Wearing Quality of Ribbed Knits Made from Viscose and Lyocell Fibers for Underwear

Abstract

As an alternative to cotton, viscose and lyocell fibers are suitable for the production of knitted next-to-skin underwear. Despite the advantages of a more environmentally friendly production process and valuable properties, the consumption of lyocell fibers is significantly lower compared to viscose fibers. The applicability of viscose and lyocell fibers in the production of ribbed knits for underwear is insufficiently researched, as is the influence of unconventionally spun yarns on their wearing properties. This study, therefore, investigates the possibilities of using lyocell fibers in the production of novel knitwear with improved properties compared to viscose and conventional cotton knitwear and determines their wearing quality. In this context, two sets of circular 1 × 1 rib jersey fabrics were produced from three types of differently spun viscose and lyocell yarns. The quality of the dry relaxed and wet processed knitted fabrics was evaluated by determining their structure, absorbency, air permeability, and dimensional stability, as well as their tensile, abrasion, and pilling properties, all in comparison to cotton knitted fabric produced under the same conditions. The results showed that lyocell rib knits have better structural uniformity, tensile properties, dimensional stability, air permeability, lower abrasion resistance, and comparable moisture absorbency and pilling propensity compared to viscose knits.