Indian Joual of Fibre & Texti le Research Vol. 31, December 2006, pp. 496-500 Effect of fibre cross-sectional shape on handle characteristics of po lyester-viscose and polyester-cotton ring and MJS yarn fabrics G K Tyagi" & P Madhusoodhanan The Tcchnological inst itu te of Textile & Sciences, Bhiwani 1 27 02 1, India Received 5 July 2005; revised received amI accepted 1 9 Decelllber 2005 The r elationships between ha ndle charact eristics of polyester-viscose and polyester-cotton ring and MJS ya fabrics and ya bulk and rigid ity have been studied us ing FAST evaluat ion system. Generally, MJS ya fabrics are r elatively thicker, more rigid and provide a lower shear rigidity and enhanced formabil ity. There are sign ificant changes in the compression, shear rigid ity and formabil ity with variat ion in fibre profile, and a marked improvement in thes e characteris tics is obtained with tr ilobal polyest er fibre. Increased polyest er component leads to a noticeable increase in bending and shear rigidit ies. A polyester-cotton fabric has been found preferabl e to a polyest er-viscos e fabric in respect of fabric handle. Keywords : Circular polyester fibre, Formabil ity, MJS ya, Ring-spun ya, Trilobal polyest er fibre, Wrapper l ibres IPC Code: Int. CI. 8 002G3/00 1 Introduction The comfort performance of shirt ing fabr ics has long been of great concern to consumers, even more so in recent years. The aes the tic comfort, wh ich depends upon the mechanical and surface characteris tics of the substrate, includes such aspects as handle, softness , drape, colour, style, fashion , compatib il ity and other s im ilar characterist ics. The permeabil it ies to air, water , and heat are also the major factors goveing thermal comfor t. For these reasons, the measurement and understanding of handle and comfort are required to specify the performance of fabric to be used in cloth ing. In producing texti Ie substrates, materials such as cotton yas with var ious linear d ensit ies, twists and ply are used for warp and weft ends of fabric. Besides, polyester fibre yas in bl ends with cot ton and viscose fibres are also in extens ive use for dress materials. In such fabrics, the coarse and fine polyes ter fibres are mixed w ith cellu losic fibres and spun. Ther e have also been a trend towards the use of trilobal po lyester fibre over recent years, and cons equently many polyester fibres with irregular shaped cross-sec tions have been developed. Studies on the handle and mechanical properties of woven polyester fabrics have already been published by var ious authors. I . However, the studies on contr ibution of fibre cross-sectional shape "To whom all the correspondence should be addressed. E-mail : drgktyag i@rediffmail.com to various fabric characterist ics are rare, and there is only a limited amount of literature on thermal s tudies of MJS ya fabrics. ? The present work is aimed a t invest igating the role of polyester fibre profile in influenc ing the handle characteris tics of ligh t weigh t polyester-viscose and po lyester-cotton ring and MJS ya fabrics. Such a detailed knowledge is not only imperative for es tablishing processing guide lines but also essential for realizing the effectiveness and limitations of a g iven fibre c ross-section. 2 Materials and Methods 2.1 Prcparation of Fabric Sampl cs The yas used in th is study were made from blends of polyester, viscose and cot ton fibres on ring and air-jet spinn ing mach ines. The specificat ions of polyester, viscose and cot ton fibres are g iven in Table I. For blending polyester and v iscose fibres, each of the two components was hand opened and sandwitched well to produce a homogenol ls b lend. Table 1- Spccil icat ions of polyester, viscose rayon and cotton fibres Fibre Fibre Length Linear Tenacity Breaking profile 1 11m density cN/tex extension dtex % Polyest er Circular 44 2.22 45.02 29.20 Polyest er Trilobal 44 2.22 40.61 30.00 Viscose 44 1 . 66 24.24 1 8.25 Cotton 35" 1.52 (3 .9 b ) 30.52 6.30 "Span le ngth, 2.5% ; and h Microna ire.
Transcript
Indian Journal of Fibre & Texti le Research Vol. 3 1 , December 2006, pp. 496-500
Effect of fibre cross-sectional shape on handle characteristics of polyester-viscose and polyester-cotton ring and MJS yarn fabrics
G K Tyagi" & P Madhusoodhanan The Tcchnological institute of Textile & Sciences, Bhiwani 1 27 02 1 , I ndia
Received 5 July 2005; revised received amI accepted 1 9 Decelllber 2005
The relationships between handle characteristics of polyester-viscose and polyester-cotton ring and MJS yarn fabrics and yarn bulk and rigidity have been studied using FAST evaluation system. Generally, MJS yarn fabrics are relatively thicker, more rigid and provide a lower shear rigidity and enhanced formabil ity. There are significant changes in the compression, shear rigidity and formabil i ty with variation in fibre profi le, and a marked improvement in these characteristics is obtained with trilobal polyester fibre. Increased polyester component leads to a noticeable i ncrease in bending and shear rigidities. A polyester-cotton fabric has been found preferable to a polyester-viscose fabric in respect of fabric handle.
1 Introduction The comfort performance of shirt ing fabrics has
long been of great concern to consumers, even more so in recent years. The aesthetic comfort, which depends upon the mechanical and surface characteristics of the substrate, includes such aspects as handle, softness, drape, colour, style, fashion, compatibil i ty and other s imi lar characteristics. The permeabil i ties to air, water, and heat are also the major factors governing thermal comfort. For these reasons, the measurement and understanding of handle and comfort are required to specify the performance of fabric to be used in clothi ng. In producing texti Ie substrates, materials such as cotton yarns with various li near densities, twists and ply are used for warp and weft ends of fabric . Besides, polyester fibre yarns in blends with cotton and viscose fibres are also in extensive use for dress materials. In such fabrics, the coarse and fine polyester fibres are mixed with cel lu losic fibres and spun. There have also been a trend towards the use of trilobal polyester fibre over recent years, and consequently many polyester fibres with irregular shaped cross-sections have been developed. Studies on the handle and mechanical properties of woven polyester fabrics have already been publ ished by various authors. I .1i However, the studies on contribution of fibre cross-sectional shape
"To whom all the correspondence should be addressed. E-mail : drgktyag i@redi ffmai l.com
to various fabric characteristics are rare, and there i s only a l imi ted amount of l iterature on thermal studies of MJS yarn fabrics.? The present work is aimed at investigati ng the role of polyester fibre profile in influencing the handle characteristics of l ight weight polyester-viscose and polyester-cotton ring and MJS yarn fabrics. Such a detai led knowledge is not only imperative for establ ish ing processing guidelines but also essential for real izing the effect iveness and l imi tations of a given fibre cross-section.
2 Materials and Methods 2.1 Prcparation of Fabric Samplcs
The yarns used in th i s study were made from blends of polyester, viscose and cotton fibres on ring and air-jet spinning machines. The specifications of polyester, viscose and cotton fibres are given in Table I . For blending polyester and viscose fibres, each of the two components was hand opened and sandwitched well to produce a homogenolls blend.
Table 1- Spcci lications of polyester, v iscose rayon and cotton fibres
Fibre Fibre Length Linear Tenacity Breaking profi le 111m density cN/tex extension
TYAGI & MADHUSOODHANAN : HANDLE CHARACTERISTICS OF PlY & PIC RING & MJS YARN FABRICS 497
However, for polyester-cotton yarns, the cotton was first combed and than mixed with polyester i n opening room. Two different types o f polyester fibre, viz. circular and trilobal, were used. The conversion to drawn sliver was carried out by using a M MC carding machine and a Lakshmi Rieters' draw frame DOI2S. Three drawing passages were gi ven to card sl ivers, the l inear density of fin isher sl iver being adjusted to 2.93 ktex. The drawn sl ivers were spun into yarns on Murata air-jet spinners (802 MJS) . The machine parameters used to produce these yarns were: spi nning speed 200 m/min , feed ratio 0.98, first nozzle pressure 2.5 kg/cm2, second nozzle jet pressure 4.5 kg/cm2, and condenser width 4 mm. For ring spinning, the drawn sl ivers were converted into suitable rove using OKK roving frame. Equivalent ring yarns were spun on Lakshmi R ieters' ring frame G5/ 1 using a spindle speed of 1 4000 rpm.
Experimental ring and MJS yarns were separately woven into plain fabric on a Texmaco loom. The construction of the twelve sets of fabrics was kept constant at 28 ends and 28 p icks per centimetre ( i .e 72x72 per inch) for s ingle 1 6 .8 tex yarns. For a given set of fabric, the warp used was the same as fil l ing yarn. The details of the fabrics are given i n Table 2.
2.2 Fabric Treatment
The fabrics were desized i n 0.5 gpl non-ionic detergent (Wet Aid Nl) at boi l ing temperature for 30 min and rinsed in hot water for 5 min. After desizing, the polyester-viscose fabrics were scoured using 2gpl sodium carbonate and 0.5 gpl non-ionic detergent (Wet Aid NT) at 60° C for 90 min and rinsed in hot water for 5 min . The polyester-cotton fabrics, on the other hand, were immersed in a solution containing sodium hydroxide and 1 % non-ionic detergent (Wet Aid NI) at 1 00° C for 90 min .
After the treatment, samples were thoroughly washed with cold and hot water for 1 5 min each to remove adhered chemicals completely from the fabrics, neutralized with 2 gpl acetic acid, washed thoroughly and dried at 90° C.
2.3 Tests 2.1.1 Yam Properties
All the yarns were tested for flexural rigidity on weighted ring yarn stiffness tester by ring loop method. The yarn d iameter was measured by Leica Q500 MC at 1 00 randomly selected places along the length of the yarn. A sufficient length of yarn was covered to take care of any variation.
Table 2-Speci fications of fabric samples
Fabric Fibre Fibre Yarn Yarn characteristic ref. composition profi le type"
"Yarn l inear density, 1 6. 8 tex. P/C-Polyester/cotton and PlY - Polyester/viscose.
2.3.2 Fabric Properties
All the light weight polyester-viscose and polyestercotton fabrics were tested for their extensibil ity, bending rigidity, shear rigidity, compression and formabil i ty using FAST evaluation system. Fabric areal density was determined according to BS 247 1 - 1 97 1 procedure. All the tests were carried out in an atmosphere of 27 ± 2° C and 65 ± 2% RH.
3 Results and Discussion 3.1 Yarn Characteristics
Table 2 shows the d iameter and flexural rigidity of experimental yarns with respect to different process parameters. In terestingly, all data for diameter and flexural rigidity relative to spinning system l ie in a wide range. The MJS yarns are less bulky and more rigid than the ring-spun yarns, owing to the presence of wrapper fibres, which compress the core and i mpede the freedom of fibre movement. The fibre profile also affects the flexural rigidity and diameter. The values of flexural rigidity and diameter are considerably h igher for yarns spun with a trilobal fibre and increase wi th the i ncrease i n polyester content i n the fibre-mix . However, the i ncrease i n these characteristics i s more marked in polyestercotton yarns. Such an i ncrease arises due to the h igher short fibre content and stiffness of cotton fibre.
3.2 Fabric Handle
The influence of process variables on the handle characteri stics of polyester- v iscose and polyestercolton ri ng and MJS yarn fabrics was assessed for s ignificance using Analysis of Variance (Table 3) . Only first order i nteractions were considered.
498 INDIAN 1 . FIBRE TEXT. RES ., DECEM BER 2006
Table 3--ANOV A test results
Fabric property Process variable Comp- Bending Extensibi l i ty Shear Formabi lty
Yarn type Polyester content Fibre cross-section Fibre-mix
ression rigidity rigidity
s s n s s
ns ns
s ns
ns
s-Significant at 9 9 % confidcnce level, and ns - Non-significant at 99% confidence level.
3.2. 1 Compressioll
Information on fabric compression under different loading conditions i s provided in Fig. I . The surface layer thickness, which is the difference between th ickness at 2gfcm-2 and 1 00 gfcm-2 10ads, was used as a measure for evaluating fabric compression. The surface layer thickness of 48 :52 polyester-viscose and 65 :35 polyester-viscose ring-spun yarn fabrics for circular and tri lobal polyester fibres are 0. 1 02 and 0. 1 1 7 mm and 0. 1 1 2 and 0. 1 25 mm respecti vely . The MJS yarn fabrics, being significantly more thicker, obviously display more resistance to compression than the ring-spun yarn fabrics (F-ratio, 352.7) . The thickness results for polyester-cotton and polyesterviscose ring-spun yarn fabrics are also shown in Fig. I . The data show that the values are relatively higher for polyester-cotton fabrics . Bulk variation between two sets of yarns could explai n thi s difference. The polyester-cotton yarns have higher bul k due to higher bending rigidity of cotton fibre. Furthermore, the comparisons of fabrics produced with tri lobal and circular polyester fibres confi rm the influence of fibre profile on fabric compression; the former seams to be able to withstand more compression. The greater bulk of the yarn structures arising from higher bending rigidity of trilobal polyester fibreS is believed to be responsible for resulting compression .
3.2.2 Bellding Rigidity
Figure 2 shows the values of bending rigidity with respect to different process parameters. The bending length is h ighly dependent on the weight of the fabric when i t hangs under its own weight. Figure 2 shows that v irtual ly all the data for bending rigidity relative to spinning system l ie in a wide range. Invariably, the MJS yarn fabrics display markedly higher bending rigidity than the fabrics woven from equivalent ringspun yarns'>
. In MJS yarns, the c lusteri ng effect of the
C. " _ , __ .__ ___ _ _ _
E - -
11 48.52 PIC. Rtng yall) 1:] 65.35 PIC. Ring yarn [1] 4 8 52 PIV RlIIg )';u n E PN. Ring yarn 0 4S"52 PN. MJS yarn 065 35 P!V MJS yarn � J 1 6 ill c .:£ � J i :':
Q; � J DB <lJ U ro 't:: C G� J (/)
Circular Trilobal Polyester ribre profile
Fig. I-Influencc of fibre cross-scctional shape on surface layer thickness
10 r---��--------�---------------" -'- ----11 48 " 52 PIC . Ring yaln 1iil 65 : 35 PIC . Ring yarn m 48:52 PIV. R I Il�J y : 1 I 1 1 ! , ;
� e 1----------------------------------------L> C 6 QJ OJ
Circular Triloba! Polyester fibre profile
Fig. 2-lnfluence of fibre cross-sectional shape on bending rigidity [(a) warp-way; and (b) weft-way]
core fibres due to their paral le l arrangement and winding by tight wrapper fibres al lows little freedom of movement of fibres during bending. In the case of ring-spun yarn fabrics, the bending rigid ity i s substantially higher for polyester-cotton fabrics and i t i ncreases with the increase in polyester content in the fibre-mix. Higher bending rigidity of polyester fibre results i n reasonably higher bending rigidity values for the 65 :35 polyester-cotton fibre-mix, which are s ignificantly different from those for the 48 :52 polyester-cotton mix. The intriguing aspect of these data is that bending rigidity values for the trilobal polyester fabrics are no different than those for the circular polyester fabrics. This suggests that the fibre cross-sectional shape does not contribute to the bending rigidity of the final fabric.
3.2.3 Extellsibility
Fabric extensibil ity is an indicative of the increase in fabric dimensions during loading and is of marked significance i n garment manufacturing. Figure :1 compares the extensibility of woven fabrics made from polyester-viscose and polyester-cotton ri ng and
TY AGI & MADHUSOODHANAN : HANDLE CHARACTERISTICS OF P/v & PIC RING & MJS YARN FABRICS 499
1 0 r-------------------------------------� 11 48:52 PIC, Rmg yarn bl 65:35 PIC. Ring yarn m 48:52 PIV Riny yarn ( a :
.� er-----------------------------------� c Q) X 6 �
Circular Trilobal
Polyester fibre profile
Fig. 3-Influence of fibre cross-sectional shape on extensibi l ity [ (a) warp-way; and (b) weft-way]
MJS yarns with ratio of 48:52 and 65 :35 . I t i s observed that the extensibil i ty of MJS yarn fabrics i s considerably higher than that of the equivalent fabrics made from ring-spun yarns. The breaking extension of both ring and MJS yarns could help explain this behaviour. In ring-spun yarn fabrics, the extensibil ity of polyester-cotton and polyester-viscose fabrics varies from 4.3% to 5 .3%, and 5 . 1 % to 6.2% respectively. The lower extensibi l i ty of polyestercotton ring-spun yarn fabrics i s a d i rect result of the lower breaking extension of cotton fibre. The crosssectional shape of polyester fibre, on the other hand, seems to exert a l ittle i nfluence on fabric extensibi l i ty . Under all weav ing conditions, the fabrics woven from a yarn having non-round polyester fibre possess sl ightly lower extensibi l i ty compared to i ts circular polyester fibre counterparts. S imi lar trends are observed in respect of i ncreased polyester content. Such a behaviour can again be attributed to aforementioned factors.
3.2.4 Shear Rigidity
Figure 4 presents shear rigidi ty data for woven polyester-cotton and polyester-viscose ring and MJS yarn fabrics, clearly i ndicati ng that the shear rigidity of a woven fabric is i nfluenced by the cross-sectional shape of fibre, and the composition of the fibre- mix . The yarn structure also plays an i mportant role in determining fabric shear rigidity . General ly, the ringspun yarn fabrics display much h igher shear rigidity. This suggests better tailorabi l i ty as compared to their MJS counterparts. Thi s i mpl ies that the shear rigidity of the speci men does not conclusively depend on its bending rigidity , but i s also influenced by the surface characteri stics of the substrate. I n fact, h igher bulk
40 ,--------------------------------------,
E 32 Z i- 24 '0 :� � 1 6 (1) OJ 1: C/l
11 48:52 PIC. Ring yarn 1i165:35 PIC, Ring yarn m 48:52 PJV. Ring yarn 865:35 PN. Ring yarn \!j 48:52 PN. MJS yarn 1!165:35 PN. MJS yarn
Circular Trilobal
Polyester fibre profile
Fig. 4--Intluence of fibre cross-sectional shape on shear rigidity
"e E � ii (1) E 5 LL
0 50 r-------------���----���------, 11 48'52 PIC. Ril1�j Y;UII W1 65. 35 P IC . RillY yarn aD 4 e .52 PIV. HIIIU yar:1 \;I }
Fig. 5-Intluence of fibre cross-sectional shape on formabi l i ty [ (a) warp-way; and (b) weft-way]
and more hairiness of ri ng-spun yarns produce a greater resistance to the movement of warp / weft threads over each other and consequently lower bias extensibil i ty, the latter being i nversely proportional to shear rigidity . The stati stical analysis of the data indicates that the fibre profi le and the composition of the fibre-mix have a significant effect on fabric shear rigidity, with F-ratios of 27.7 and 129.6 respectively. The use of trilobal polyester leads to i ncrease in the shear rigidity because stiffer and bulkier fibres yarns reduce yarn mobil i ty .6 Among ring-spun yarn fabrics, the shear rigidity of polyester-cotton fabrics is much higher than that of polyester-viscose fabrics, as expected . Thi s is obviously a reflection of different properties of the constituent yarns. An i ncrease in polyester content i n the fibre-mix also has a s imi lar effect.
3.2.5 Formability
Formabil i ty determines the degree of compression in the fabric plane sustainable by i t before buckling occurs . In a woven fabric, the formabi l i ty is establi shed from the longitudinal compressibi l i ty and bending rigidi ty . l o F igure 5 presents the formabil i ty data for different fabrics. An i nteresting point to
500 INDIAN J. FIBRE TEXT. RES. , DECEMBER 2006
observe i s that the formabil ity of MJS yarn fabric i s significantly higher than those of general men's l ight weight shirting (0.25 mm2) . This suggests that the MJS yarn fabrics do not pucker and thus maintain their intensity when made into a cuff or collar. On the other hand, a higher polyester content offers no significant advantage in respect of formabil ity of the fabrics. However, the effect of yarn composi tion on fabric formabil ity is significant. The results show that the fabrics containing polyester-cotton yarns show better formability than those i n which polyester-viscose yarns are substituted. This is quite understandable and arises due to higher bending stiffness of polyester-cotton fibre-mix. Change in fibre profi le significantly improves fabric formabil ity, and a non-circular crosssection is preferable. This is behaved to correspond to higher bending stiffness of trilobal fibre, causing improvement in fabric formabil i ty .
4 Conclusions 4. 1 Under al l experimental conditions, MJS yarn
fabrics exhibi t higher thickness and h igher bending rigidity as compared to ring-spun yarn fabrics. Incorporation of non-circular polyester in the fibremix causes an increase i n fabric thickness, whereas increased polyester content brings about a noticeable increase in bending rigidity . Furthermore, the fabrics contain ing polyester-cotton yarns are more rigid and have h igher thickness than those i n which polyesterviscose yarns are substituted.
4.2 MJS yarn fabrics provide a lower shear rigidity , and enhanced extensibi l i ty and formabili ty. I ncreased shear rigidity is obtained wi th polyester-rich fibremix. There are also significant changes i n the formabil i ty and shear rigidi ty with variation in fibre profile, and the h ighest formabi l i ty and shear rigidity are obtai ned wi th tri lobal polyester fibre. Compared to polyester-viscose fabrics, polyester-cotton fabrics display relatively h igher shear rigidity, h igher formabil ity and lower extensibi l i ty .
References Matsudaira M, Tan Y & Kondo Y, J Text IIISI, 84 ( 1 993) 376.
2 Behera B K, I sht iaque S M & Chand S, J Text IIISI, 88 ( 1 997) 255.
3 Pierce F T, J TO:I 11151, 2 1 ( 1 930) T377.
4 Kit-Lum Y, Cheng K P, Dhingra R C & How Y C, Texl Res J, 66 ( 1 996) 622.
5 Sharma I C, Mukhopadhyay A, S inha P K & Boruah R K, Indiall J Fibre Text Res, 25 (2000) 52.
6 Slibraman iam V, S ivakll J11ar M, Sir in ivasan V & Sasikala M, Texl Res J , 60 ( 1 990) 368.
7 Vineet Jain, ColltribUliOI! of fibre cross-sectiollal shape 10 Ihe hwulle alld Ihennal cOlllfort characlerislics of wovell polyesler-viscose fabrics, M.Tech thesis, The Technological Institute of Textile & Sciences, Bhiwani , 2004.
8 Tyagi G K, Tyagi A, Kandelwal M & Saini A, Illdiall J Fibre Texl Res, 27 (2002)
9 Basu A, Texl Prog, 27 ( 1 999) 33. 1 0 Lindberg J , Wasterberg L & Sevenson R , J Text IIlSt, 5 1
