Denim is no more “work wear’’ in the present era. More than a need, it is a fashion commodity for every age group, specifically for youth. Garments with multiple permutations and combinations of denim fabric variables like fibers, yarns, and Lycra % and weaving techniques are available with differing garment design statements, but the comfort aspect is slightly ignored. To cater for the masses living in hot and humid areas, a denim fabric is being projected with varying garment constructional parameters. Regenerated cellulose-based fibers/yarns are considered as ecofriendly, cool, soft, fairly strong, and durable among other man-made and natural fiber-based yarns. The present study is an attempt to develop comfortable denim clothing using regenerated cellulose fiber derivatives, maintaining its traditional rustic look for tropical regions. Fabric performance evaluation methods were used to ascertain the performance of the newly developed clothing.
The color which is obtained from the leaves of Henna, that is, Lawsonia inermis L., is used frequently in hair coloring. It is the chemical lawsone that is responsible for the reddish brown color. Its content makes it a substantive dye for dyeing the textile materials. This work concerns with the extraction and purification of natural dyestuff from a plant Lawsonia inermis L. and dyeing of cotton and silk fabric in exhaust dyeing method. The dye portion is isolated from the total extract by column chromatography and is evaluated by dyeing cotton and silk under different dyeing conditions. The color strength and fastness properties of the dye are undertaken by changing mordant and techniques of mordanting. The changes of colors have been noticed by using different types of mordant. The dye exhaustion percentage, wash, rubbing, and light fastness results reveal that the extract of henna can be used for coloration of cotton and silk fabric.
This research aims to innovate a new fabric structure, which could be used as a bed cover based on double honeycomb fabric with self-stitching. The honeycomb air pockets were aimed at facing each other to form closed small air chambers which work to sequester the air. The double fabric increases fabric thickness. Thus, the opportunity to improve thermal comfort could be achieved. A number of samples were produced with different densities and counts of weft yarn. Thermal insulation and water vapour permeability were measured and compared with bed covers produced from reversible weft backed structure. Geometrical properties, abrasion resistance, and air permeability were also measured. The results showed that the innovated structure had higher values of thermal insulation than reversible weft backed structure at certain weft counts and densities.
This paper presents a novel mathematical model of bleached cotton plain single jersey knitted fabrics. The mathematical model is used to deduce the fabric geometrical relationships that can be useful for forecasting the properties of the fabric before production. A practical verification is carried out at different cotton yarn counts and twist factors. The obtained mathematical and practical results are deeply studied and analyzed. The results showed a good agreement between the proposed mathematical model and the practical one. The finished fabric weight is predicted at different yarn counts and loop lengths, and a forecasting weight chart is deduced. This chart will undoubtedly help the producers to enhance the fabric productions. In addition, an actual yarn diameter in the fabric measuring method is carried out and the fabric thickness is estimated consequently. The obtained results proved that the plain single jersey thickness is proportional to three times of the actual measured yarn diameter.
A combined effect of mercerized and dyed yarns on physical properties of plain single jersey knitted fabrics has been studied. Plied cotton yarn was produced and mercerized at different NaOH concentrations and temperatures. Then, this yarn was bleached and dyed with two types of dyes, vat dyeing and reactive dyeing. Each of mechanical and color properties were measured to these treated yarns. Plain single jersey knitted fabrics were produced from these treated yarns. The total evaluation of the properties for plain single jersey fabrics was measured by using radar chart method. It was found that the highest area of radar chart, which represents the total physical properties, is achieved at 32°Be′, in case of vat dyeing. Besides, analysis of variance (AVOVA) and MANOVA were applied to illustrate which of the properties would be affected by NaOH con. and types of dyeing for yarns and fabrics.
Wool fabric possesses unique properties like resiliency, warmth, wide aesthetic qualities, and comfort. However, felting-shrinkage and pilling tendency of wool after wear and repeated launderings are its inherent limitations. Proteolytic enzymes are extensively used as biocatalysts for eco-friendly wool antifelting treatments. However, uncontrolled wool protein hydrolysis by protease may lead to excessive weight loss leading to weakening of fiber and reduction in its tensile value, which further have detrimental effect on the pilling propensity of protease treated wool during use of woolen textiles. Optimum selection of protease treatment parameters like concentration, pH, temperature, and so forth can help in controlled reaction to achieve the desired effect, which generally involves cumbersome sampling and analysis. Optimization for pH of bromelain (proteolytic enzyme having activity in acidic conditions) treatment with wool has been done while aiming at the desired areawise shrinkage value, minimum weight loss, and reduced pilling by using standard methods and objective fast Fourier transformation technique for pilling evaluation specifically.
Jute-cotton and jute-wool union fabrics have been printed with colorant extracted from Rheum emodi with guar gum and albumin as thickening agents and aluminium sulphate, copper sulphate, and ferrous sulphate as mordants. Printing with Rheum emodi colorant with different mordants resulted in different shades ranging from yellowish brown, deep brown, reddish brown, and gray shades to olive black. The K/S value showed that mordants, namely, CuSO 4 and FeSO 4 , exhibited high colour absorption regardless of the nature of material used. All the printed samples have good to excellent wash, rubbing and light fastness properties regardless of the nature of materials, mordants, and thickeners used. Guar gum is closely at par with albumin as a thickening agent and considering the cost and availability of raw material, guar gum is the better choice for the textile industry.
The work reported in this paper presents the assessment of environmental performances of selected branded apparel T-Shirt products made by Bangladesh. The study is based on a standard evaluation tool named Higg Index which is basically used widely to measure the environmental sustainability of various apparel products. Higg Index is an internal self-assessment tool created by the outdoor apparel industry and Nike’s apparel environmental design tool which aims to aggregate information on the environmental performance of products. The Index considers performance across the full life-cycle of a product, including impacts from “input materials, manufacturing, packaging, transportation, use, and end-of-life.” Selected apparel branded T-Shirt products from S. Oliver, BUTex-Innovation, PUMA, Esprit, Aarong, and Yellow were taken into consideration. The results indicate that newly developed ecofriendly T-shirt and foreign branded products named S. Oliver, PUMA, and Esprit gained higher score but local branded product like Aarong and Yellow gained lower score in terms of environmental sustainability based on Higg Index assessment tool. Moreover, many weaknesses and opportunities for improvement of both local and foreign branded T-Shirt products have been identified and suggested which would eventually lead the fashion designer, apparel manufacturer, stakeholder, and consumer towards greener apparel products.
Waterhyacinth is one of the most dangerous aquatic weeds causing various ecological and environmental issues. The plant has several pharmaceutical properties in spite of its harmful nature. In the present study, perspiration pads and cotton cloth fabricated with the ethyl acetate extract of waterhyacinth were evaluated for its activity against Corynebacterium. Perspiration pads and samples of cotton cloth were fabricated with ethyl acetate extract of Eichhornia crassipes by three methods, namely, dipping, sonication, and homogenization. The antimicrobial activity of the fabricated textile materials was tested against Corynebacterium, a microorganism commonly seen in human sweat. Disc diffusion method (AATCC 147) was used for evaluating the antimicrobial nature of the fabricated samples. Sonication was found to be efficient for coating of the extract on the cotton cloth, whereas dipping method was found to be efficient in case of perspiration pads. No bacterial growth was observed under and on the fabricated cloth and perspiration pads indicating that the fabrics possess bacteriostatic property and not bactericidal property and the absence of leaching of the extract. The results showed significant antimicrobial activity of the ethyl acetate extract of Eichhornia crassipes coated onto fabrics against Corynebacterium with no growth under and on the test sample.
At present, a higher demand is put towards the use of natural dyes due to increased awareness of the environmental and health hazards associated with the synthesis and use of synthetic dyes. This research was conducted using onion outer skins as a potential source of natural plant dyes. In this study, extraction of dye was carried out in aqueous boiling method. Premordanting technique was followed using different mordants, namely alum, ferrous sulphate, tin, tannic acid, tartaric acid, and their combinations on silk fabric. Fabric samples dyed without using any mordant were then compared with the dyed samples pretreated with the mordants. The range of colors developed on dyed materials was evaluated by measuring the color values with respect to K/S values and color coordinates. It was concluded that the color values were found to be influenced by the addition of mordants, and thus different fashion hues were obtained from the same amount of dye extract using different mordants. Ferrous sulphate was found as the most influential mordant. ΔEcmc values between unmordanted (Reference dyed) and metallic mordanted fabric samples were found higher than those between unmordanted and nonmetallic mordanted fabric samples. The dyed samples were evaluated for color fastness to washing, light, drycleaning, rubbing, and perspiration. The color fastness properties were found to be satisfactory and improved in many cases. From the fastness results, it was obvious that these dyes can also be applied on silk fabric without using any mordant if required.
The purpose of this research was to investigate whether a balance of technology and management could be used in order to sustain a viable United States (US) short staple yarn production industry. The methodology used in this study consisted of primary research comprising two phases. The first phase consisted of interviews with industry executives in order to find out what US yarn manufacturers think are the important factors in maintaining a competitive yarn industry. The second phase was an online survey with industry customers in order to find out why weavers and knitters buy from US manufacturers. Results reveal that US manufacturers have competitive advantages over other countries because of skill level of workforce, variety of products offered, customer relationships, innovation and technology, and product quality. In order to keep these competitive advantages, “technology” and “management” strategies should be implemented. Results also reveal the areas in which the US yarn manufacturers should focus their resources in order to stay competitive or indeed survive.
A computational clothing design tool is used to examine the effects of different clothing design features upon performance. Computational predictions of total heat and mass transfer coefficients of the clothing design tool showed good agreement with experimental measurements obtained using a sweating thermal manikin for four different clothing systems, as well as for the unclothed bare manikin. The specific clothing design features examined in this work are the size and placement of air-permeable fabric vents in a protective suit composed primarily of a fabric-laminated polymer film layer. The air-permeable vents were shown to provide additional ventilation and to significantly decrease both the total thermal insulation and the water vapor resistance of the protective suit.
This paper focused on the assessment of the relation between constructional properties and percentage reflectance values of fabrics woven from polyester yarns through fabric layer numbers. Reflectance measurements were conducted on pretreated but undyed fabric samples at five different fabric layers. Twelve polyester fabrics having different constructional parameters were used and fabrics differed from each other by their weft yarn densities, weave patterns, and weft yarn filament fineness. Warp yarn properties (type, count, and density) were the same at all the fabrics. Percentage reflectance values of the fabrics changed according to yarn density, weave pattern, and filament fineness in accordance with fabric layer numbers during reflectance measurement. Percentage reflectance values gradually increased as fabric layer numbers increased. The highest reflectance values were obtained at 16 layers of fabric. The effects of single constructional parameters on reflectance values disappeared as fabric layer numbers increased. Percentage reflectance values were analyzed according to ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and statistical results revealed the cross relations obtained. Light-trap phenomenon was discussed according to reflectance characteristics of woven fabrics.
An active methylene compound, malononitrile, was introduced into the structures of a series of disperse dyes previously prepared by coupling phloroglucinol, barbituric acid, and α and β -naphtho to 4-amino-3-nitrobenzaldehyde. The dyes were purified by recrystallization from ethanol. The purity of the dyes was examined by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and the dyes were characterized by visible absorption and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The malononitrile-condensed dyes produced deeper colours and shades with better fastness to wash, light, and perspiration on application to polyester and nylon fabrics when compared to their uncondensed analogue.
Biomimetics is a new research field that deals with extraction and imitation of functional principles of nature and applying them in engineering. Due to the perfection of structures and mechanisms found in the natural world, scientists came to the conclusion that these may constitute reliable sources of inspiration and viable solutions for technological problems they face today. Industrial applications have rapidly developed. Trying to synthesize all information about this extremely large field, with branches in biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering, soon I realised that an exhaustive study is merely a utopia. Despite all that, the beauty and perfection of “inspiration sources” which led to the fabrication of many biomimetic prototypes encouraged me to approach with thrill and enthusiasm this fascinating domain, not in general, but in a more specific field, the textile field. After a brief introduction to Biomimetics and a historical review of it, there are presented some of the most important biomimetic textiles innovations, among which I mention fibrous structures, multifunctional surfaces, thermal insulating materials, and structurally coloured materials.
This study focuses on finding natural ecofriendly alternatives to the existing commercial Anthrenus flavipies resist chemicals. Eucalyptus, lavender, and citronella microcapsules were explored as natural alternatives. Chemical contents of microcapsules and fragrance releasing property were tested using gas chromatography. Absolute (proofing) and relative (repellent) activities of microcapsule treated fabrics were tested against the larvae of carpet beetle Anthrenus flavipies (LeConte). Proofing activity test results revealed that natural essential oils act as a deterrent for Anthrenus flavipies, but give lesser protection compared to commercial chemical permethrin. Repellency test results also affirmed these findings and it was observed that Anthrenus flavipies prefers to eat untreated fabric compared to its treated counterpart.
In this paper, evaluation of base materials and manufacturing environmental sustainability of selected branded T-shirt products made by Bangladesh is presented. The study is based on performing various eco-friendliness tests for the product base materials and evaluation though a standard tool named Higg Index. For this study, selected apparel branded T-shirt products from renowned brand, namely B, C, D, E, and F, and a researcher-developed BUTex-Innovation brand A are taken into consideration. Better environmental sustainability results, i.e., higher score, is obtained by A, B, C, and D branded T-shirts, but local branded product of E and F resulted in poor environmental sustainability with lower scores in terms of product eco-friendliness tests and High Index assessment tool. Besides, many weaknesses and opportunities for improvement of environmental sustainability in materials and manufacturing stages are identified and suggested to lead the textiles and clothing sectors towards sustainable growth.
A new source of natural anthocyanins dyes, from Liriope platyphylla fruit, is proposed. This paper analyzes the dye extracts, the primary color components of the extracts, the color features of the extracts under different pH conditions, and their application in silk dyeing. The research shows that, nine anthocyanins are found in L. platyphylla fruits by analyzing the results of the HPLC/DAD, MS, and MS/MS spectra. The five major anthocyanins related to delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin derivatives take up 91.72% of total anthocyanin contents. The color of the solution is red under acidic condition (pH < 3.0) and stays in yellow under alkaline condition with pH values above 7.0. The dye extracts applied to silk fabric with mordant free dyeing show different color under different pH conditions, changing between purple, blue, green, and yellow. However, the dyed colors is light and the dyeing rate is low. Metal mordant such as Sn in chelation enhances the dye depth and improves the fastness of the dyed silk fabrics, especially in silk fabrics dyed by premordanting and metamordanting.
Knittability can be defined as the ability of yarns to run on knitting machines without problems. Knittability can be achieved when less stress is applied on the knitting machine parts by the knitting yarns. This paper presents a novel measuring system for the knitting force needed to perform knitting yarns on flat knitting machine based on data acquisition system (DAS). The proposed system is used to measure the knitting force at different machine settings and different properties of the knitting yarns to determine the optimal production conditions. For this reason, three types of knitted fabric structures (single jersey, Rib 1 × 1, and full cardigan) with three different loop lengths and five different twists of ply yarn were produced. The obtained results showed the optimal yarn ply twist factor(αe)which gave minimum knitting force (less stress on needles or knitting yarns) at different loop lengths for each structure.
This work presents an ecofriendly method for dyeing synthetic fabrics with natural dyes using UV/ozone pretreatment to activate fiber and improve dyeability of polyester and nylon. Fabrics are pretreated with UV/ozone for different periods of time ranged from 5 min to 120 min. Effect of pretreatment on surface morphology was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Mechanical behavior was studied by testing tensile strength and elongation percentage. Chemical modification of the surface was studied using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (ATR-FTIR). Dyeability of the treated samples was investigated in terms of their colour strength expressed as K/s in addition to fastness to washing and light. This research showed the increment of the affinity of the studied synthetic fabrics towards curcumin and saffron natural dyes using ecofriendly technique.
