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Abstract:
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If an industrial service fabric were laundered only once, the fabric's properties might
not substantially change. However, workwear is expected to withstand fifty industrial
laundry cycles before the garment is removed from service. Abrasive forces from daily wear
alone can be sufficiently severe to cause fabric failure. However, in addition to these forces,
workwear must withstand the abrasion and chemical treatments in industrial laundering. The
end result is that fabrics experience deterioration of both physical and aesthetic properties
due to the rigors of intense laundering.
Previous efforts to improve the performance of polyester/cotton workwear fabrics
have been concentrated on careful dye selection and control to achieve a better union of
shade between disperse and vat dyes. However, the current research evaluated workwear
fabrics produced using different yarn spinning systems and blending methods to examine the
impact of greige manufacturing variables on laundered workwear fabric performance.
To accomplish this work, 14 Ne ring, open-end, air-jet yarns were spun from intimate
and drawframe blend 65/35 polyester/cotton stock. The yarns were then woven into a 2/1
twill construction and finished on a continuous dyeing and finishing range. Finished samples
were cut from each of the six fabric conditions to serve as controls for the experiment. The
remaining fabric was laundered fifty times under industrial laundering conditions. Samples
were removed after 15, 35, and 50 launderings for testing. All fabrics were tested for color
loss, pilling propensity, hand, abrasion resistance, and strength. Considering the experimental limitations, and with respect to the objectives of this thesis, the following general conclusions
were derived.
1. Fabrics produced with open-end spun yarns exhibited better color retention
during laundering than fabrics produced with air-jet and ring spun yarns. All
fabrics became lighter after laundering. Blending method had no overall effect
on laundered fabric shade.
2. Fabrics produced with air-jet spun yarns pilled less than fabrics produced with
open-end and ring spun yarns. Intimate blends were less prone to pilling than
drawframe blends. Laundering affected pill ratings, but the effect was
dependent on the length of time pill testing was performed on a fabric.
3. Fabrics produced with ring yarns had better total hand values than fabrics
produced with air-jet and open-end spun yarns. There was no difference in
the hand of fabrics produced with air-jet and open-end spun yarns. Hand
improved with laundering for all yarn types.
4. Fabrics produced from ring spun yarns had higher warp and filling tensile and
tear strength than fabrics produced from air-jet and open-end spun yarns.
Laundering increased filling tensile strengths and decreased warp tensile
strengths, while laundering decreased warp and filling tear strength. No clear
trend could be discerned for the effect of blending on fabric tensile and tear
strength.
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