Dimensional, pilling, and abrasion properties of weft knits made from open-end and ring spun yarns

This paper focuses on the dimensional, pilling, and abrasion properties of a series of plain jersey, lacoste, and two-thread fleece fabrics made from cotton ring and open-end spun yarns as well as from blend yarns (50/50 cotton/polyester, dyed). The results show that both structural differences and fiber type play a large part in determining the dimensions of these fabrics. It is apparent that the knits from blend yarns have a lower dimensional stability when compared to fabrics from 100% cotton ring and open-end spun yarns. Findings for the two-thread fleece fabrics suggest that the inlay yarn mainly governs their dimensional behavior in the widthwise direction. The pilling tendency of the test samples and their resistance to abrasion are evaluated with the ICI pilling box (at three different test revolutions) and the Martindale abrasion tester, respectively. In addition, an extensive SEM examination is used to study the effect of fiber type and repeated launderings on both pilling development and the degree of fiber damage within fuzz assemblies. The results show that unlike plain jersey fabrics, lacoste fabrics perform very well, and that in general fabrics knitted from open-end spun yarns have a lower propensity to pilling. In the case of the two-thread fleece structure, the samples from 100% cotton (i.e., both face and fleece yarn) open-end yarns have higher pilling rates compared to FBOE (face yarn is cotton, fleece yarn is 50/50 PET/cotton) and FBB (both face and fleece yarn are 50/50 PET/cotton) fabrics. The SEM study reveals that for the same number of test revolutions, the degree of damage to fibers within the fuzz entanglements tends to increase with an increased number of launderings, and that the kind of damage varies from small cracks and fractures to slight flaking, depending on the fabric and yarn type. Note, however, that any damage occurring as a result of repeated launderings and pilling tests is not as severe as that reported in the literature. The lacoste fabrics have the least resistance to abrasion.