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Abstract:
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Because of the consumers desire to have knit fabrics
that are chemical free, yet have excellent quality and
performance characteristics, controlling fabric performance
requires a complete working knowledge of knit finishing.
Thus, understanding how knits behave at each processing
stage is crucial in providing the information necessary to
determine the best processing methods to achieve ideal
fabric physical properties.
Much research has been conducted on developing
stability of the final fabric during knitting. It has been
determined that fabric parameters such as weight, quality,
and dimensional stability could be determined at the
knitting stage. The opportunity exists when trying to reach
these parameters as a result of the forces imparted on the
fabric during processing of the fabric.
In studying the effect of preparation, dyeing, drying
and mechanical finishing techniques on shrinkage and other
physical properties of cotton jersey and fleece knits, both
styles were processed through six different preparation
methods. The prepared fabric was then dyed black by four
means which included three dye jets and pad batch dyeing.
The next step was for the fabric to be extracted and plaited
to a consistent width prior to drying on two separate dryers. The fleece style was napped, leaving compacting as
the final step for both styles. These machine
configurations were to provide important information on the
changes that occurred in the physical properties of the
fabric occurring between processing steps.
Testing evaluations of the fabric samples determined
that not only did each process step influence the fabric
performance, but also the different components within that
processing step had differing effects to the fabric. The
results showed that tension and stretching actions-·must be
minimized during early processing steps, preparation and
dyeing, to have any reasonable chance of obtaining optimum
fabric stability and performance in the final fabric.
Drying method had no influence on jersey fabric properties,
yet for the fleece fabric, drying affected bursting
strength, courses per inch, and fabric yield. In an attempt
to improve length shrinkage and width, compacting was
utilized. This goal was obtained, but at the cost of
sacrificing width shrinkage, bursting strength, and a
consistent shade in the final fabrics.
This research has shown that each stage of knit
processing can drastically change the physical properties of
the final finished fabric. The results will allow knit
finishers to understand the effects of each production step
on cotton jersey and fleece knits.
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