Factors Affecting the Dimensional Properties of the Cotton 1×1 Rib Knitted Fabrics

Abstract

The effects of some factors on the dimensional parameters (Us=Cu×Wu×lu2=Su×lu2, Uc=Cu×lu, Uw=Wu×lu, and Uc/Uw = Cu/Wu, where lu is the total length in the SKC, Cu is course units/unit fabric length, Wu is wale units/unit wide and the SKC is the smallest repeating unit of the structure) and t/l (where lu is the fabric thickness and l is the loop length) of 1 × 1 rib knitted fabrics are investigated experimentally, using the cotton yarns (30s//3, 20s/2 or 30s/3) and the nylon sewing threads (from raw or textured filament yarns).For the 1 × 1 rib fabrics knitted from the nylon sewing threads, U-values are approximately constant, but t/l increases with the increase of the fabric tightness (K = n√T/lu, where n is the number of loop in the SKC and T is the yarn linear density in tex).The results obtained for the cotton 1 X 1 rib knitted fabrics are as follows : (1) For all fabrics after each relaxation treatment (DR, WR, BR, LR (1), (2) and (3) are the dry, wet, boil wash (1), (2) and (3) relaxation treatments respectively), Uc and t/l increase with the increase of K.(2) For all fabrics after each relaxtion treatment espect for LR (2) and (3), Uc/Uw increases with the increase of K, but Uw and Us decrease with the increase of K.(3) For the fabrics knitted from 20s/2 or 30s/3 after LR (2) or (3), Uc/Uw and Uw show a similar tendency to those obtained after DR, WR, BR and LR (1).(4) For the fabrics knitted from 30s//3 after LR (2) or (3), Uc/Uw and Uw over a range of K > 13 show a similar tendency to those obtained after DR, WR, BR and LR (1), but Uc/Uw and Uw over a range of K≤13 show a reverse tendency to those.(5) After LR (2) or (3), Us-values of the fabrics knitted from 20s/2 or 30s/3 are independent on K, but Us for 30s//3 increases with the increase of K.