Experimental Techniques to Obtain the Cross-Sectional Images of Textile Yarns.

In the fabric industry, textile yarns are the fundamental building blocks. Hence, visualizing and studying yarn structure is essential to understand the structure and behavior of the fibers. Obtaining the yarn's cross-section images is crucial in the calculations of yarn's porosity; furthermore, a more precise expansion for the fiber's migration can be concluded from the cross-sectional images. In this paper, three different methods (microtome, micro-computed tomography, and epoxy grinding-polishing methods) to image and visualize the yarn's cross-section are presented. The experimental techniques are compared in terms of result useability, time of preparation, and overall outcome of the cross-sectional image. The images can be used for fiber distribution, air gap calculation, and twist analysis as well. The fiber diameter distribution of polyester yarn was measured based on the images obtained by the three different methods; the average fiber diameter measured based on the combined data from the three different methods was found to be 10.90 ± 0.30 µm.

Effect of Needle Heating on the Sewing of Medical Textiles.

Medical textiles, such as gowns, scrubs, and even disposable uniforms, are all stitched by sewing machines. These garments are mostly made from polypropylene (PP) and polyester due to their durability, antibacterial performance, and functionality. Demand for these garments has significantly risen in the last few years, and sewing machines are able to stitch at extremely high speeds. However, higher sewing speeds can cause burnt spots on the fabric, lower seam strength, and a decrease in production due to thread breakage. In this paper, I have deeply discussed how medical textiles lose their strength and functionality due to higher sewing speeds; this problem is often neglected due to high production demands. This research is based on PP medical gowns, stitched with polyester (PET) threads, sewn at different speeds. The experimental work is also followed by a theoretical explanation of needle heating during the stitching of medical textiles.

Correlation of Air Permeability to Other Breathability Parameters of Textiles.

In the field of textile comfort of smart textiles, the breathability of the material is very important. That includes the flow of air, water and water vapours through the textile material. All these experiments are time consuming and costly; only air permeability is much faster and economical. The research is performed to find correlation between these phenomena of breathability and to predict the permeability based on only the air permeability measurement. Furthermore, it introduces a new way of expressing the Ret (water vapour resistance) unit according to SI standards as it is connected with the air permeability of garments. The need to find a correlation between air permeability and water vapour permeability is emphasised in order to facilitate the assessment of clothing comfort. The results show that there is a strong relation between air permeability and water vapour permeability for most of the textile material.