc.

Mr. Gharat was awarded with FTA by The TextileAssociation (India) in 1999, Best GeneralManager Award in MSTC - National Award forenergy conservation for Simplex Mills & MSTCand Best Vendor Award from

untitled-1 [] · yarn quality is an essential target in fiber-to-yarn production and has a...

Documents