Angora rabbit fibre attrition within knitted fabrics under rubbing forces

This paper reports Angora rabbit fibre damages within knitted fabrics under rubbing forces during Martindale pilling and abrasion tests, as well as pilling tendency and abrasion resistance of fabrics. Lyocell and cotton fibres have been blended with Angora rabbit and polyamide fibres and the samples are prepared with two different twist multipliers and fibre blends. It is observed that the cotton blended Angora fabrics have higher resistance to pilling than lyocell blended fabric. The higher twist multiplier also reduces the pilling of fabrics. SEM studies show that the combination of torsional and flexural fatigue is the leading cause of damage in Angora fibres during pilling cycle. Hair type of Angora fibres also behave differently under rubbing forces. Abrasion resistance of fabrics is significantly affected by fibre blend, twist multiplier and relaxation. Statistical analysis reveals the significance of interactions between these factors.