Textile Research Journal

The presence of foreign matter affects the quality and ultimately the monetary value of cotton lint. Current methods, such as the High Volume Instrument, compute the overall area of the foreign matter, but cannot identify the specific type. A fluorescent imaging system was investigated to classify the six types of botanical and seven types of non-botanical foreign matter under blue and ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED) excitation lights, respectively. Two color models (RGB (red, green, blue) and HSV (hue, saturation, value)) were used and ratio images and single-channel images were examined. The F-values from the multivariate analysis of variance were used to select the three most contributing color features from the blue LED (R/G, H, V) and the UV LED dataset (B/G, S, V). The linear discriminant analysis model achieved classification rates of 80% or higher for bract, green leaf, hull, paper, plastic bag, plastic packaging, seed, and stem, and classification rates between 60% and 80% for bark, seed coat, and twine. The study demonstrated that fluorescence imaging is a promising tool to classify major types of cotton foreign matter and could be used for cotton classing.

The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of alkyl-dimethyl-benzyl-ammonium chloride (ADBAC), a cationic surfactant commonly employed as an antimicrobial agent, on hydroentangled nonwoven fabrics (applicable for wipes) including raw cotton, bleached cotton, and their blends with polyester (PES) were studied at room temperature. The adsorption kinetics of ADBAC on all nonwoven fabrics was best described by the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Unlike bleached cotton/PES blends, the equilibrium adsorption capacities of ADBAC on raw cotton/PES blends were enhanced in comparison with predictions based on the binary mixing rule. The adsorption rates for raw cotton, determined by the KASRA (kinetics of adsorption study in the regions with constant adsorption acceleration) model and Elovich equation, were significantly greater than those for bleached cotton, resulting in a rapid decrease of adsorption rates when blending with PES, which has a negligible interaction with ADBAC. This distinctive adsorption property of raw cotton was attributed to its unique surface characteristics induced by the hydroentangling process: retained pectin, partial removal of waxes, and surface fibrillation, which enhance electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interaction, and accessible surface area to ADBAC, respectively. In adsorption isotherms, raw cotton/PES blends exhibited a non-linear decrease in maximum adsorption capacity and monolayer adsorption capacity, calculated by the Langmuir and Langmuir-type equations, respectively, as a function of PES blend ratio.

Spinal curvature and postural deviation are commonly found in female patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of applying a tailor-made posture correction girdle on patients with early scoliosis with the aim to help them to improve their imbalanced posture and reduce the likelihood of curve progression. A total of 10 subjects who were female adolescents with symptoms of early scoliosis were recruited through a school-screening program to undertake a 3-month wear trial with the posture correction girdle. The Vicon motion capture system has also been employed to evaluate the short-term effectiveness of this therapeutic girdle on posture correction. The results show that the imbalanced posture of the subjects improves after the 3-month wear trial, and the effect is particularly significant for the acromion in the frontal plane in a standing posture. Posture could be improved with posture training. This study shows that there is an improving trend in posture and effectiveness of motion control through the use of the posture correction girdle.

In this study, the effects of vacuum steaming process parameters on physical properties, tensile properties and twist liveliness values of spun and filament 100% polyester yarns were investigated. For this purpose, yarns having different twisting coefficients and different numbers were twisted, and afterwards they were exposed to vacuum steaming at different temperatures and for different durations.

Linear density, hairiness, unevenness values, tensile properties and twist liveliness of these yarns were measured before and after vacuum steaming. The results obtained were assessed by means of COSTAT and SPSS statistical analysis programs and variation analysis, and Student–Newman–Keuls tests were carried out at 5% (0.05) level of significance.

The results of this study indicate that the effects of vacuum steaming temperature and duration on tensile properties, unevenness, hairiness and twist liveliness of spun polyester yarns, and tensile properties and twist liveliness of filament polyester yarns, are statistically significant.

Wound management has become more sophisticated as modern wound dressings now focus more on providing an optimal microclimate for wound healing. As a novel three-dimensional textile material, warp-knitted spacer fabrics are versatile enough to meet special requirements when their parameters are changed. This paper reports on an experimental study on the required physical properties of warp-knitted spacer fabrics that can be developed as an absorbent layer for advanced wound dressing. Three types of wound dressings available on the market have been chosen that are especially used for burns and ulcers, as they are designed to provide good absorbing of extrudes and a cushioning effect. The physical properties of spacer fabrics, including air permeability, thermal conductivity, water vapor permeability, absorbency and compression, are evaluated and compared with those of existing wound dressings. The results show that the air and water vapor permeabilities and the thermal conductivity of warp-knitted spacer fabrics are competitive enough to prove that spacer fabrics can also provide a good ventilated environment for wound healing. Their good compressional resistance and compressional resilience indicate that warp-knitted spacer fabrics can provide good protection as wound dressings. Although their absorbency is only somewhat better than some of the wound dressings, they are also good for wounds with no heavy extrudes.

This study aimed to determine the relative effects of fiber type (fine wool, mid-micron wool, acrylic), yarn type (high-twist, low-twist, single), and fabric structure (single jersey, half-terry, terry) on thermal resistance, water vapor resistance, thermal conductance, water vapor permeability, liquid absorption capacity, and regain of sock fabrics. Fabric structure had the greatest effect on thermal resistance, water vapor resistance, water vapor permeability, liquid absorption capacity, and thermal conductance. Terry fabrics were the most thermal and water vapor resistant, most absorbent, and most conductive. Results were consistent with current understanding of the effect of fabric thickness on thermal and moisture transfer properties when measured under static conditions: However, the effects of yarn type and/or fabric structure of sock fabrics have not previously been explained.

Honeycomb woven fabric is a single layer of fabric exhibiting three-dimensional (3D) cellular shape on both fabric sides due to the combination of periodic straight yarn floats and partial plain weave. In a fabric weave repeat, the triangle shape of increased yarn floats and crossed diagonal woven lines form two inverted pyramidal spaces on the fabric surfaces and a closed internal space. This particular 3D architecture is bound to influence the fabric transfer and mechanical properties. This study investigated these properties for honeycomb weaves experimentally, including air resistance, thermal conductivity, water absorption and vapor transmission rate, bending rigidity, compressional energy and tensile behavior. The typical two-dimensional plain woven fabrics with the same yarns and density were set as references and elastic yarns were considered as a factor of effect on the fabric properties. The measurements by the Kawabata Evaluation System and Instron machine show that the honeycomb woven fabric has enhanced air permeability and water absorption, as well as lower thermal conductivity compared to that of the plain woven fabric. Higher bending rigidity, compressional energy and Young’s modulus are also observed for honeycomb fabrics. The mechanical properties are found to be affected significantly by applying the elastic yarns to the honeycomb woven fabrics.

Body shape and size reached by an adult human being are the results of complex growth processes and development occurring during childhood and youth. To develop a suitable size system, anthropometric measurements of the selected population should be carried out. For this purpose, a sample of 4071 girls aged 13–20 years in Croatia was measured. As the basis for a new method of clothing size system, the system and methods defined in the standards HRN EN 13402 (1^st–3^rd parts) were used. Factor and two-stage cluster analyses were performed in this research and as a result three girl body types were obtained. Also 56 sizes for a girl’s lower body with a coverage rate of 77.7% were determined.

A novel laser light-sensitive yarn based on a thermoplastic polyester–urethane (TPU) has been prepared and analyzed. Since the thermosensitive shape memory polymer yarn (SMP yarn) has been functionalized using nanoscale heat sources exhibiting light-induced heat generation, the yarn is capable of an optically triggered shape memory effect (SME). For this purpose gold nanorods (GNR) have been employed. In addition to the incorporation of GNR into the yarn, a coating of GNR on the yarn is also proposed, applied by a semi-continuous layer-by-layer (LBL) technique. The SME of the functionalized yarns can be triggered either thermally or optically and has a strain recovery of almost 100%. The light-induced SME is triggered by a low-powered laser (808 nm, 2 W for a GNR-incorporated and 1 W for a GNR-coated TPU yarn). A reference yarn without GNR showed no significant effect. An adaptive structure featuring a SMP-yarn backed shape memory effect has been proposed and demonstrated.