Trxrrm REsreRcs JouRNnI_

Spirality of Knitted Fabrics

Part II: The Effect of yarn SpinningTechnologyon spirality

M. D. oE AReuro
Centro de Tecnologia Textil, (lniversidade do Minho, Guimaraes 4800, portugal

G. W. Sunn
Collegeof Textiles,North CarolinaSture Universiry,Raleigh,North Carolina 27695,
U.S.A.

ABSTRACT
we have studied
the effectof yarn spinning technologyof the spirality of jersey
fabricsin the dry and fully relaxedstateJfor 1007ocotton'andsO/sgiotton/potyester
blend yarns.From this study,we haveconcludedthat 50/50 blendyarnsproduceless
spiralitythan 1007ocotton yarns.Furthermore,it seemsthat eachspinnini technology
influencesthe degree-ofspirality in fabrics.For all practicalp.rrpor.r, ipirality wis
virtually eliminated for some of the 50/50 blend aii jet and'rotor spun yarns
that
wereused.

In Part I of this series, we discussed the nature of Cotton decomposes at around 150.C and polyester
spirality and the way it can be affected by machine, meltsat about260oC.

ii
ll
yarn, and fabric parameters, concentrating mainly on of polyester
1007ocotton ring spun yarns. The introduction ofnew
The glasstransitiontemperature
is in the regionof I l0-150.C, depending
on the degreeof molecular orientation, and is little
spinning technologiessuch as friction and airjet spin_ affectedby moisture.
tl
rl ning brings to the knitter a wider choice ofyarns, and Permanentsettingof polyesterfibersoccun normally
il
II
so it is important to se€how these yarns perform with when the temp€ratureapproachesthe melting point.
respect to spirality and to compare them with rotor

ti,
Structuralchangesoccurdue to the annealingprocess,
and ring spun yarns. which forms larger crystalsthat stabilizethe deformed
state.The glasstransitiontemperaturegivesriseto set-
Yarn Characteristics ting effects,sinceit implies that the part of the structue

lli The physicaland geometricalpropertiesof the yarns

that is rigid below transition is mobile aboveit. Thus
if the fiber is cooleddown through the transition in a
deformed state,it will becomerigid or set in the new
are given in Table II. Of the thirteen yarns used,five
were 1007ocotton and eightwerea 50/50blend ofcot_ form. These setting effectsare only temporary, how-
ton/polyester.Note that the various yarns were ob. ever,sincethe structureis not changed.Moisture ab
tained from differentsources,so the characteristics sorption by cotton acts in much the sameway as the
of
the componentfiben and the structuresvary from yarn glass transition, by causing a dry, rigid, hydrogen-
to yarn. bonded structure to becomeunbonded and mobile,
giving riseto temporary settingeffectsup on drying
[4].
YaRN RrlexntroN TnperueNr The moistureand heateffestsof this severcautoclave
treatment should produce temporary setting of the
The yarnsweresteamrelaxedby beingtreatedin an yarns, improving knittability and partially correcting
autoclaveas describedin Table l. This cycle was re_ spirality, especiallyin the dry relaxed state.
peatedthreetimes.
YlnN Psysrcel PRoprnrrrs
TeuE I. Autoclave cycle. Yarn physical properties are important to both the
knitting processand the characteristicsofthe fabrics
Time, Pressure, Temp.,
mrn produced.During the knitting process,it is important
kPa "c
that the yarn is fd from the yarn packageto the needles
Steam 90 103.35 t2l without problemscausedby slubs,knots, snarls,and
Vacuum 90
lint.

0040-s
| 7s/ 89I 59006_350$2.00 (et
 JuNe1989 351

During loop formation, the tensionin the yarn in-
creasesrapidlyto reacha maximum beforethe knining
point,dependingon the amountofyarn robbingback
that may occur [3]. This maximum tensionshould
preferablynot exceedthe elasticlimit of the yarn, so
that yarn dimensionsand strengtharenot affected(see
Figurel).
'r^
machinecut. Therefore,it follows that a higlreryarn
tenacitymay be requiredto knit with highercut ma-
chineswhereyarnsof a lightercount arealsorequired.
Thick placesin the yarnsmay restrictyarn flow dur-
ing loop formation, causinga suddenrise in tension
and a consequent break.On the otherhand,thin places
ma-vnot be strong enoughto withstand the knitting
tension. These problemsmay becomemore critical
when knitting light count fabricson machineswith
high cuts.

II As far as the knitted fabric is concerned,a low

4l
nl *1"
l- ln
twisted,even yarn that does not pill is the main re-
quirementto achievea softhand,regularloops,and a
good fabric appearance.
The yarns were testedaccordingto the following
methods: twist: ASTM D1422-82, count: ASTM
D1907-80, friction: ASTM D3108-83 (Lawson-
Hemphill),snarling:seereference1,strengthandelon-
gation at break:ASTM D2256-80(StatimatII), skein
strength:ASTM DI578-83 (Scotttester),regularity:
ASTM D1425-81(UstertesterII at 9l m/min).
r
The resultsobtainedare specifiedin Table II and
FtcL RE l. Robbing-back model: S = sinken, N : needles. Figures2-5. All yarns knitted well even though they
o
were not waxed after the autoclavetreatment, and
therefore the coefficient of yarn/metal friction was
At highertensions,the viscoelastic natureof the yarn above0.2. It is a goodprocedureto wax the yarnsafter
may causedeformationsto be recoveredover a period the relaxationtreatmentso that the coefficientof fric-
of time. If the knitting tensionis too high, however, tion will becomelowerthan the recommendedlimiting
I theyarnwill deformplasticallyand draftingmay occur, valueof 0.2 [2].
makingthe yarnthinnerandgivingriseto a largerand
a weakerloop. When the knitting tensionexceedsthe
s breakingload ofa particularpoint ofthe yarn, a hole
I
may appearin the fabric.
By usingAmontons'law of friction asa model,it is
possibleto analyzewhat may be requiredfrom a yarn
in order to knit well. Let
T^^r: T,e'Zon ,
whereI-"" is the maximum knitting tension,7i is the
yarn input tension,p is the yarn/metal coefficientof
friction, 0 is the angleofwrap betweenyarn and knitting
elements,and n is the number of contactpoints in the
knitting zone(i.e., needlesand sinkers). blend('l6X)'
Frcune 2. Yarn 3 l, rotor spun50/50cotton/polyester
If f.u* is equalto or greaterthan the yarn breaking
load at any point in the yarn, a breakmay occur.This
is influencedlinearly by the yarn input tension (?'i), The snarlingtendencyofthe 1007ocotton yarnswas
which shouldbe set as low as possible,and exponen- generallyhigher than that of the 50/50 blend yarns,
tially by the coefficientof friction (p) and the total angle probably becausethe autoclavetreatment was more
t
of wrap () d,) betweenthe yarn and the knitting ele- effectivein settingthe polyesterfiben than the cotton
t mentsup to the point wheremaximum tension(Z-"*) fibers. In the caseof the ring spun yarns where the
) occurs. 50/50 blend had a slightly higher twist multiple than
I Yarn lubrication is important to lower p, but re- the 1007ocotton, the blendedyarns had a36 to 19%
\
t memberthat for any givencam angle,n increases with lower tendencyto snarl than the 1007ocotton yarn.

I
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 353
JuNr 1989
by 2l to
tendencyof the former to snarl wasreduced
all 1007o
l4Lo.Thefrictionspunyarnsavailablewere
h-ighest'The
.or,orr, and their twist rnultiple was the
yarns
resultsobtainedfor the snarlingtendencyofthese
highest ten-
is inconsistent,since yarn 23 showsthe
the 1007o
dencyto snarland yarn24the lowestamong
;;i yarns.Oveiall, the 50/50 rotor yarns had the
"; tendencyto snarl,followedby the air jet 50/50
lowest
blend,which alsohad the lowesttwist multiple'
yarns were
Generally speaking,the 50/50 blend
the same
strongerthan the 1007ocotton yarns from
the ring
spir,nlng technology.Of the 50/50 blends'
yarns the weak-
yarnswerethe strongestand the rotor
blend(20X)'
Fcuns 3. Yarn 32,arrjet spun50/50cotton/polyester had the lowest
.r,. Not., however,that yarn 29,which
strongest'
twist multiple within the rotor yarns,wasthe
and air jet
In effect.the measuredtwist of both rotor
yarns was very low. Due to their fasciated structure'
marked
i*iriin yu-, i, often difficult to measure'and
to in-
differencesin yarn structure may contribute
in strengthregardlessof twist mul-
ara"ra.or decreases
for rotor
ilpt.. ttt. tabulatedvaluesof twist multiple
upon with
unJuit:"t yarnsshouldthereforebe looked
caution.
yarns was'
Elongationat break ofthe 50/50 blend
that of the
in mosi cas€s,substantiallygreaterthan
for yarn reg-
1007ocotton yarns.The resultsobtained
yarn 29' which is
ufuti,v *.r. ,o-.*hat inconsistent:
the lowest CV
,o,o, ,pun and a 50/50blend,showed
(%),whereas yarns21,27, and28,whicharering spun'
FrcuRE4. Yarn 21, ring spun 100%cotton(46x)' which is a
,tro*.d the trighestCv (7o)of all' Yarn 23'
cotton friction spunyarn' had the lowest number
1009o
yarn 28' which
of imperfectionsper 1000meters,and
is a Sb/sOblend ring spun yarn, had the higlest'

Fabric Spirality Characteristics

Fnsnlc KNITTING AND TESTING

All fabrics were knitted under positive feed condi-

jersey
tions on a 20 cut LawsonHemphill singlefeed
of 160
machine,rotating counterclockwiseat a speed
diameter was 3t/znand the number
rp-. fft" machine
of needleswas220.
but
No conventional take-down unit was used'
knock
.o*p.ot"a air was blown from above to help
(20X)' One needle was removed from the knit-
FrcuRE 5. Yarn 24,friction spun cotton
10090 overthe loops.
in the
iing cvnnaei to allow a needleline to develop
assessed'
-i""ft so that sprrality could be more easily
f"f-ti.t
sample was divided in half: one half was dry
The twist multiple of the 50/50 blend rotor yarns
by hying it flat for at least 24 hours' and the
was4 I to 22Volowerthan that of the I 007ocotton rotor ,"t*"a
hali was fully relaxedby washingat 95oC in a
yarn, and so the tendencyof the former to. snarl was other
jet spun iop- ro"aing washing machine followed by tumble
ieducedby 7l to 45Vo.lnthe caseof the air I ,

This latter treatment was sufrcient to stabilize

yarns,the twist multiple of the 50/50 blend yarnswurs drying.
fabric dimensions.
29 to 25Volower than the 1007ocotton yarn, and the the
l

{"
L
 354 TsxrrlE RESEARcHJouRNel

The angle of spirality, coursesand walesper unit

I
length,and loop lengthweremeasuredasdescribedin
PartI Il ]. AUtestsweredonein a standardatmosphere.

Resultsand Discussion
The fabric characteristics are given in Table III.
z
J
,t
Generally speaking, the l00Vo cotton yarns showed a
greater angle of spirality than the 50/50 blend in the
fully relaxed state. In the dry relaxed state, the results
are inconsistent.For the 1007ocotton yarns, spirality
increased considerably after the fabrics were fully re-
laxed, whereas for the 50/50 blend yarns, the results
were inconsistent. J

Figure 6 shows the relationship between the angle ; a

of spirality, twist multiple, and yarn snarling with re- E

spect to yarn spinning technology for the l0o7o cotton

yarns. The angle of spirality increaseswith twist mul- *-
tiple, and the latter is related to the spinning technology
used. Therefore, the angle ofspirality decreasesas fol-
lows: friction > ring > rotor > air jet. This applies both
to the dry relaxed and fully relaxed states.With respect F
XX

to the relationship between the snarling tendency and J

yarn spinning technology, the results are inconsistent. a

a

Figure 7 shows the relationship between fabric spi-

rality, twist multiple, and yarn snarling with respectto
z
spinning technology for the 50/50 blend yarns. Both
the air jet and the rotor spun yarns, which have the
A r RJ E T RoToR RING FRtcTroN
lowest twist multiples and tendency to snarl, have the
lowest angles of spirality in both the dry relaxed and FIcURE 6. Variation of angleof spirality, twist multiple, and snarl-
ll fully relaxed states. In effect, some of the fabrics have ing tendency with spinning technology ( 100%cotton yarns):(O) dry
I
li relaxed,(X) fully relaxed.
no spirality at all, and in the fully relaxed state, three
I
fabrics had anglesof spirality below 2.5o. The perfor-
mance of both air jet and rotor spun y:uns was ex-
tremely good, but within this group, there was incon-

TABLEIII. Fabricspecifications.'

Dry relaxed Fully relaxed

Fabric Yam I, K, 0, 0,
no. no. cm texl/2 cm-l
.L/R clw "L/R clw Fiber contenl Spinning tech.

26 2T 0.388 l4.83 9.0R 1.34 16.5 R 1.29 100%cotton nng

27 22 0.389 14.43 6.0 R 1.32 10.0R 1.38 100%cotton rotor
28 ZJ 0.388 t 4.88 1 4 . 0R 1.40 20.0R t.32 10070cotton friction
29 24 0.295 t5.t2 1 3 . 0R 2.02 20.0R 1.70 100%cotton friction
x 30 25 0.295 15.00 4 . 5R 2.ll 8 . 5R 1.69 100%cotton air jet
* JI 26 0.387 14.90 1 0 . 5R r.32 1 3 . 0R t.28 50/50 cotton/poly ring
* )z 2'7 0.295 1 5l.0 7 . 5R 1.93 7 . 5R t.43 50/50 cotton/poly ring
I 33 28 0.280 14.65 7 . 5R 1.83 10.0R 1.36 50/50 cotton/poly ring
i J$ 0.388 14.68 2.0R 1.43 2 . 5R r.34 50/50 cotton/poly rotor
.i 35 30 0.296 15.05 0.0 1.93 1 . 0R 1.4'7 50/50 cotton/poly tolor
JO 3l 0.280 t4.93 6 . 5R 2.05 6.0R r.53 50/50 cotton/poly rotor
)l )z 0.294 15.24 5 . 0R 2,N 0.0 1.58 50/50 cotton/poly air jet
38 55 0.280 t4.29 5.0R 2.19 4.5R 1.87 50/50 cotton/poly air jet

"/=looplength,K=tightnessfactor,d=angleofspirality,'LlR=degreestoleft/right,c/w:counes/wales=loopshapefactor.
 iuNE 1989 355

highestdegreeof spirality,followedby ring spunyarns.

Both rotor spun and air jet yarnsproducefabricswith
a low degreeof spirality.
a
a
a

=
,,
F

Ftcunr 8. Fabric32,producedwith a 50/50cotton/polyesterblend

: ,;i nng spun yarn with an angleof spirality of 7.5"R (fully relaxed)
(3 8 x) .

''I X'
el- xaa
X'
'I aa

xa
t +._ _ xl

AIR JET ROTOR RING

FIcURE 7. Variation of angleof spirality, twist multiple, and snarl-

ing tendency wilh spinning technology (50/50 blend yarns):(O) dry
relaxed(X) fully relaxed.

sistencybetweenthe relationship of twist multiple,

tendencyto snarl,and angleof spirality. It is possible
that at such low levelsof yarn instability, it becomes
Rcunn 9. Fabric28, producedwith a 100%cotton friction spun
difficult to detecttrends.There may be somelessim- yarn with an angleofspirality of20'R (fully relaxed)(30x).
portant factorsthat comeinto play, suchasvariability
in the mechanicaland dimensionalpropertiesof the
fibersusedto produce the different yarns, :rs well as
differencesin yarn structuredue to differencescaused
by machinemake or settings.
Note that for the fully relaxedfabricsproducedwith
a 50/50 blend yarn, the lowestspirality within a par-
ticular spinningtechnologywasattainedby fabrics32,
35,and 37, which areall producedwith 30/l Ne yarns
(seeFigures8-l l).

Conclusions
Yarns manufacturedby different spinning technol-
ogiesperform differentlywith respectto their tendency
FrcuRE 10. Fabric 37, producedwith a 50/50 (cotton/polyester)
to produce spirality in jersey fabrics. Friction spun blendairjet spunyarn with an angleofspirality ofO'(fully relaxcd)
I
yarns made of l00Vocotton produce fabricswith the (40x).
\

FrcuRE I l. Fabric 35, produced with a 50/50 (cotton/polyesrer)
..
h-lendrotor spun yarn with an angleofspirality of
l'.R (fuily relaxed)
(33x).
In general,the 50/50 cotton/polyester blends have
a lower tendency to produce spirality in fabncs than
the 1007ocotton yarns, probably becausesteamsetting
is more effectivewith polyesterthan with cotton.
With both air jet and rotor 50/50 blend yarns,it was
possible to knit fabrics without any spirality. Note,
however,that in the fabricswe used,there was a direct
TExrIIe RESEARCH
JounNni
relationship between the angle of spirality, twist mul-
tiple, and the type ofyarn spinning technology used.
ACKNowLEDGMENTS
We wish to thank the College of Textiles of N.C.
State University for providing researchfacilities. M. D.
de Araujo wishes to thank the University of Minho
(Portugal) for allowing sabbatical leave and NATO/
Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon) for providing a re-
searchfellowship.
LiteratureCited
l. de Araujo, M. D.. and Smith. G. W., Spiralityof Knitted
Fabrics, Part l: The Nature of Spirality, Taxtile Res.J.
59, 247-256 ( I 989).
2. Knapton, J. J. F., Knitting High euality Double Jersey
Cfoth (l), Text. Inst. lnd.2,39-42 (t9j2).
3. Knapton, J. J. F., and Munden, D. L., A Study of the
Mechanism of Loop Formation on Weft-Knitting Ma-
chines,Iexl. Res.J.36, l07Z (1966\.
4. Morton, W. E., and Hearle, J. W. S., ..physical properties
of Textile Fibers," 2nd Edition, John Wiley and Sons,
ch. 23 (l975).
trlanulutpt rattived Muv 4, 1988;arceDtedJune 29, I9gg.