International Journal of Textile and

Fashion Technology (IJTFT)

ISSN(P): 2250-2378; ISSN(E): 2319-4510
Vol. 4, Issue 5, Oct 2014, 21-26
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

EFFECT OF TIGHTNESS FACTORS ON DIMENSIONAL PROPERTIES

OF KNITTED FABRIC
N. ARYA1, K. KHAMBRA2, N. YADAV3, S. ARYA4 & V. SINGH5
1,2,3,5

Department of Textiles & Apparel Designing, COHS, CCS HAU, Hisar, Haryana, India
4

DES (KVK) Damla, CCS HAU, Hisar, Haryana, India

ABSTRACT
In a country like India, with extremes of temperature and humidity, garments made from natural fibres in cotton
or blends of manmade and natural fibres are certainly preferred to pure synthetics for reason of environment and health.
The proposed study conducted to assess the influence of the yarn properties and dimensional properties of cotton /polyester
blends in on tightness factor of the fabric. Blend influence on dimensional properties of weft knitted fabrics in different
ratios was studied. The P/C blended yarn in the proportions 0:100, 20:80, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, 80:20 and 100:0 was
produced by OE spinning system. The yarns produced in different ratios were used to study various yarn parameters
i.e. yarn diameter, yarn tenacity and elongation and blended knitted fabric was produced to study the dimensional
properties such as loop length, stitch density, tightness factor, loop shape factor and area shrinkage. The study revealed that
blending of cotton with polyester in different ratios was found to improve certain properties of cotton as well as polyester
yarn. The dimensional properties- Loop length and area shrinkage decreased significantly where as stitch density and
tightness factor increased significantly with the increased proportion of polyester in the blend.

KEYWORDS: Blend, Dimensional, Loop Length, Stitch Density, Shrinkage

INTRODUCTION
Blending is the mixing of two or more fibres with dissimilar physical and chemical properties in terms of
spinning, weaving/knitting, finishing and in use. The blends are made to produce yarns with quality that cannot be obtained
by using one type of fibre alone. It is also practiced for reasons of economy of production and shortage of cotton.
Blending also helps in modifying the desirable properties of the yarn and fabrics (Rawat and Goel, 2004). Poly-cotton
blends are strong, durable and tear-resistant, thanks to the fact that polyester fibers are far more elastic than cotton alone
(Heidelberger, 2014).
Properties of any knitted fabrics depend on its basic properties of yarn, fabric dimensional properties and its
spinning process used. One of the parameters which is considered important is the fabric tightness factor (TF) sometimes
referred to as the cover factor and it encompasses material used for yarn formation, linear density and diameter which has
direct influence on properties of knitted fabrics. Postle found at linear relationship between fabric bulk density and the
parameter (gK/1.3), where K is the fabric tightness factor defined as follows:

Where
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N. Arya, K. Khambra, N. Yadav, S. Arya & V. Singh

L: Loop length (it can be defined as the length of yarn in the smallest repeating unit of structure, i.e. on knitted
loop)
G: Fibre specific gravity
T: Yarn linear density
In recent years, due to improvement in living standard, it has become more common for garments to be selected or
discarded based on overall performance. The dimensional properties of knitted fabrics have been one of the most discussed
subjects in the textile industry as well as in the research field. In the present study, yarn parameters and the dimensional
properties of pure and blended fabrics such as loop length, stitch density, tightness factor, loop shape factor and area
shrinkage were determined to analyze the effect of blends in different proportions on the weft knitted fabrics.
Therefore, the work was conducted to study the influence of the yarn properties and dimensional properties on tightness
factor of the fabric and relationships existed between tightness factor, density, loop shape factor, area shrinkage with
respect of polyester/ cotton blend composition.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The raw material selected for the study includes cotton and polyester. The blending and spinning (40s) of two
fibres (polyester and cotton) was done by batch method in ratios of 0:100, 20:80, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, and 80:20,100:0.
The knitting of the fabric was done on circular weft knitting machine with 26-inch diameter.
Determination of Yarn and Fabric Dimensional Properties
The yarns and fabric of different proportions were conditioned in standard conditions (Relative humidity 652%
and temperature 222 C) and tested for yarn parameters i.e. diameter, tenacity & elongation and plain weft knitted fabric
(produced from the blended yarns on a Round Circular Machine) for dimensional properties loop length, stitch density,
tightness factor, loop shape factor and area shrinkage as per standard procedures.
Stitch length in cms (L) was calculated from the number of wales and the average course length. Other parameters
were tested by standard test procedures. Dimensional properties of fabrics were calculated from the following equation
proposed by Munden and Postle.
Kc: CPC L (Product of courses per cm and stitch length)
Kw: WPC L (Product of wales per cm and stitch length)
Ks: Kc Kw (product of Kc and Kw)

Impact Factor (JCC): 2.9594

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

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Effect of Tightness Factors on Dimensional Properties of Knitted Fabric

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

This section includes the information regarding yarn properties and fabric dimensional properties.
Analysis of Yarn Properties
This section includes the details of different blended yarns of polyester-cotton spun with 40S on open end spinning
mechanism. Seven yarns with varying proportions i.e., 100 per cent cotton, 20 per cent polyester with 80 per cent cotton,
40 per cent polyester with 60 per cent cotton, 50 per cent polyester with 50 per cent cotton, 60 per cent polyester with
40per cent cotton, 80 per cent polyester with 20 per cent cotton and 100 per cent polyester were prepared and tested for
yarn diameter, yarn tenacity and elongation. The data pertaining to different parameters of various yarn proportions are
tabulated in Table 1.
Yarn Diameter
The finest diameter with a mean value of 0.189 mm was observed in 100 per cent polyester, followed by 80:20
P/C blend (0.227 mm), 60: 40 P/C blend (0.232 mm), 50:50 P/C (0.245 mm), 40:60 P/C (0.251 mm) and 0.304 mm in
20:80 P/C blend. The diameter increased significantly with the increase in the ratio of cotton in the blend and was
maximum for 100 per cent cotton with a mean diameter of 0.326 mm. The results vary significantly with CD (0.05).
This variation might be due to the inherent properties of cotton fibre which have more bulkier quality as compared to 100
per cent polyester. Results also correlated by stating that fibre fineness plays an important role towards realization of yarn
strength. So, finer the fibres, stronger will be the yarns.
Table 1: Effect of Different Ratios of Polyester/ Cotton on Yarn Properties (Yarn Count 40S)
Yarn Properties
Diameter (mm)
Tenacity (g/tex)
Elongation (%)

0:100
0.326
13.90
10.45

20:80
0.304
15.82
8.54

40:60
0.251
16.65
7.98

P: C Blend Ratio
50:50 60:40 80:20
0.245 0.232 0.227
18.36 18.39 18.41
7.82
6.74
6.10

100:0
0.189
25
5.68

CD (=0.05)
0.05
0.54
0.19

CV (%)
9.22
3.39
2.78

Yarn Tenacity
It was observed that pure polyester yarn had the maximum tenacity with a mean value of 25 g/tex. The tenacity
was found to be decreased as the percentage of polyester in the yarn decreases. It was 18.41 g/tex in case of 80:20, 18.39
g/tex in 60:40, 18.36 g/tex in 50:50, 16.65 g/tex in 40:60 and 15.82 g/tex in 20:80 polyester cotton yarns. It was minimum
in case of pure cotton yarn having a mean value of 13.90 g/tex. The tenacity of yarns differed significantly with CD (0.54).
It might be due to more strength and higher torsional rigidity of polyester fibre as compared to cotton fibre. The data show
significant positive correlation between tenacity and elongation (r=0.96).
Yarn Elongation
An opposite trend, as in case of yarn tenacity, was observed for yarn elongation where 100 per cent cotton yarn
had highest elongation at break, i.e., 10.45 per cent followed by the blends with decreasing percentage of cotton in blended
yarns and it was lowest in case of polyester with the mean value of 5.68 per cent. It was found that coarser yarn had higher
elongation than finer yarns. It was concluded that yarn diameter and tenacity, increased whereas elongation decreased with
increased proportion of polyester in the blend. The overall variability level in various yarn parameters was also studied
using coefficient of variation (CV). Elongation percentage showed very low variability with CV= 2.78.
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N. Arya, K. Khambra, N. Yadav, S. Arya & V. Singh

Dimensional Properties
Loop Length
Loop length being a measure of knitting quality was ranging from 0.276 to 0.296 cm for 0:100 to 100:0 P/C
blended fabrics. It is evident from the data that pure cotton had maximum loop length, i.e., 0.296 cm and it decreased with
the increased proportion of polyester in the blended fabric. Mean loop length values for 20:80, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40 and
80:20 P/C were 0.285, 0.283, 0.281, 0.280 and 0.278 cm, respectively. Hundred per cent polyester had minimum loop
length with the mean value of 0.276 cm as compared to 100 per cent cotton. But loop length of different fabrics varied
slightly (CD=0.002). Maximum loop length value for cotton may be due to natural twist/crimp in the fibre.
Table 2: Dimensional Properties of Weft Knitted Fabrics with Different Blend Ratios
Fabric Properties
Loop length (cm)
Stitch density/ cm2
Tightness factor
Loop shape factor
Area shrinkage
Wales (%)
Course (%)
N.S.= Non-significant

0:100
0.296
271.8
13.08
1.102

20:80
0.285
273.6
13.63
1.075

P:C Blend Ratios

40:60 50:50 60:40
0.283 0.281 0.280
276.8 281.6 288.6
13.68 13.83 13.93
1.075 1.100 1.073

80:20
0.278
298.6
13.97
1.071

100:0
0.276
297
14.03
1.095

CD ( =0.05)
0.002
9.91
0.101
N.S.

CV (%)
0.80
3.87
0.82
3.86

5.0
8.5

4.90
6.8

3.82
4.1

0.90
1.0

0.13
0.2

0.28
0.14

11.85
4.10

2.00
3.5

1.95
2.4

Stitch Density
Stitch density which is considered as a parameter of the product of wales per centimeter and courses per
centimeter varied with mean value from 271.8 to 297.0 per sq. cm against 0:100 to 100:0 P/C/ blended fabric, respectively.
The data indicated that polyester fabric had maximum stitch density followed by 80:20 and 60:40 P/C ratios with 298.6 and
302.6 stitch density, respectively. The blended fabric with P/C ratio 50:50 had 281.6 stitch density whereas 40:60 had
276.8 cm2. The stitch density in case of 20:80 P/C blended fabric was 273.6 cm2. It was observed that 100 per cent cotton
fabric had minimum stitch density. The results are statistically significant with CD 9.917. It is clear from the results that
stitch density increased with the decrease of loop length of the samples except in case of 60:40 blended fabrics. It was
found that stitch density increases for tighter structures and decreased for slack structure which might be due to the fact
that width expansion often occurs at lower levels of tightness factor.
Tightness Factor
With the perusal of the data (Table 2) it was noticed that the tightness factor of the knitted fabric increased with
the increase in polyester content in the blends. The data indicated that tightness factor value was more (14.03) for 100:0
blended fabric as compared to 0:100 blend which had the lowest value (13.08) of tightness. Among the other blends,
tightness factor increased from 20:80 (13.63) to 80:20 P/C blend (13.97). It was 13.68 for 40:60 P/C blend, 13.83 for 50:50
and 13.93 for 60:40 P/C blend. It is clear that TF increased with the increased proportion of polyester in the blend, which
might be due to more bulkiness and loop length of the cotton as compared to polyester. Cotton being more bulkier, had
more loop length, therefore incorporates less loops in the same area. It was noticed that in plain knitted fabrics, increase in
loop length reduced the tightness factor.
Loop Shape Factor
The parameter (LSF) is the ratio of the width of the loop to the length of the loop. The LSF of 50:50 and 0:100
Impact Factor (JCC): 2.9594

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

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Effect of Tightness Factors on Dimensional Properties of Knitted Fabric

P/C blended fabric was more (1.1) followed by 100:0 P/C blend with an overall mean value of 1.095. The loop shape factor
for 40:60 and 20:80 P/C blend was found to be equal, i.e., 1.075 whereas it was 1.073 in case of 60:40 P/C fabric sample
and 1.071 for 80:20 P/C blend. It was observed that the loop shape fabric parameter did not follow any specific increasing
or decreasing trend with the increase or decrease in any other parameter as it depends on the number of wales and courses
in a fabric sample.
Area Shrinkage
Area shrinkage was determined walewise as well as coursewise. The data indicated that area shrinkage of knitted
fabrics in walewise direction decreased with the increase of polyester content in the blend. It was observed that area
shrinkage was maximum in pure cotton (5%) and it decreased from 4.90 per cent against 20:80 P/C blend to 0.90 per cent
for 80:20 blend. The shrinkage values were 3.82 for 40:60 whereas it was 2.0 per cent for 50:50 and 1.95 per cent for 60:40
P/C blended fabric. Area shrinkage was nearly absent in case of 100:0 P/C blend. The similar trend was observed in
coursewise direction also. It was maximum in case of cotton with a mean shrinkage value of 8.5 per cent whereas it was
minimum (0.2%) in case of polyester fabric. Area shrinkage decreased from 6.8 per cent (20:80) to 1.0 per cent against
80:20 in case of blends. It decreased significantly (CD=0.28 for wales and 0.14 for course) from 0:100 to 100:0 P/C blend.
It was noticed that area shrinkage was more in coursewise direction as compared to walewise direction. This might be due
to more usage of yarn in coursewise direction. Dake (2007) noticed that P/C knits showed maximum dimensional stability,
compared to cotton and N/C knits. Sundaram (2007) also observed that polyester cotton blended knits have better
dimensional stability than pure cotton knits. It is clear from the results that loop length and area shrinkage decreased
whereas stitch density and tightness factor of P/C blended yarns increased with increased proportion of polyester in the
blend. Maximum variability was observed in area shrinkage (CV wales = 11.85 and CV course = 4.10) followed bulk
(CV=5.46) and stitch density (CV=3.87), loop length (CV = 0.80) and tightness factor (CV=0.82) showed very low
variability.

CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that tightness factor of polyester/ cotton knitted fabric is significantly affected by polyester
content. As the polyester content increased in the proportion the tightness factor of blended fabric increased. Diameter and
elongation Tightness of P/C blended yarns decreased with the increase in polyester ratio in blend. Tenacity increased with
the increase in polyester content in the blend. Area shrinkage also decreased with the increase of polyester in the blend.
Hence, tightness of the fabric is affected by dimensional properties of fabrics.

REFERENCES
1.

Dake. (2007). CIRCOT Seminar on Future Prospects of Knitting and Knitwear, Colourage, 94-98.

2.

Heidelberger,

M.

(2014).

About

Polyester

Cotton

Blend.

Retrieved

on

June

19,

2014.

from http://www.ehow.com/about_5114277_polyester-cotton-blend.html
3.

Postle, R. (1974). A geometrical assessment of the thickness and bulk density of weft knitted fabrics. Journal of
Textile Institute, 65: 155.

4.

Rawat, S. and Goel, A. (2004). Effect of blending on physical properties of yarn. Textile Magazine, 8: 51-52.

5.

Sundaram, V. (2007). Dimensional stability of P/C blends. Colourage, 8: 981

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