Effects of finishing on the mechanical and thermal properties of fabrics from wool and hollow polyester fibres

Abstract

The effects of finishing steps on hollow and solid polyester/wool have been studied in order to establish the processing behaviour and performance characteristics of fabrics from these fibres. The effect of hollow fibres on fabric tensile strength, pilling, and crease recovery were studied. In addition, the water vapour permeability, air permeability, thermal properties and fabric handle were investigated. The results show that finishing has no adverse effects on fabric strength. By using hollow fibres in the fabrics, the extent of pilling was reduced. Among the different steps of finishing, scouring has the most significant effect on fabric hand due mainly to the large reduction in both bending, and shear rigidity and hysteresis. The results on crease recovery, water vapour permeability and air permeability revealed that the fabric properties are more affected by the fabric structure than the type of polyester fibre. In addition, while the hollow fibre fabrics always have lower thermal conductivity than similar fabrics with solid polyester fibres, their thermal properties are greatly affected by the dyeing process.