Volume 2, Issue 3

Surface degradation of linen fabric induced by laser treatment with the aim of reproducing an image was investigated and compared with the degradation induced by an electron beam and a heat source. The results confirm that the brown shades obtained by the laser beam are mainly due to surface tar formation, and that the degradation pattern is similar to that observed by treatment with an electron beam. Surface thermal treatment, however, showed different fibre behaviour.

Open textile structures made of AR glass filament yarns are finding increasing application in civil engineering, e.g. as reinforcement in thin concrete strengthening layers. A knowledge of material parameters is a precondition for the application of such materials. In this paper, experimental and numerical investigations aimed at collecting information on the uncertain material parameters of AR glass filament yarns are presented. This information serves as a basis for mathematical modelling. Uncertainty is here interpreted as fuzzy randomness, and quantified using fuzzy probability distribution functions.

The conditions of heat and moisture transport in a car-seat upholstery package are briefly presented, and the necessity of investigation especially of moisture transport is stressed. Three upholstery packages of different furniture covering textiles have been tested with the use of a measuring system for assessing moisture transport through flat textiles. The factor of absolute humidity changes over time determined on the boundary between the user and the upholstery package is described, and its usability for estimating a package application presented. An analysis of the curves of absolute humidity changes versus time allows us to draw the conclusion that inserting a component which blocks the moisture transport inside a package can disqualify the whole package, irrespective of the quality of the remaining components. Without forced ventilation inside the package, a package with the thinnest furniture covering textile has the best properties.

In the era of wearable computing, intelligent systems are breaking the bounds of traditional textiles and their design. The integration of the technologies with clothing, accessories, upholstery, or industrial technical textiles provides higher user-comfort and enables their seamless use in everyday activities. Polymer optical fibre (POF) materials are suitable for short-distance data transfer and can be combined with textile structures. The manufacture of the fibre is low cost, and the products are more durable than glass optic fibres. Applications for POF today are known in the automotive industry, consumer electronics, cabling, and measuring as optodes. Polymeric optical fibre (POF) made of polymethyl methacrylate PMMA has been on the market for the past 25 years, used for simple light guide and data transmission application. Perfluor (PF) polymers offer great new opportunities in the field of data communication because of low absorption losses. Optical polycarbonate (PC), and polystyrene (PS) are used for special applications. The POF materials are introduced, and their opportunities in textile integration are discussed.

In the article presented, the influence of yarn material parameters on the dynamic and stability of the working conditions in the twisting-and-winding system of the ringspinning frame during package (cop) formation was analysed. A computer programme simulating the dynamic phenomena during the spinning process formed the basis for this analysis. Changes of tension and balloon shape dependent on the yarn kind, characterised by yarn material density, the modulus of initial yarn rigidity and yarn friction coefficient were tested and analysed.

Modern disposable articles for personal and health care should offer excellent absorbency as well as comfort in use, need to be aesthetic and ensure discretion. There are numerous challenges facing the designers of nonwoven fabrics for absorption of body fluids, which result from various engineering contradictions. Combining all necessary functions, i.e. fluid acquisition, distribution and retention, in one uniform, simple composite made of fibers and superabsorbent polymer particles may be problematic. One can easily predict from theory that improving one parameter will result in a deterioration of another function. High-performance, multifunctional unitary structures require separation of functional components and their placement in a nonwoven web in a predetermined, oriented fashion. Some examples of such structures are proposed here and the experimental test results are discussed to demonstrate the advantages of the studied materials. The aesthetics of the finished article as well as the comfort of their use depend mainly on the bulk and mechanical properties of the absorbent core, such as integrity, softness and pliability. The paper provides some examples of engineered nonwoven webs having these desired attributes.