Exploring the Performance of Weft Knitted Polyester Fabric

Exploring the Performance of Weft Knitted Polyester Fabric
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April 13, 203
The textile industry constantly evolves, driven by innovation, sustainability, and consumer demands. Identifying suitable fabrics for various applications is crucial to meeting these requirements, and understanding fabric properties is essential for product development and performance. This report will examine a weft-knitted polyester fabric and compare it to a cotton fabric based on the Boden retailer specifications. The analysis will cover various aspects of fabric structure, composition, and performance, including mass per unit area, thickness, drape, resistance to pilling and abrasion, and color fastness. By comparing these fabrics, we aim to determine which fabric best suits the desired end-use and meets the retailer's requirements. Additionally, we will discuss the importance of commercial testing laboratories in the textile industry, ensuring product compliance with various standards and regulations. Finally, we will reflect on the learning journey and teamwork involved in the project.
Fabric Structure and Identification
The fabric under examination has a weft-knitted structure characterized by loops formed in the weft direction (Pasricha & Kadolph, 2009). Weft knits are known for their elasticity, flexibility, and ability to conform to body shapes, making them suitable for clothing items like t-shirts, sweaters, and activewear (Admassu et al., 2022).
The lab report confirmed the fabric's composition as polyester through microscopic analysis and burning tests. Polyester fibers are recognized for their smooth, tubular appearance under a light microscope and their characteristic behavior during burning tests, such as shrinking, melting, charring, and producing a plastic-burning smell. Polyester, derived from petroleum, is widely used in the textile industry due to its versatility, durability, and cost-effectiveness (Valderrama et al., 2019).
Fabric Properties
The fabric's mass per unit area, determined through the lab report, was 200.65 g/m2, and its thickness was measured at 0.58 mm. These values are essential for understanding the fabric's overall weight and thickness, which impact its suitability for specific applications. Furthermore, the fabric has an average of 16.66 visible courses and 19.66 visible wales per cm, which indicates its knit structure and density. The density of the knit affects the fabric's warmth, breathability, and durability (Frydrych et al., 2018).
Fabric Handle and Drape
The fabric's drape, or how it hangs and conforms to shapes, was assessed using the Cusick Drape Test. The fabric has an average drape coefficient of 13.0125, which indicates moderate drapability. This value suggests the fabric has a balanced blend of stiffness and fluidity, making it appropriate for various clothing applications. The fabric's bending length measurements also revealed flexural rigidity values of 17.2559 (length) and 13.664 (width), demonstrating its flexibility and ability to return to its original shape after bending.
Resistance to Pilling and Abrasion
The fabric's resistance to pilling was graded three at 500 and 1,000 revolutions, indicating a moderate resistance to pilling. Pilling resistance is critical for maintaining the fabric's aesthetic appearance and longevity (Wang & Qian, 2018). In terms of abrasion resistance, the fabric showed no breakdown after 20,000 revolutions using the Martindale method. The fabric's color change and pilling/surface disturbance grades also demonstrated good resistance to wear, suggesting that the fabric is likely to have a long lifespan in various clothing applications (Misra et al., 2020).
Color Fastness
The fabric's color fastness to washing, rubbing, and perspiration was tested according to the BS EN ISO standard. The fabric showed good resistance to color change and staining across different substrates. Colorfastness is crucial for maintaining the fabric's visual appeal and preventing color transfer to other garments during washing or wear (Tunakova et al., 2020). In the water test, the fabric displayed good color change resistance with sample grades ranging between 3 and 5, indicating that it is likely to maintain its color and appearance over time and with exposure to moisture (Tunakova et al., 2020).
Table and Description
Test/Property

Weft Knitted Polyester

Cotton Fabric

Boden Retailer Specification

Fabric Structure

Weft Knitted

Weft Knitted

Weft Knitted

Fiber Composition

Polyester

Cotton

Polyester/Cotton

Mass per unit area (g/m²)

200.65

180

180-220

Fabric Thickness (mm)

0.58

0.5

0.45-0.65

Visible Courses/cm

16.66

17

16-18

Visible Wales/cm

19.66

20

18-22

Drape Coefficient

13.0125

11.5

10-14

Flexural Rigidity (G)

Length: 17.2559

Length: 20.0

N/A


Width: 13.664

Width: 15.0

N/A

Pilling Resistance (Grade)

3

2

≥ 3

Abrasion Resistance

No breakdown

No breakdown

No breakdown


>20,000 revs

>15,000 revs

>10,000 revs

Color Fastness to Washing

3-5

4-5

≥ 4

Color Fastness to Rubbing

4-5

3-4

≥ 4

Color Fastness to Perspiration

3-5

3-4

≥ 3

In this analysis, we compare the performance of weft-knitted polyester fabric and a cotton fabric based on the Boden retailer specifications to determine their suitability for the intended end-use. We can conclude their relative advantages and disadvantages by examining the various properties and test results of these two fabrics.
The mass per unit area of the weft-knitted polyester fabric is 200.65 g/m², making it slightly heavier than the cotton fabric, which has a mass of 180 g/m². Despite the difference in weight, both fabrics fall within the acceptable range of the Boden retailer specifications (180-220 g/m²), making them suitable in terms of mass per unit area. Additionally, the polyester fabric has a thickness of 0.58 mm, which is only slightly greater than the cotton fabric's thickness of 0.50 mm. Both measurements are within the specified range of 0.45-0.65 mm, ensuring compliance with the retailer's requirements.
When considering the number of visible courses and wales per centimeter, the polyester fabric has 16.66 courses/cm and 19.66 wales/cm, slightly lower than the cotton fabric, which has 17.00 courses/cm and 20.00 wales/cm. Despite the minor differences in these measurements, both fabrics meet the retailer's specifications of 16-18 courses/cm and 18-22 wales/cm, indicating that they have comparable knit structures and densities.
The drape coefficient, which reflects a fabric's drapability or the way it hangs and conforms to shapes, is another important aspect of comparison (Hussain et al., 2019). The polyester fabric has a drape coefficient of 13.0125, suggesting moderate drapability. In contrast, the cotton fabric has a slightly lower drape coefficient of 11.5, indicating that it is somewhat stiffer. However, both fabrics' drape coefficients fall within the acceptable range of the Boden retailer specification (10-14), ensuring that they can be utilized for the intended end-use.
The pilling resistance test is a crucial factor in determining a fabric's durability, as it indicates the fabric's ability to withstand the formation of small fiber balls on its surface. In this comparison, the polyester fabric outperforms the cotton fabric, achieving a grade 3 in pilling resistance compared to the cotton fabric's grade 2. The polyester fabric meets the retailer's minimum requirement of grade ≥ 3, while the cotton fabric falls short. This suggests that polyester fabric has a higher resistance to pilling and may have a longer lifespan compared to cotton fabric.
Care Label and Identification of Best Fabric
The weft knitted polyester fabric outperforms the cotton fabric in most categories based on the Boden retailer specifications, making it the best-performing fabric for the desired end-use. Therefore, creating an appropriate care label that includes necessary information and symbols for the UK market is crucial.
The care...