Abstract
Cotton knitted fabrics were manufactured with different yarn types (conventional ring spun yarn and torque-free ring spun yarn) with different fibre types (combed cotton and combed Supima cotton) and yarn fineness (Ne30 and Ne40). These fabrics were then dyed with three types of dye (reactive, direct and sulphur dye) with three dye concentrations (0.1%, 1.0% and 5.0% on-weight of fabric (owf)) in three colours (red, yellow and blue). This study examined the impact of constructional parameters and dyeing on ultraviolet (UV) protection properties of cotton knitted fabric. In-vitro test with spectrophotometer was used for evaluating the UV protection property of dyed cotton knitted fabrics. Among the six parameters investigated, fineness of yarn and dye concentration were the most significant factors affecting UPF while the color effect is the least significant. Experimental results revealed that the UPF value of dyed fabrics made from combed cotton is generally higher than the combed Supima cotton since combed cotton is composed of shorter fibres which facilitate the blocking or absorption of UV radiation. Second, fabrics made with twist yarn (i.e. ring spun yarn) have higher UPF value than the corresponding ESTex one (i.e. torque-free yarn) in general since fabrics made with ring spun yarn tend to shrink during wet processing and so it is more compact. Third, the UPF value of fabrics made with 30Ne yarn was higher than the 40Ne one since it is thicker and has lower fabric porosity. Fourth, fabrics dyed with lower concentration of dye gave the lowest UPF. Fifth, the sulphur dyed samples performed worse than the reactive and direct dyed samples in terms of UV protection property. Sixth, there is no significant difference in UPF for red, yellow and blue coloured fabrics. Seventh, this study also demonstrated that lightness of fabric is negatively related to UV protection property.
Highlights
Extant research has showed that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the Sun can be a primary cause of skin cancer [1, 2], including both non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers [3]
The profile plots of yarn spinning method with fibre type (Fig 6(A)), fineness of yarn (Fig 6(B)), dye concentration (Fig 6(C)), dye class (Fig 6(D)) and colour (Fig 6(E)) show that the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) value of fabrics made with twist yarn is generally higher than the one by ESTex yarn
Plain cotton knitted fabrics made from different fibre types, yarn types, yarn fineness (30Ne and 40Ne) and dyed with three dye classes with three dye concentrations (0.1%, 1.0% and 5.0%) in three different colours
Summary
Extant research has showed that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the Sun can be a primary cause of skin cancer [1, 2], including both non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers [3]. Many researchers have studied various fabric parameters that influence UVR. The effect of cotton knitted fabric parameters and structures on UV protection has been studied [24, 25]. No systematic research on the effect of different dye classes on UV protection offered by cotton knitted fabric has been reported. The aim of this study is to examine the ability of cotton knitted fabric dyed with different dye classes such as reactive, direct and sulphur dye to provide protection against UV radiation. The ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) is used as a measuring parameter of the UV protection. The UV protection ability of fabrics is commonly expressed in terms of ultraviolet protection factor (UPF). The high the UPF value, the better will be the UV protection property
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