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Abstract:
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The hand of fabrics made from open end yam has been described as being
harsher, crisper, and rougher than the hand of fabrics produced with ring spun yam.
In an attempt to improve the hand of jersey fabrics knit from open end yams, yam
hairiness, twist, and wrapper fiber formation were altered. Navel type, rotor type,
rotor speed, doff tube type, and sliver preparation variables were also selected for this
research. The effects of navels with fluted inserts was a specific area of interest of
this study.
The hand of the fabrics was measured on the Kawabata Evaluation System (KES)
and verified with subjective hand testing. The following combinations of variables
were found to result in softer fabric hand: 33G rotor and 98,000 rpm rotor speed;
32T rotor and 108,000 rpm rotor speed; combed sliver spun with aggressive doff
tube; carded· sliver spun with smooth doff tube; and navel with a fluted insert.
The navels with fluted inserts were found to have an impact on both yam
characteristics and fabric hand. These navels were associated with hairier yams,
yarns with fewer wrapper fibers, yams with more Uster defects, yams that generated
more lint, and softer fabrics. These navels were found to improve the hand with
some compromise to certain yam quality characteristics. The navel that resulted in
the least amount of yam quality compromise while. contributing to good fabric hand
characteristics was the spiral face ceramic navel with the fluted insert in the throat.
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