Cotton Denim Research Articles

Development of a prototype dry decontamination method for particulate contamination: The DryCon system.

This article describes the development of a prototype dry decontamination system (DryCon) for use in the event of a contamination incident involving a particulate contaminant. Disrobing and showering is currently recommended almost exclusively in mass decontamination, although it may not be feasible when water is scarce, in cold weather environments, or when there may be compliance issues with the requirement to disrobe, ie, unwillingness to disrobe. During disrobing, dust particles could also re-aerosolize, leading to inhalation of contaminants. The DryCon prototype uses air jets for dry decontamination. The system is portable and can run on building-supplied 220-V power or generator power. Multiple contaminated persons can be treated rapidly, one after the other, using this system. We tested DryCon in a controlled environment, using a manikin and three different types of fabric squares to investigate its effectiveness, with a decontamination time of 60 seconds. At the higher airflow tested, ie, 90 percent of full blower speed or approximately 540 cfm (15 m3/minute), mean decontamination efficiencies of 56.8 percent, 70.3 percent, and 80.7 percent were measured for firefighter (FF) turnout fabric, cotton denim, and polyester double knit fabric, respectively. Removal of this easily re-aerosolized fraction of the contaminants helps protect contaminated people, as well as healthcare providers they come in contact with, from the potential risk of further inhalation exposures from the re-aerosolization caused by doffing clothing. The results demonstrate the promise of the DryCon system for use where water is not available, as a first step prior to wet decontamination, or in an industrial setting for post-work-shift decontamination. Further lab and field research will be necessary to prove the effectiveness of this technique in real-world applications and to determine if respiratory protection or other personal protective equipment (PPE) is needed during use of the DryCon system.

Production cost optimization of enzyme washing for indigo dyed cotton denim by combining Kriging surrogate with differential evolution algorithm

The enzyme washing process is extensively applied in the industrial production of denim garments. The process parameters of enzyme washing have significant effects on washing performances and costs. Since the relationships between the process parameters and washing performances cannot be expressed explicitly, it is impractical to determine the process parameters to obtain the optimal production cost while satisfying requirements of customers intuitively. This paper proposes an optimization methodology by combining Kriging surrogate and differential evolution (DE) algorithm to address the production cost optimization of enzyme washing for indigo dyed cotton denim. First, an experiment using Taguchi L16 orthogonal array is conducted where temperature and concentration of cellulase enzyme are taken into consideration with processing time as the input parameters, while the washing performances (including color strength value, stiffness, and tensile strength in warp and weft directions of the washed denim fabrics) are the output responses. Second, the relationships between the inputs and outputs are established using the Kriging model. Third, the effects of the input parameters on the washing performances are analyzed, and the production cost optimization model is illustrated. Finally, a case study is given to depict the optimization process and a verification experiment is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the optimal values. On the whole, the proposed hybrid method, Kriging-DE, shows great capability of optimizing the production costs of the enzyme washing process for indigo dyed cotton denim.

Study on Comparison between Enzyme Wash and Bleach Wash (Traditional vs. Sustainable Washing Machine) the Physical and Color Fastness to Rubbing Properties of Denim Garments

This study focuses on comparison between Enzyme Wash and Bleach Wash (Traditional vs. Sustainable Washing Machine) the physical and color fastness to rubbing properties of denim garments. For this experiment indigo dyed cotton denim garments (trousers) were chosen which were 98% cotton and 2% spandex and processed by enzyme with the concentration of 2 g/l, and the temperature of 45°C. In another work, enzyme treated denim garments were used for bleach wash with the concentration of 2 g/l, temperature 45°C and those samples have been processed by traditional and sustainable washing machine. After completing process, the sample properties have been compared like rubbing, tearing and tensile properties. After comparing result the color fastness to rubbing of enzyme wash was poor in traditional and sustainable machine and tensile strength, tearing strength properties down in traditional machine but the color fastness to rubbing of bleach wash was good in sustainable machine than traditional machine and a little bit lesser tensile and tearing properties in sustainable process.

Comparative Study on the Effects of Laser Bleaching and Conventional Bleaching on the Physical Properties of Indigo Kapok/Cotton Denim Fabrics

Kapok is a hollow fiber with a 90% hollow degree. Compared with cotton fiber, kapok fiber has excellent performances, such as good hygroscopicity, and a good warmth retention property. In this work, desized indigo kapok/cotton denim fabrics were bleached in different ways: Laser, cellulose enzyme, sodium hypochlorite, potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide. After bleaching, the K/S values, tensile strength, air permeability, thickness, color fastness to rubbing and the crease recovery angle of denim fabrics were measured through the spectrophotometer, tensile strength tester, air permeability tester, thickness tester, rubbing fastness tester and fabric crease elasticity tester, respectively. The surfaces of fabrics and fibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results show that the kapok/cotton fabrics were color-faded after five kinds of bleaching, the K/S values of denim with laser bleaching was declined dramatically, while there was a little change in the permeability. The tensile strength and the weight of the fabrics were decreased, and cloth which was bleached with potassium permanganate was most affected. The color fastness to rubbing and the crease recovery angle of denim fabrics with laser treatment is most suitable for industrial production. In general, laser bleaching is the better way to fade the kapok/cotton denim fabrics. Meanwhile, after five kinds of bleaching, the physical properties of kapok/cotton denim fabrics were similar to those of cotton denim fabric, which indicates that kapok/cotton denim fabric is suitable for the existing industrial bleaching technology.

Nanoporous Heteroatom-Doped Carbons Derived from Cotton Waste: Efficient Hydrazine Oxidation Electrocatalysts

In this work, cotton-based denim waste is successfully used as a precursor to synthesize nanoporous P- and N-co-doped carbon materials that can serve as efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR). In the synthesis, the cotton denim waste is mixed with H3PO4 in two different denim/H3PO4 (wt/vol) ratios, namely, 1:1 and 1:3, wherein H3PO4 serves as both an activating agent and a source of P dopant atoms while the indigo carmine dye present in denim serves as a source of N dopant atoms to the carbon materials. The resulting P- and N-co-doped carbon materials, named PNC1 and PNC3, respectively, are characterized by various analytical techniques. The XPS spectra show that PNC1 has ca. 2.17 atomic % P and 1.95 atomic % N whereas PNC3 has 2.54 atomic % P and 0.71 atomic % N. Pore analyses by N2 porosimetry indicate that PNC1 has a higher surface area (1582 m2 g–1) than PNC3 (486 m2 g–1), although the former has a lower mesopore volume (0.39 cm3 g–1) than the latter (0.58 cm3 g–1). The...

Improving fire retardancy of cellulosic thermal insulating materials by coating with bio-based fire retardants

Abstract Sustainable thermal insulating materials produced from cellulosic fibers provide a viable alternative to plastic insulation foams. Industrially available, abundant, and inexpensive mechanical pulp fiber and recycled textile fiber provide potential raw materials to produce thermal insulating materials. To improve the fire retardancy of low-density thermal insulating materials produced from recycled cotton denim and mechanical pulp fibers, bio-based fire retardants, such as sulfonated kraft lignin, kraft lignin, and nanoclays, were coated onto sustainable insulating material surfaces to enhance their fire retardancy. Microfibrillated cellulose was used as a bio-based binder in the coating formula to disperse and bond the fire-retardant particles to the underlying thermal insulating materials. The flammability of the coated thermal insulating materials was tested using a single-flame source test and cone calorimetry. The results showed that sulfonated kraft lignin-coated cellulosic thermal insulating materials had a better fire retardancy compared with that for kraft lignin with a coating weight of 0.8 kg/m2. Nanoclay-coated samples had the best fire retardancy and did not ignite under a heat flux of 25 kW/m2, as shown by cone calorimetry and single-flame source tests, respectively. These cost-efficient and bio-based fire retardants have broad applications for improving fire retardancy of sustainable thermal insulating materials.

Alternative Washing of Cotton Denim Fabrics by Natural Agents

Nowadays denim garments are phenomenally popular among the people of all ages especially to the youth. To get the soft and comfortable feeling along with fading effect, different kinds of denim washing techniques are used which is most of cases synthetic chemical based. This paper practically throws the light towards the washing of 100% cotton indigo dyed denim garments using natural substances like soapnut, lemon juice, tamarind, and sunlight. Cotton denim ready-made garments were taken through washing with lemon juice and tamarind at 60°C and carried out for 30 minutes. Different properties of the washed samples were investigated like Weight loss%, Shrinkage, GSM, Strength, Whiteness Index, Color Difference, Reflectance Value and Color strength in the washed fabric. Weight losses of the samples washed by natural reagents were almost three times less than synthetic chemical washed samples. Natural washed samples had less amount of shrinkage as well. Moreover, the samples which were naturally washed contained greater strength and less color difference values than the samples washed by synthetic chemicals. Hence, the results have introduced a new concept of pollution-free washing system of denim fabrics.

Use of a carbon dioxide laser for environmentally beneficial generation of distressed/faded effects on indigo dyed denim fabric: Evaluation of colour change, fibre morphology, degradation and textile properties

Denim garments are particularly popular with the younger population of adults. Distressed or worn out effects have been and will continue to be popular with this market sector. These faded or worn effects have been achieved using a range of physical, chemical and mechanical finishes. Both wet and dry finishing of denim fabrics and garments pose severe environmental and health risks. Recently, environmentally beneficial decolourisation/ablation methods for denim fabrics have been investigated. Such methods have included plasma, laser, and ozone treatments. Researchers in this field have highlighted the potential of CO2 laser treatment of 100% cotton denim, however the textile performance post-treatment has not been properly investigated. In this study, light, medium and heavy weight indigo dyed 100% cotton denim fabrics were exposed to a CO2 laser at a range of power and intensity levels. Colour change was investigated using a Spectrophotometer, morphological structural analysis was carried using Scanning Electron Microscopy, and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was used to monitor the loss of indigo dye and degradation of the cellulose fibres. The thermal-oxidative degradation behaviour of fabrics was also studied using differential scanning calorimetry to obtain oxidation onset temperature. In addition, several fabric performance assessments were carried to evaluate tensile strength, colour fastness, air permeability and thickness. Findings reveal that the grayscale rating, which is the tone density and hence laser power affected the colour change and as the grayscale increased, the colour fading was higher and affected the fabric performance across all fabric weights. Based on this, the research recommends an optimum set of laser processing parameters to produce stressed or faded denim effects without compromising the fabric performance. This research demonstrates that faded effects on denim can be produced with low environmental and health risks.

Design and Development of Denim Fabrics with Improved Strength and Impact Abrasion Resistance for Motorcyclist Clothing

This study aims to design and develop denim fabrics with enhanced mechanical and impact abrasion resistance performance using different materials, yarn types and fabric constructions. It was aimed to reach the standard impact abrasion resistance requirements of motorcycle protective clothing for Level 1 in high impact areas of the body (zones 1 and 2), such as hip and knee areas. The existence of cotton/Cordura® yarn in warp and T400 polyester yarn in the weft and the use of higher yarn densities increased the performance in tensile strength and impact abrasion resistance, compared to a classical cotton denim fabric. The use of coarser yarns and fabrics with a double weave construction increased impact abrasion resistance compared to single layer cloths. The double and backed cloth samples developed with cotton/Cordura® and Kevlar®/polyester yarns in their construction showed impact abrasion resistance times over 4 s and reached the “EN 13595-2:2002 Level 1 abrasion resistance” standard requirement.

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Super water-repellent treatment of various cloths by deposition of catalytic-CVD polytetrafluoroethylene films

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), commercial name “Teflon,” films prepared by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD), often called “hot-wire CVD,” are deposited on various cloths of cotton, cotton denim, nylon, and polyester. After deposition on such cloths, they show super water-repellent property without impairing breathability. The whole surface of fibers of these cloths is completely covered with PTFE layers which form reticulated sharp convex–concave network structures with a size of a few micrometers or less in pitch. The super water-repellent property can be seen even at the back side of the cloths when PTFE films are deposited only at the front side.

Efficacy of whip roller setting on physical attributes of denim fabric

Whip roller settings in a weaving machine is one of the vital factor to adjust warp yarn tension properly as well as delivering fault free fabric. The present study was undertaken with an aim to explore the influence of whip roller settings on various physical and mechanical properties of both grey and finished 100% cotton denim fabric in order to select suitable position of whip roller for producing particular (3/1 twill) denim fabric. For this purpose total eight positions of whip roller were selected keeping constant depth with variable height in five cases and constant height with variable depth in three cases. The samples were produced in an air jet loom and some prominence like EPcm, PPcm, areal density, tensile strength, dimensional stability, air permeability, crimp% and skewness were checked. Data analysis of all the results showed that with the ascendance of whip roller, crimp% of warp yarn was decreased whereas crimp% of weft yarn was increased both in grey and finished state. Decreasing the depth of whip roller caused increment of both warp and weft crimp% in both state. Tensile strength in warp way direction was found to increase gradually up to a certain roller height and then decreased whereas air permeability showed reverse trend in both state. Warp density, Weft density as well as areal density was also affected by the alteration in settings of whip roller. Due to reduction of roller depth, warp way tensile strength and lengthwise shrinkage were reduced but air permeability had improved.

Do Textiles Impact DXA Bone Density or Body Composition Results?

External artifacts can confound dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements. It is often accepted that garments free of metal do not affect DXA results; however, little data exist in this regard. It is plausible that some textiles absorb radiation and thereby alter DXA results. We hypothesized that some dense or synthetic textiles, for example, reflective materials, might alter DXA-measured bone and soft tissue mass. Hologic and GE Lunar spine phantoms and a Bioclinica prototype total body phantom were imaged on a GE Lunar iDXA and Prodigy densitometer. Each phantom was scanned 10 times to establish mean values. Subsequently, 2 layers of various fabrics were placed over the entire top surface of the phantom, and 10 scans were performed without repositioning. Samples of natural, synthetic, or embellished fabric (including those with reflective material) and of varying thickness were used. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare the means between bare phantom and textile-covered phantom. Significant differences were demonstrated often, depending on the scanner, phantom, and textile used. A polyester fabric with reflective strip consistently altered measurements. For example, this fabric increased measured mean lumbar spine bone mineral density and total body bone mineral content by 0.008 g/cm2 and 3.6 g, respectively (p < 0.01). Similarly, mean total body fat decreased (−173 g) and lean mass increased (+213 g; p < 0.01). Fat and lean mass were also affected by metallic thread, wool, blend denim, and shiny polyester (p < 0.05), and lean mass was affected by cotton denim and sweatshirt material (p < 0.0003). In conclusion, textiles can affect DXA-measured bone mineral density and body composition results. Even small amounts of reflective material could alter mass measurements by ~25% of the least significant change. Clothing made of dense textiles (e.g., wool and denim) or those with reflective material and metallic thread should be avoided during DXA scanning.

Effects of Biochemical Wash on 100% Cotton Denim Apparel

The demand of chemical treatment on denim fabric to create a new look is increasing day by day. Now- a -days biochemical wash has become a trendy choice to customer. Manufacturers are in a rush to fulfill the demand of customer. They also are to take in consideration the quality of the product after the treatment. So This paper represents and compares the effect of biochemical wash on woven denim fabrics by means of GSM (gram per square meter) measurement, shrinkage test, count measurement, EPI & PPI measurement, comparison of color depth, air permeability test, rubbing test & hand feel test. Acid enzyme was used as a biochemical for the treatment. Treatment increases the GSM of woven denim apparels. Dimensional change is occurred due to enzyme wash. Lengthwise shrinkage can be ignored but widthwise shrinkage should be taken in concern. There is little effect on EPI & PPI due to enzyme wash on woven denim apparels. Enzyme wash decreases the depth of color on woven denim apparel. Air permeability also becomes lower due to treatment. Finally with the increase of time hand feel i.e. the apparels become softer due to enzyme wash.

Effect of finishing resins on mechanical and surface properties of cotton Denim fabrics

The effect of two famous finishing resins; acrylic resin (Resacryl M), and Glyoxal resin (Resinol AM), applied by the same Pad Dry Cure Process PDC but according to various conditions, on the mechanical and surface properties of different cotton denim fabrics is studied in this paper. The treated samples which are characterized at two steps of the treatment process: before and after washing (BW and AW) were characterized in terms of surface morphology observations by SEM, geometrical roughness measurements with Kawabata Evaluation System KES, thickness and Dry crease recovery angle DCRA measurements, and mechanical testing properties. It resulted that Resinol AM improves dry crease recovery angle, but causes a loss of strength in the warp direction. Nevertheless, Resacryl M improves handless and preserves the mechanical properties fabric before and after washing. Studying the effect of resins type, concentrations and curing temperature on the mechanical behavior and surface of the cotton fabrics is very important in textile laundering, because it allows choosing the best finishing agents and conditions. Furthermore, the results of this report will be in workable data to predict the properties of the treated fabrics after resin finishing.

Analyzing the effects of special washing processes on characteristics of sewing threads

In recent years, wet (washing, bleaching, etc.) and dry (abrasive, laser shaping, rodeo, etc.) operations applied on fashion denim products have become an important factor to increase the added value. However, these wet and dry processes applied to the denim products may have adverse effects on the strength of the fabric and other supplementary materials of denim products. For example, thread breakages affect the repair ratios and quality of products, which causes time and profitability losses in companies. The main objective of this study is to analyse how the types of washing affect the strength of the sewing threads that are commonly used in the production of denim trousers. In this study, 100% cotton denim fabric with a weight of 11.5 ounces and two different sewing threads were used. The fabrics are sewn as trouser legs with chain and lock stitch. Five different washes were applied to the trouser legs. The obtained data were evaluated in the R statistical program. As a result of the analyses made it is proven that the washing techniques used have an effect on the sewing threads’ tensile strength and elongation at break. The tensile strengths of lock stitch and chain stitch decrease averagely 35% and elongation at break of lock stitch decreases %22 and chain stitch decreases 29.8%.

A Comparative Strength Analysis of Denim Fabrics Made from Core-Spun Yarns Containing Textured Microfilaments

Denim fabric is one of the most popular casual wear fabrics worldwide. The performance characteristics of denim fabrics have been improved by using functional fibers and elastane to make them comfortable to wear. Elastane fibers with high elasticity are used extensively in denim fabric production. Elastane fibers are generally used as the core part of the core-spun yarns as weft yarns. Besides elastane fibers; polyester and polyester derivatives are commonly used. This study examines the effects of filament fineness and yarn count on denim fabric performance. Textured polyester filaments with medium, fine and micro linear densities were used as the core part of the core-spun yarn and cotton fiber was used as sheath material. Yarn samples manufactured with the same production parameters at different yarn count were used as weft yarns of denim fabrics. Denim fabrics were produced with the same fabric cover factor to eliminate yarn count difference effects. Tensile, static tearing and dynamic tearing properties of denim fabrics were determined. To evaluate the effects of core part, 100 % cotton denim fabric was manufactured and tested. Statistical analysis was performed to analyze the significance of filament fineness and yarn count ratio. Results showed that there was a significant effect of filament fineness on tensile, static tearing and dynamic tearing properties of denim fabrics. In addition, it was found that yarn count had no significance effect on static tearing properties of denim fabrics.

A study of plasma-induced ozone treatment on the colour fading of dyed cotton

Colour fading treatment of coloured textile products is a hot topic due to its commercial importance. Conventional colour fading technologies involve the use of chemicals which may cause pollution problems and also the evenness of the colour fading effect is difficult to control. As a result, plasma-induced ozone treatment is applied for colour modification and colour fading effect since it is an environment-friendly process that does not generate chemical effluents. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of plasma-induced ozone treatment on the colour fading behaviour of reactive dyed cotton fabric. In this study, a cotton fabric was dyed with yellow colour and was then subjected to plasma-induced ozone treatment under different treatment conditions. The colour fading behaviour of the treated fabric was evaluated by instrumental assessment using spectrophotometer and it was found that the colour fading effect was controllable with proper selection of treatment parameters. In addition, a practical analysis was conducted with cotton denim and the results revealed that the plasma-induced ozone treatment could reduce the processing steps and cost when compared with conventional colour fading treatment.

Antifungal Activity of Herbal Finish on 100% Cotton Denim Fabric

Antifungal Activity of Herbal Finish on 100% Cotton Denim Fabric In the current work an attempt has been made to develop the antifungal cotton denim fabrics. The herbs were imparted with dip, microencapsulated and nanoencapsulated finishing on fabric surface by pad dry cure method. The coated fabric was analyzed for morphology using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). The result indicated that a significant difference between the antifungal activity of microencapsulated and nanoencapsulated extracted treated fabric. The fabric finished with nanoencapsulted herbal extract exhibited the maximum antifungal durability till 30 washes.

Effect of Processing Time and Concentration of Potassium Permanganate on Physico-Mechanical Properties of Denim Jeans During Stone Washing

Three 100% cotton denim jeans were treated with stone acid wash with the variation of processing time (1.5, 2 & 2.5 minutes) and concentration (1.5, 2 & 2.5g/l) of potassium permanganate after typical enzyme bleach wash. Various physical and mechanical properties (Hand feel, Weight, EPI, and PPI, Tensile strength, Shrinkage, Seam strength, Count & stiffness) were investigated before and after each treatment (concentration and respective time) according to standard test methods. It was found that change in processing time and concentration reveals big difference in various properties between treated and untreated garments.