Properties of Fabrics Made from Cotton/Polyethylene Blend Yarns

Abstract

This paper describes the techniques used to process a rather difficult DyneemaR polyethylene staple fiber of a fine denier, and to develop, for the first time. some cotton- rich intimate-blend and bi-component yams and fabrics containing Dyneema. Basi cally, a cleaned cotton is intimately blended with Dyneema in several different blend ratios. The blends are converted into different size rovings appropriate for spinning regular intimate-blend yarns on a standard ring spinning system and comparable bi- component core-wrap yarns on the SRRC core-spinning system using the intimate- blend roving as the core material and two equivalent cotton rovings for the wrap. Yams thus produced are compared with equivalent 100% cotton (control) yarns produced conventionally. All yams are separately woven into standard duck fabrics and flame- retardant finished to determine their FR performance. Dyneema PE fiber has a low melting point of only 149°C. Results show that Dyneema fiber in an intimate blend with cotton can be processed on existing typical cotton processing equipment. A blend yarn (whether an intimate blend or a core wrap) containing as low as 10% Dyneema is much stronger than an equivalent cotton yam. Fabrics made with the blend yams are also considerably stronger and more tear resistant than the cotton equivalent. De spite Dyneema's sensitivity to high temperatures, blend fabrics containing as much as 30% Dyneema can be FR finished to provide adequate fire retardancy with greater tear strength retention compared to 100% cotton fabric.