Experimental determination of the frictional characteristics of fabrics made of natural silk

Abstract

Natural silk fabric is directly derived from insect produced cocoons containing large volumes of fibroin protein. The fibroin fibres secreted by the two silk glands of Bombyx mori are smooth and soft and form the structural center of silk. Sericin is a coating with an amorphous structure that bonds the two strands. It is the component hardening the raw thread. The fabric as we know it with low mass per unit area. The level of friction of textile materials depends on a number of test factors - normal load, contact surface area, friction speed, as well as the nature of the textile surface and the direction of friction - warp - warp, warp – weft. In this study, four types of fabric made of 100% natural silk have been examined. They all have different characteristics for mass per unit area, weave, density and linear density of the warp and weft threads. The study makes use of appliance tribometer MXD -02, from Labthink, China to determine the values of static and dynamic friction coefficients. Friction is conducted in different directions and under different pressure. This experimental study has clearly showed that silk fabrics with higher surface mass - display friction coefficient values (at rest and in sliding) greater than 1. Friction index and friction coefficient are influenced by the test direction where friction index in warp direction of one fabric with parallel arrangement of the threads is higher compared to threads in weft direction of another fabric.