Volume 15, Issue 4

Liquid moisture transport of textile structures has been studied in order to manage human perspiration well. This article deals with investigation of dynamic moisture transport of knitted fabrics by sophisticated methods, such as moisture management tester (MMT), thermography and microtomography systems. Three groups of knitted fabrics were analysed by the above-mentioned methods. Specifically, the distribution of liquid drops on samples was compared with the results of vertical wicking of tested materials and the parameter of three-dimensional fabric porosity. Both dynamic spreading of liquid drops on the surface of samples (from top and bottom sides simultaneously) and vertical wicking behaviour of textiles were analysed by the combination of thermography and image analysis system. Further, the results from MMT and porosity analysis by microtomography system were investigated to specify the interaction between structure parameters of knitted fabrics and their liquid transport properties which influence total wear comfort.

Fibre production and textile processing comprise various industries that consume large amounts of energy and resources. Textiles are a largely untapped consumer commodity with a strong reuse and recycling potential, still fibres and fibre containing products ends up in landfill sites or in waste incinerators to a large extent. Reuse and recycle of waste clothing results in reduction in the environmental burden. Between 3% and 4% of the municipal solid waste stream in Slovenia is composed of apparel and textiles. This exploratory study examines consumer practices regarding purchase and the disposal of apparel in Slovenia. Data were collected through structured online survey from a representative random sample of 535 consumers. Responses to online questionnaire indicated the use of a variety of textile purchase and disposal methods. The influence of different sociodemographic variables on apparel purchase, disposal and recycling behaviour was examined. Moreover, the differences in the frequency of apparel recycling between consumers with and without an apparel bank available nearby were explored. This research was conducted, since it is crucial to analyse the means by which consumers are currently disposing their textile waste in order to plan the strategies that would encourage them to further reduce the amount of apparel sent to landfills.

This article presents a comparative study of hooks’ characteristics of ring, rotor, air-jet and open-end friction spun yarns. Hook types and their extent, spinning in-coefficient and mean fibre extent in the yarns produced on different spinning technologies are investigated. The results show that the hook extents for open-end friction spun yarn are the highest followed by rotor, ring and air-jet spun yarns. Ring and air-jet spun yarns have higher percentage and extent of trailing hook as compared with leading hook, whereas, rotor and friction spun yarns show the reverse trend.

An artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to predict the drape coefficient (DC). Hanging weight, Sample diameter and the bending rigidities in warp, weft and skew directions are selected as inputs of the ANN model. The ANN developed is a multilayer perceptron using a back-propagation algorithm with one hidden layer. The drape coefficient is measured by a Cusick drape meter. Bending rigidities in different directions were calculated according to the Cantilever method. The DC obtained results show a good correlation between the experimental and the estimated ANN values. The results prove a significant relationship between the ANN inputs and the drape coefficient. The algorithm developed can easily predict the drape coefficient of fabrics at different diameters.

A common problem faced in fabric manufacturing is the production of inconsistent fabric width on shuttleless looms in spite of the same fabric specifications. Weft-wise crimp controls the fabric width and it depends on a number of factors, including warp tension, temple type, fabric take-up pressing tension and loom working width. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of these parameters on the fabric width produced. Taguchi’s orthogonal design was used to optimise the weaving parameters for obtaining controlled fabric width. On the basis of signal to noise ratios, it could be concluded that controlled fabric width could be produced using medium temple type and intense take-up pressing tension at relatively lower warp tension and smaller loom working width. The analysis of variance revealed that temple needle size was the most significant factor affecting the fabric width, followed by loom working width and warp tension, whereas take-up pressing tension was least significant of all the factors investigated in the study.

During daily oral health care, dental surgeons are in contact with numerous potentially infectious germs from patients’ saliva and blood. Appropriate personal protection equipment should be chosen to mitigate these risks, but the garment must also be comfortable and not hamper activities. This paper presents our research work on optimised working clothing for dentists and discusses some important points in the functional design. Following a consumer study on how users wear the garment and what are their expectations, three main functions were investigated: protection, ergonomics and thermal comfort. Aesthetic appearance was also taken into consideration as it is necessary that the wearer should feel appropriately and attractively dressed in the context of health care. Concerning protection, spray tests in real conditions helped us to localise the potential contamination areas on the garment and led us to select a three-layered material that is protective and breathable enough. However, this part of the garments made from these fabrics exhibited low thermal comfort and the wearer felt some discomfort. In terms of ergonomics, instrumented garments were worn and pressure measurements were taken. The results highlight that a special shape and raglan sleeves should be selected for a better dynamic comfort. Concerning thermal comfort, an infrared camera was used to detect warm zones of the garment where heat and moisture transfers should be enhanced. Breathable, stretchable and shape-retaining knitted fabric that is usually used for sportswear was selected. These fabrics were strategically placed as low and high vents to promote a chimney effect, which minimises retention of heat and humidity inside the garment. The usual PES/cotton fabric was selected for the rest of the gown. Based on these results, a new gown has been proposed. Through fitting tests conducted in a hospital on 25 dentists, it was revealed that the new design was highly appreciated, particularly on the ergonomic structure of the sleeves and thermal comfort of breathable zones. However, some points can be further improved, such as durability of the PES/cotton fabric, the neck length or the shape of ‘breathable zones’. The final product will be produced based on necessary improvements