Fabric Properties-3 Fabric Drape Crease Resistance Abrasion Resistance Pilling

Fabric Drape
The fabrics like organza and organdie, even though they are light and sheer, are quite stiff, whereas a light fabric like chiffon has a great deal of drape. Denim is usually both stiff and heavy. There arent many heavy, fluid fabrics, but wool crepes and suitings can be.

 The drape of fabric is a very important property to be analysed before selecting a fabric for garment Production. A fabric is said to have a good draping qualities when the configuration is pleasing to an eye. Def.- The drape and drapability are terms for that property of textile materials, which allows a fabric to orient itself into graceful holds or pleats when acted upon by force of gravity. The drape is also defined as the extent to which a fabric will deform when it is allowed to hang under its own weight.

Drape Coefficient
It is defined as the area covered by the shadow of the draped specimen expressed as percentage of the area of the annular ring of fabric. A circular fabric specimen is sandwiched between two discs and the ring of fabric is allowed to hang down under the action of gravity.

 The drape pattern obtained is cut along the outline and its area determined. The drape co-efficient is calculated as the ratio of projected area of the drape specimen to its theoretical maximum. It is a number with a theoretical maximum of hundred and minimum of zero. The drape measurement is significant in garment industry where the fabric is selected according to the end use. For e.g, the fabrics for suiting should possess lesser drape coefficient and the fabric for shirting and ladies wear should possess high drape.

Drape Meter
The ASIAN Drape meter consists of a A)Circular specimen support, B) Electric lamp to give off light, and an exposing and developing arrangement using light sensitive ammonia paper to determined the area covered by the shadow of the test specimen C) Electric lamp to expose the Ammonia paper to determine the area covered by the shadow of the test specimen. D) The paper is kept below the Acrylic sheet on a resilient surface and exposed to light . E) Drape shadow is developed by Ammonium Nitrate solution.

Crease Recovery Angle Tester

Crease is a common phenomenon of textile fabric. When a fabric is crumpled it get some creases after some time it tries to come back to its original state. It is not a desirable change in appearance of a fabric. It is a complex effect involving tensile, compressive , bending and torsional stresses.

 When a fabric is creased the resulting deformation has two components: A) Displacement of fibers and yarns B) Stretching of fibers Lesser is the radius of curve or angle at which fabric is bent, more likely that fibers are stretched rather than displaced. The magnitude of the crease recovery angle is an indication of the ability of a fabric to recover from incidental creasing. The unaided recovery of fabric from creasing depends on elastic recovery of fibers. The elastic recovery is dependent on time related effects. Initial there is rapid recovery then slower rate of recovery is seen. Textiles materials with diminishing crease resistance are Wool, Silk , Acetate , Rayon, Viscose, Cotton , Linen.

 The Crease Recovery Angle Tester is used to determine the recovery from creasing of a horizontally folded specimen by measuring the angle of recovery. It is applicable to fabric such as cellulosic and other woven apparel. A crease is formed by applying a specified pressure to a folded specimen in the Loading Device. On removal, the specimen is allowed to recover for a specified time before the crease recovery angle is measured. The Loading Device has provision for applying two standard loads as per ISO standards (10N & 9.6N) Two templates are supplied for alternative specimen sizes.

What is Abrasion and its types?

Abrasion is the process of scuffing, scratching, wearing down, marring, or rubbing away. It is an undesirable effect of exposure to normal use or exposure to the elements. It can be intentionally imposed in a controlled process using an abrasive. Materials undergo mechanical wearing and damage due to the abrasive. It can be classified as a)Plane or flat a flat area of material is abraded. B) Edge abrasion- the kind of abrasion which occurs at collars and folds C) Flex abrasion- here rubbing is accompanied by flexing and bending. In actual service a complex mix of all types of abrasions are seen in garments as they come in contact with various types of hard and soft surfaces.

Abrasion Resistance
Abrasion Resistance: The ability of a material to withstand mechanical action such as rubbing, scraping, or erosion, that tends progressively to remove material from its surface. Abrasion resistance ability helps to maintain the material's original appearance and structure. The damage to fabric occurs due to mechanical breakdown of individual fibres. The fibres held firmly by tension and pressure suffer intense abrasive action. The breakdown is caused by cracking of fibres at the location of maximum weakness. The general weakness of fabric structure, tears ,splits are a direct result of this individual fiber breakdown.

 The measurement of the resistance to abrasion of textile fabrics is very complex. The resistance to abrasion is affected by many factors: A) Inherent mechanical properties of the fibres B) Dimensions of the fibres- length ,fineness C) Structure of the yarns- spun ,filament, textured D) Construction & weave of the fabrics E) Type, kind, and amount of treatment added to the fibres, yarns, or fabric- resin, starch, and other finishes F) Nature/kind of the abradant- stone , metal, sieve, emery cloth G) Action of the abradant over the specimen area abraded can be in reciprocating , rotary or multi directional motions. H) Tension on the specimen& the pressure (9kPa (apparel) 12 kPa (upholstery) between the specimen and the abradant. I) Backing, cleanliness of sample and instrument effect the results.

Martindale Abrasion Tester

is designed to determine the abrasion resistance of textile fabrics. Fabrics of all types can be tested by this method. Abrasion resistance is measured by subjecting the specimen to a rubbing motion in the form of a geometric figure. Resistance to abrasion is evaluated by comparison to visual aids in the form of photographs or actual samples as per ASTM-D4966,

 It consists of four testing plates on which the abrading fabrics is attached, these four testing table are mounted on the base plate of the instrument. There is revolving plate, which revolves with the help of three cranks, pegs & motor. There are four sleeves attached on the revolving plate. There is a set of weights for proper pressure on the test specimens. Templates for cutting the samples & abrading cloth and their mallet are also supplied. Assessment of abrasion damage can be done by A) Change in general Appearance of fabric against unabraded specimen. B) Number of cycles required to produce broken threads ,hole or pills. C) Loss in weight as compared to original sample D) Change in thickness of fabric creation of fuzz or loss in thickness due to loss of fiber mass. E) Change in other properties such as color fading , transfer of color , air permeability , luster , strength etc.

What is Pilling?
A pill, commonly known as a bobble, is a small ball of fibres that forms on a piece of cloth from wear. With weaker fibres the pills fall off after laundering, but with stronger fibres the pills remain attached to the fabric. Pills are generally undesirable. They are considered unsightly[4] and are marks of wear. They do not interfere with the functionality, unless a spot with a lot of pills turns into a hole in the fabric. After the pill forms the fabric is thinner there, increasing the likelihood that a hole will form.

What Causes pilling or pill formation?

1)Pilling is an natural characteristic of many man-made and natural fibres. Some fibres, such as cotton, acrylic and wool have a high tendency to pill, whereas other fibres such as polyester, linen and silk do not. 2) In general longer fibres pill less because there are fewer ends of fibres and it is harder for the longer fibres to work themselves out of the cloth. 3)Fabrics containing such fibres have a tendency to pill. 4) The pills are formed during wear and washing by the entanglement of loose fibers which protrude from the fabric surface.All fabrics pill to some extent.

 5)Abrasion from normal wear and cleaning causes the fibres to unravel and the loose ends ball up on the fabric surface. The balls of fibres are usually removed during laundering for weaker fibres 6)When short staple fibers are used in the formation of yarns, the degree of twist is important factor. Tightly twisted yarns of short staple fibers are considered more secure than loosely twisted yarns composed of short staple fibers. Higher the twist of the individual fibers, the more securely they are bound and the less likely they are to pill. 7)Construction of the fabric is an important factor .A very tight, compact construction, such as denim, pills very little.

 8) Knitting - Pilling is often more noticeable on knitted fabrics, such as sweaters. Lint often becomes tangled in the little balls of fiber which makes the pilling appear more obvious. A loosely knitted fabric will show more pilling . 9) Blended fabrics-When a fabric is made of a blend of fibres one fibre is significantly stronger than the other, pills tend to form as the weaker fibre wears and breaks, and the stronger fibre holds the pills onto the cloth. 10)Finishes and fabric surface changes may exert a large effect on pilling.

 Techniques used to avoid pilling include singeing the loose fibres protruding on the surface of textile, Spinning the yarn with a high number of twists per inch. Fabrics with a large number of loose fibres have a higher tendency to pill. Knitted fabrics tend to pill more than woven fabrics. This is because of the greater distance between yarn crossings in knitted fabrics than in woven ones. Tight weaving -For the same reason, a tightly knitted/woven object will pill less than a loosely knitted/ woven one. Blended fabrics- the stronger fibre in the blend holds the pills onto the cloth. Ring spun cotton yarns often produce less pilling than open spinning. Enzymes are added to some laundry detergents to remove the fibrils before they become entangled with other lint and form an unsightly pill in the laundry process.

How to avoid pilling ?

How to test the Fabric Pilling?

Martindale abrasion tester may be used for pilling test of any fabric. The pilling resistance of a specific fabric in actual wear varies more with general conditions of use and individual wearers than in replicate fabric specimens subjected to controlled laboratory tests. Finishes and fabric surface changes may exert a large effect on pilling. It is recommended that fabrics be tested after laundering or dry-cleaning, or both.

Pilling tester Digi Pill

How to analyze test results?

Pills vary appreciably in size and appearance and depend on the presence of lint and degree of color contrast. These factors are not evaluated when pilling is rated solely on the number of pills. The development of pills may be accompanied by other surface phenomena, such as loss of cover, color change, or the development of fuzz. Since the overall acceptability of a specific fabric is dependent on both the characteristics of the pills and the other factors affecting the surface appearance, it is suggested that fabrics tested in the laboratory be evaluated subjectively with regard to their acceptability and not rated solely on the number of pills developed.

 The degree of fabric pilling is evaluated by comparing the tested specimens with visual standards, which may be actual fabrics or photographs of fabrics, showing a range of pilling resistance. The observed resistance to pilling is reported on an arbitrary scale ranging from 5 to 1 (no pilling to very severe pilling).