Search Results (295)

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) represents significant risks to both textile durability and human health. Natural dyes are gaining attention as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic UV-blocking agents, offering aesthetic and functional benefits. This study explores the UV-protective properties of 100% cotton knit fabrics dyed with natural dyes—indigo, weld, and madder—using different mordanting processes, including materials with mordant abilities such as alum, pomegranate peel, and tannin extracted from quebracho. Twenty samples were evaluated, including undyed, individually treated, and combined dye-mordant formulations. UV protection was assessed through spectral transmittance and Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) measurements before and after washing. The results showed that natural dyes significantly improved the UV resistance of cotton fabrics, particularly when combined with products like pomegranate and the tannin–alum mixture. Notably, some samples demonstrated improved UPF and became darker after washing, such as mordant combinations like tannin with alum. These findings suggest that natural dye, when combined with appropriate mordants, offers a sustainable and effective approach to producing UV-protective textiles. This is particularly valuable in children’s clothing, where chemical safety and sun protection are crucial. Future research should investigate the influence of pH on dye stability and UV-blocking performance to optimise formulations for industrial use and long-term functionality. Full article

This study investigates the effects of waste for value addition in form of use of textile waste to comfortable and durable garments based on blending recycled cotton fibers extracted from spinning, weaving, and cutting waste with virgin cotton in different ratios of 70:30, 80:20, and 90:10 to produce yarns of 22/1 count, which are used to develop single jersey knitted T-Shirt, examining key properties such as mechanical and thermos-physiological properties. Grey fabric (unprocessed fabric) with a higher virgin cotton content and from spinning waste exhibited superior bursting strength, overall moisture management capacity, and thermal conductivity. In contrast, air permeability and water vapor permeability were highest in fabric made with weaving waste. After scouring and bleaching, the finished fabric (processed fabric) was compared with the grey fabrics. The results demonstrate that the finished fabric has slightly reduced bursting strength, water vapor permeability, and moisture management capacity while significantly enhancing air permeability and maintaining thermal conductivity. T-shirt properties were evaluated across various blend ratios and waste types over multiple washing cycles. Overall, the study demonstrates that recycled cotton fibers, particularly those from spinning waste, can be successfully produced into high-performance knitted t-shirts, offering a sustainable alternative to fully virgin cotton products without compromising performance significantly. Full article

This study investigates the bond behavior of fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites with three common masonry substrates—solid clay bricks (SBs), perforated bricks (PBs), and concrete hollow blocks (HBs)—using knitted polyester grille (KPG) fabric. Through uniaxial tensile tests of the KPG fabric and FRCM system, along with single-lap and double-lap shear tests, the interfacial debonding modes, load-slip responses, and composite utilization ratio were evaluated. Key findings reveal that (i) SB and HB substrates predominantly exhibited fabric slippage (FS) or matrix–fabric (MF) debonding, while PB substrates consistently failed at the matrix–substrate (MS) interface, due to their smooth surface texture. (ii) Prism specimens with mortar joints showed enhanced interfacial friction, leading to higher load fluctuations compared to brick units. PB substrates demonstrated the lowest peak stress (69.64–74.33 MPa), while SB and HB achieved comparable peak stresses (133.91–155.95 MPa). (iii) The FRCM system only achieved a utilization rate of 12–30% in fabric and reinforcement systems. The debonding failure at the matrix–substrate interface is one of the reasons that cannot be ignored, and exploring methods to improve the bonding performance between the matrix–substrate interface is the next research direction. HB bricks have excellent bonding properties, and it is recommended to prioritize their use in retrofit applications, followed by SB bricks. These findings provide insights into optimizing the application of FRCM reinforcement systems in masonry structures. Full article

The kinetics of liquid transport in textiles are determined by the thermodynamic boundary conditions and the substrate’s structure. The knitting process offers a wide range of possibilities for modifying the fabric structure, making it ideal for high-performance garments and technical applications. Given the highly complex nature of textiles’ interaction with liquids, this paper investigates how fabric structure affects combined wicking and drying behaviour. This facilitates comprehension of the underlying transport processes on the yarn and fabric scale, which is important for understanding the behaviour of the material as a whole. The presented experiment combines analysis of wicking through radial liquid spread using imaging techniques and analysis of the drying process through gravimetric measurement of evaporation. Eight samples of single jersey knitted fabrics were produced using polyester yarns of different texturization and fibre diameters on flat and circular knitting machines. The fabrics demonstrate significantly different wicking behaviours depending on their structure. The fabric’s drying time and rate are directly linked to the macroscopic spread of the liquid. Large inter-yarn pores hinder liquid spread. For the lowest liquid saturations, the yarn structure plays a critical role. Using fine, dense yarns can hinder convective drying within the yarn. Textured yarns tend to exhibit higher specific drying rates. The results offer a comprehensive insight into the interplay between the fabric’s structure and its wicking and drying behaviour, which is crucial for the development of functional fabrics in the knitting process. Full article

The excellent moisture transport properties of yarns play a crucial role in improving the liquid moisture transfer behavior within textiles and maintaining their thermal-wet comfort. However, the current research on the moisture management performance of fabrics made from yarns with excellent liquid transport properties primarily compares the wicking results, without considering the varying requirements of testing conditions due to differences in human sweating rates during daily activities. Moreover, the understanding of moisture transport mechanisms in yarns within fabrics under different testing conditions remains insufficient. In this study, two types of twisted combination yarns, composed of hydrophobic profiled polyester filaments and hydrophilic spun yarns to form a hydrophobic-hydrophilic gradient along the axial direction of the yarn, were developed and compared with profiled polyester filaments to understand the liquid migration behaviors in the knitted fabrics formed by these yarns. Results showed that hydrophobic profiled polyester filament yarn demonstrated superior liquid transport performance with infinite saturated liquid supply (vertical wicking test). In contrast, the twisted combination yarns exhibited better moisture diffusion properties under limited liquid droplet supply conditions (droplet diffusion test and moisture management test). These contradictory findings indicated that the amount of liquid moisture supply in testing conditions significantly affected the moisture transport performance of yarns within fabrics. It was revealed that the liquid moisture in the twisted combination yarns migrated through capillary wicking for moisture transfer. Under an infinite saturated liquid supply condition, the higher the content of hydrophilic fibers in the spun yarns, the greater the amount of moisture transferred, demonstrating an excellent liquid transport performance. Under the limited liquid droplet supply conditions, both the volume of liquid water and the moisture absorption capacity of the yarn jointly influence internal moisture migration within the yarn. It provided a theoretical reference for testing the internal moisture wicking performance of fabrics under different states of human sweating. Full article

The aim of this study was to compare the types, textile structures, labels, and fiber compositions of 64 red garments submitted as evidence in selected criminal cases between 2022 and 2024. The research enhanced the current knowledge of the characteristics of red clothing available to consumers and demonstrated the relevance of textile analysis in forensic science. Knitted fabrics were the most commonly used in the garments, followed by woven fabrics, nonwovens, and felts. Fiber identification focused on color and shade, generic classification, morphological structure, and chemical composition, revealing both similarities and distinctions among the samples. In a small percentage of cases, label information was found to be inaccurate. The study also examined the fiber content of threads, patches, logos, prints, and embroidery, underscoring the forensic potential of these often-overlooked elements. The identification of over 300 individual fibers enabled a critical evaluation of the analytical procedures and confirmed their effectiveness in forensic contexts. Full article

A crucial factor when developing e-textiles is ensuring their robustness and functionality during everyday activities, particularly washing. The ability to launder e-textile garments is not merely a matter of convenience but a necessity for widespread adoption. Incorporating electronics into textiles can lead to damage due to mechanical and chemical stresses, which most electronics are not designed to withstand. This work focuses on electronic yarn technology (e-yarn), in which electronic functionality is added to textiles by embedding small electronic components into a flexible yarn-like structure. First, the component is soldered onto thin conductive wires. The soldered component is then enclosed in a protective polymer resin (micro-pod). Micro-pods have different diameters depending on the size of the embedded electronic component. The ensemble is finally covered in a textile sheath. This study focuses on the wash durability of e-yarns integrated with textiles in three different ways: embroidered onto the surface of a woven fabric, within a knitted channel in a knitted fabric, and woven as a weft yarn. Further, the work studied the impact of using different sizes of micro-pods on the e-yarns’ wash durability. Ultimately, good wash durability was observed under all testing conditions. Full article

This study presents the development of a textile-based cascade filter for the removal of microplastics from an industrial laundry effluent. The cascade microfilter consists of three stages of 3D textile sandwich composite filter media, which have successively finer pores and are aimed at filtering microplastic particles down to 1.5 µm. Polypropylene fabrics with pore sizes of 100, 50 and 20 µm and 3D warp-knitted fabrics with high porosity (96%) were used. Filtration tests were carried out with polyethylene model microplastic particles at a concentration of 167 mg/L. To regenerate the filter and restore its filtration performance, backwashing with filtered water and compressed air was applied. Field trials at an industrial laundry facility and a municipal wastewater treatment plant confirmed high removal efficiencies. The 3D textile sandwich structure promotes filter cake formation, allowing extended backwash intervals and the effective recovery of filtration capacity between 89.7% and 98.5%. The innovative use of 3D textile composites enables a high level of microplastic removal while extending the filter media lifetime. This makes a significant contribution to the reduction in microplastic emissions in the aquatic environment. The system is scalable, space and cost efficient and adaptable to various industrial applications and is thus a promising solution for advanced wastewater treatment. Full article

A fuzzy prediction model has been developed considering the concentration of acetic acid (pH), temperature, and biopolishing time as input variables, while the color change, measured with DEcmc, between samples before and after biopolishing, was used as the output variable. The parameters influencing the color change in knitted cotton fabrics exhibit significant non-linearity. The fuzzy inference system proves to be an effective modeling tool, capable of representing non-linear relationships with a limited amount of experimental data. For the variables, triangular and trapezoidal membership functions were adopted, and a total of 27 rules were established in this research. It was observed that the impact of cellulase concentration on color change is relatively low, but it is strongly influenced by temperature, even at a constant concentration of cellulase. The model developed in this study was validated with an additional experimental data set. The developed system is capable of predicting shade changes with an accuracy of over 90%, which helps to reduce rework and reprocessing in the wet processing sectors. Full article

The textile industry generates a large amount of waste, producing approximately 92 million tons of textile waste annually, much of which ends up in landfills. This alarming figure highlights the need for an urgent waste management strategy. Mechanical recycling has emerged and is being explored as an alternative to manage this waste, enabling the transformation of discarded textiles into recycled fibers for the production of new materials. In this study, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted for five different knitted fabrics, considering the origin of their cotton content: from virgin cotton to post-industrial and post-consumer recycled cotton fibers, to evaluate the environmental impact of each fabric. The analysis revealed that the spinning, dyeing, and finishing processes were the primary contributors across multiple environmental impact categories. Specifically, for the Water Scarcity Potential (WSP) indicator, these processes accounted for 96% of the total impact. In terms of raw material contributions to water scarcity, organic cotton fiber had the highest impact at 54%, followed by post-consumer recycled cotton at 24% and post-industrial recycled cotton at 22%. Variations in environmental contributions were also observed for the remaining impact categories. A key challenge in this study is the lack of a dedicated impact category in LCA that directly quantifies the environmental benefits of using recycled materials. Specifically, current LCA methodologies do not have a standardized metric to measure the impact reduction achieved by substituting virgin fibers with recycled ones, even though comparisons indicate reduced impacts. Full article

The growing popularity of sporting activities has led to an increased demand for sportswear. Consequently, sportswear developers are, therefore, faced with the challenge of meeting the increasing and more demanding expectations of users. In this study, the effects of aging on sportswear materials made from recycled and conventional polyesters are investigated. The properties analyzed include mass per unit area, thickness, porosity, elongation, bending stiffness, abrasion, and wetting and drying behavior. The results showed that aging leads to an increase in fabric thickness, with recycled polyester showing the largest increase of 6.6%, as well as a reduction in porosity. In addition, recycled polyester exhibited the highest stiffness, while conventional polyester, with the lowest mass per unit area, had the lowest stiffness and offered greater flexibility in movement. Non-aged samples had a shorter wetting time, while the aged materials dried faster. As the material ages, its abrasion resistance decreases. However, the recycled polyester material showed better wear resistance after aging compared to standard materials, indicating its potential long-term durability. In summary, the results suggest that aging significantly affects the structure and functional properties of fabrics, which is important for designing durable sportswear that maintains optimal performance over time and use. Full article

Personal protection from mosquitos is dominated by topically applied aerosol sprays or lotions, which demonstrate efficacy durations of no longer than 10 h, thus encouraging the research and development of long-term insect-repelling devices. Repellent-loaded polymeric matrices have driven the development of insect-repelling apparel fabrics; however, most efforts either fail to offer the tensile properties demanded from apparel applications or only demonstrate repellency durations for multiple days. This study utilizes poly-D,L-lactic acid (PDLLA) as a compatibilizer between Nylon 12 and nootkatone for enhanced nootkatone retention throughout fabric manufacturing processes. Nootkatone-infused Nylon 12/PDLLA composites demonstrate up to a 14% increase in nootkatone retention throughout fabric manufacturing compared to pure Nylon 12, underscoring the importance of polymer/substrate miscibility on substrate retention. Moreover, while nootkatone-infused Nylon 12 filaments demonstrate decreasing tensile stress at breaks with increasing nootkatone content, Nylon 12/PDLLA filaments exhibit similar tensile properties regardless of nootkatone content. The PDLLA domains are suspected to behave as reservoirs for excess nootkatone to prevent its role as a defect within the Nylon 12 matrix. The resulting knits exhibit significant mosquito repellencies over 24 h dependent on the nootkatone concentration, thus demonstrating potential to embed insect repellent within high-performance polymeric filaments with effective mosquito repellencies. Therefore, the incorporation of PDLLA as a compatibilizer holds significant potential for enhanced nootkatone retention during Nylon 12 fabric manufacturing. Full article

Although the applicability of modal fibers and microfibers for the production of lingerie knitwear is confirmed by commercial use, their share in the total consumption of man-made cellulosic fibers is very low. Their applicability in the fabrication of one-by-one rib weft-knitted fabrics, as well as comparative analyses of the influence of differently spun modal and modal-micro yarns on physical, usage, esthetic and wearing comfort properties have not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, a comparative analysis of innovative rib knitted fabrics made of regular–fine modal fibers (1.3 dtex) and 1.0 dtex microfibers is therefore carried out to determine their properties at different relaxation stages. For this purpose, two lines of one-by-one rib fabrics were fabricated from ring-, air-jet- and open-end rotor-spun modal and modal-micro yarns in the same way. The results showed that rib lingerie fabrics fabricated from modal microfibers are lighter and thinner, have a higher voluminosity and moisture absorption capacity, and consequently have slightly lower porosity, breathability and abrasion resistance than fabrics made from modal regular–fine fibers, as well as comparable dimensional stability, tensile strength and pilling properties, but mainly after a wet relaxation treatment. Full article

Thermal and moisture properties of the textile materials worn in close contact with the skin greatly contribute to the comfort of the workwear and of the personal protective clothing (PPC) assemblies they are part of. This study examines in depth the thermoregulatory properties of eighteen knitted fabrics used in polo shirts and T-shirts, which function as thermal underwear, standard workwear compliant with various regulations, or as base layers in PPC systems. Most of the fabrics specifically engineered for heat protection demonstrated superior air permeability (ranging from 700 to 1200 mm/s) and efficient moisture management (OMMC 0.5–0.7). Their drying time varied between 12 and 18 min, comparable to most commodity fibre blend fabrics investigated. Generally, the heat-protective fabrics were heavier and exhibited greater thermal and vapour resistance. However, despite minor variations in predicted thermal comfort, seventeen of the fabrics were classified in the same cluster. These findings offer valuable insights into the thermal and moisture management properties of knitted fabrics with various levels of protection, and the correlations found between their thermoregulatory and physical properties, such as mass and thickness, provide guidance for the development of innovative knitted materials for workwear that enhance wearer comfort. Full article

Pore sizes on the micrometre scale are a critical factor influencing the fluid transport properties of textiles. Consequently, the pore size distribution function is a desirable parameter in the design of textiles for technical applications. However, the experimental determination of pore size and its distribution can be challenging, costly, or impractical. Knitted fabrics offer a wide range of porosity and pore size distribution properties. While statistical models have shown reasonable accuracy in predicting pore size distributions in nonwovens and filter media, no equivalent model exists for twist-texturized yarns and single-jersey knitted fabrics. This study presents a hierarchical pore model for single-jersey fabrics. The model uses a log-normal distribution for the intra-yarn pores in the yarn and cylindrical pores for inter-yarn pores between the yarns in the fabric. With these two pore sizes, the model quantitatively characterises the porous structure of the fabric. Initial validation of the model for intra-yarn pores on four yarns of different fibre finenesses shows that the model can cover the influence of different fibre counts. For the validation on the fabric scale, two tomography datasets of single-jersey knitted fabrics show that the presented model can capture the effect of different fabric structures. A parameter study visualises the effects of both yarn and knitting parameters on the pore size distribution function of single-jersey knitted fabrics. The mean pore sizes of the fabrics are given. The results deepen the understanding of the porous properties of knitted fabrics and provide a valuable direction for structural fabric development on knitting machines. Full article