Authors
Haitham Abdel DaimA. Hassan
Topics
Textile materials and evaluationsAbdel Daim, H. Spinning, Weave and Knitting Department, Faculty of Applied Arts, Damietta University, Egypt. A.A. Hassan Cotton Research Institute. Agric. Res. Cent., Giza, Egypt. Abstract: Keywords: Comfort Properties Cotton Towels Water Absorption Air Permeability The main purpose of this research is to study the effects of yarn structure variables as key factors influencing the comfort characteristics of cotton towel fabrics. Results of this work can help the producers or manufacturer to create desired quality towel fabric using optimum yarn parameters. The heaviest Grams per Square Meter (GSM) and the highest water vapor permeability were recorded by the Egyptian variety (Giza 90) while the maximum water absorption and air permeability were recorded by the Sudan variety (Acala). It is shown that the mean values of all comfort properties except air permeability decreased when the yarn count and twist multiplier increased. It is obvious that most interaction effects among the yarn parameters (cotton materials, yarn count and twist multiplier) were no significant for all towel comfort properties. It is found negatively and highly significant correlation coefficient between air permeability and each one of the other towel comfort properties. On the other hand, it is indicated that the heavier and thicker towel had more ability to water absorption and water vapor permeability. Also, there was positive and highly significant relation between water absorption and water vapor permeability. Results indicated that there were positively and highly significant associations between yarn hairiness and all towel comfort properties except air permeability. On the contrary, negatively and highly significant associations were obtained between yarn properties being number of neps, thin and thick places and evenness CV % from one side and all towel comfort properties except air permeability from the other side. It is clear that the yarn elongation and yarn tenacity had weak and ineffective effects on the towel comfort properties. Paper received 28 th December 2020, Accepted 5 th January 2020, Published 1 st of April 2020 INTRODUCTION Towels are the most used textile structures in water related usage of terry-woven fabrics. The users prefer towels be more comfortable in terms of light weight, less thick and the lowest air and water vapor permeability. The highest moisture absorption is the great importance parameter of towel performance during end use. Although there are many industrial factors are very important for producing comfortable towels, but the yarn structure parameters play a fundamental role in achieving the desirable quality of towels. Durur and Öner (2013) showed that the use of the polypropylene fibers for the yarns in high-pile fabrics and the use of the cotton yarn in ground yarns have tend to provide the best comfort. Singh and Behera (2015) stated that producing highly absorbent terry fabric can be achieved by using longer, finer and hydrophilic fiber to produce soft, bulky, low twisted fine ring-spun pile yarn, further producing terry fabric having high loop density, optimum loop length, high thread density and loop shape factor. Cruz et al (2017) illustrated that terry towel is a fabric with loops on the surface either one or two sides of the fabric that can absorb huge amount of water compared to conventional structure. They added that the moisture absorption related properties of the terry fabrics studied depends up on the fabric weight, thickness and type of pile yarns used (e.g. single, plied or zero-twist). Abd El-Hady (2018) mentioned that the performance characteristics related behavior of terry towel fabrics were based on their fabric constructions parameters. He found that the towel construction, thickness, weight, the pile height are the towel properties affecting abrasion. High absorbency can be achieved in a towel by increasing the surface area with pile yarns and using microfiber yarns. The absorbency depends on type of fiber, yarn properties, fabric characteristics. The results for bursting strength revealed that the effect of yarn material, knit structure and pile height are highly significant in produced towels. The present study focused on the assessment of the effect of yarn structure variables (cotton materials, yarn count and twist multiplier) on the comfort properties for cotton towels. MATERIALS AND METHODS The comfort parameters of the terry-woven structures in accordance with their usage fields have been identified and in consideration of researched literature the weaving constructions have been arranged and the comfort properties have been examined. The commercial Egyptian cotton varieties Giza 86, Giza 90 and Giza 95 (follow the Long Staple category according to the local practice in Egypt) was chosen to be used as raw material for the current study. The cotton samples were taken from the 2018 crop. Cotton samples were spun using ring spun process system. Three yarn counts (12's, 14's and 16's Ne) and three twist multipliers (3, 3.5, and 4) were applied to study their effects on single yarn mechanical properties and their corresponding towel comfort properties. All fiber and yarn properties were measured under the optimum process conditions at laboratories of Cotton Technology Division of the Cotton Research Institute. Fibers The fiber properties being fiber strength at 2.5 span length (mm), uniformity index, fiber strength, fiber elongation %, micronaire reading, and short fiber index were measured by HVI 900 (High Volume Instrument). Yarns All towels were made from Ne 24/2 carded cotton form Giza 86 yarn in the ground warp; Ne 16/1 carded cotton form Giza 95 yarn in the ground weft; and Ne (12/1 & 14/1 & 16/1) form using Giza 90, Acala and Medling from Egyptian, Sudan and Greece yarns respectively that produced from staple fibers in the pile. The Cotton fiber properties used are given in Table (1). The yarn properties as affected by cotton materials, yarn count and twist multiplier are given in Table (2). The STATIMAT automatic tensile tester was used to measure the yarn mechanical properties being single yarn strength cN/tex and yarn elongation %. The test was performed according to the German Standards (DIN-53-834) under controlled atmospheric conditions. Coefficient of variation of the yarn evenness (CV %), number of neps +200/kg, number of thin places -50 % kg, number of thin places +50 % kg and yarn hairiness were measured by the Uster Evenness Tester III as described by the designation of the (A.S.T.M., 1984 D-2256).Table (1): Summary of average values of six fiber technological properties measured for the used cotton materials.Towel weaving It is used 20 picks/cm weft density and 28 ends/cm warp density for Pile/ground. The samples were prepared by considering their variable properties and were classified and evaluated by their characteristics. All of the fabrics were woven with the same weaving design is shown in Figure 1. Formation basic construction in Figure 2.Figure 1. The weaving design used in the samples. G: Ground warp; PF: Face pile warp; PB: Back pile warp & Figure 2. Formation basic constructionTable (2): Summary of average values of seven yarn properties as affected by cotton materials, yarn count and twist multiplier.Loom and Finishing Process The samples were woven in Picanol-Gamma-8-J (1998) dobby type towel weaving machines. The machine width was 190 cm with 4 pile frames having 8 weft insertion, 8 ground frames and 2 leno weaving frames with 16 frames. The bleaching process applied to cotton towels was used in towel samples in order to have repetitive towels like those selling in the market. No finishing process was applied for samples. The fabrics were treated with optical bleaching in the overflow machines. Test method Air permeability tests were made with TEXTTEST FX 3300 air permeability test equipment. According to ISO 9237 test standards, the test pressure for the normal fabrics is 100 Pa, the applied 20 cm2 test area and the measuring unit is mm/s. Water vapor permeability test was made with M261 Shirley water vapor permeability test equipment. The test was made in accordance with ISO 15496 test standards. The measuring unit is g/m2 /24h. The measuring of the velocity of soaking of textile fabrics in respect of water –also called the increasing level or liquid transfer velocity- was made in accordance with DIN 53924 standards under laboratory conditions which are 20±2 0 C and 65% relative humidity. The measurements were reported within in 60 seconds measurement time in both warp and weft directions. Statistical analysis The collected data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with three factors (cotton materials, yarn count and twist multiplier) to obtain their main effects and their interactions according to the procedure proposed by Snedecor and Cochran (1989). Least significant difference (L.S.D.) at 5 % level of probability was used to compare the tested treatments means. Simple correlation coefficients among towel comfort properties were computed. In addition, the associations between each one of the towel comfort properties and the yarn properties were obtained according to Snedecor and Cochran (1989). SPSS version 13 (SPSS, 2004) and Minitab version 14 (2005) statistical packages were used to automate the previous statistical analyses.
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PublishedApr 1, 2020
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