High performance fibers, such as polymer material, have extensive applications in aerospace, and high temperature environment. When these fibers were used in such high temperature, these would be subjected to degradation. To know and evaluate the thermal degradation process of materials under thermal environment, effective characterization and research methods must be adopted. In this paper, the thermal degradation processes of aramid fibers were studied by TGA-DTA/FT-IR. The experimental results show that aramid fibers (Kevlar 49, Nomex) have similar thermal stability, but their thermal degradation process and temperatures are different. Kevlar 49 fiber shows higher degradation temperature as a copolymer of para-aramid, and its initial degradation temperature is 548.1℃ in air. It can also be found that the Nomex fiber has a lower thermal degradation temperature and its initial degradation temperature is 423.7℃ in air. Ascending the temperature to 800℃, the two kinds of fibers loose all mass in air. We can get the wave number, absorbance time and three-dimensional images during the heating process by TGA-DTA/FT-IR tests. According to TG curves, the infrared spectra of decomposition products can be obtained and analyzed. The thermal decomposition process can be comprehensively discussed by the infrared spectra of decomposition products.

Textile wet processing is the most polluting aspect of textile manufacturing and contributes to the global textile industry's substantial carbon footprint. Textile preparation of cotton typically includes scouring and bleaching at high temperature and high pH. Substantial amounts of wastewater are produced that must be treated prior to being released to receiving fresh water. Recent research in our laboratories has focused on the development and application of compounds that enhance the bleaching process. We have developed novel cationic bleach activators that can be used to bleach cellulosic fabrics and 痓er blends at reduced temperature, pH, and time. Results show that after optimization equivalent or improved performance in whiteness, absorbency and strength are possible relative to conventional bleaching methods. One of the most promising bleach activators to date is N-[4-(Triethylammoniomethyl) Benzoyl]-Butyrolactam Chloride (TBBC). TBBC was designed in our group to a) exhibit strong oxidation potential when activated; b) have reasonable hydrolytic stability; and c) be inherently substantive towards cellulosic and other 痓ers. In this paper, we review the development of bleach activators for textile bleaching, and discuss the opportunities and potential hurdles involved in commercialization of bleach activators for textile wet processing.

The synthesis of nanoparticles from biological processes is evolving a new era of research interests in nanotechnology. Silver nanoparticles are usually synthesized by chemicals which are quite toxic and flammable in nature. This study deals with an environment friendly and biosynthesis process of antibacterial silver nanoparticles using bamboo leaves. The formation and characterisation of AgNPs were confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray di?raction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The antimicrobial activities were carried out against E. coli and S. aureus strains by using disc di?usion method.

The high-speed fabric defect detection algorithm based on fabric image layered model is proposed to achieve the goal of accurate defect detection in the fabric production process. The image layered model assumes that fabric image is a superposition of the periodic texture background image, noise image, and defect image. Thus fabrics can be divided and conquered. Firstly, image preprocessing and mean sampling algorithms were used to suppress the background texture and interference image layer, and variances sampling was used for enhancing defect image layer. Secondly, the Otsu method was applied for determining the segmentation threshold to segment the defect image automatically, then clear and accurate defect image was obtained via image post-treatment algorithm. Finally, defect positions were marked by a labeling algorithm to prepare for subsequent o2ine processing. Experiments on common defect images from a standard defect library were described, and experimental results show that the proposed algorithm based on image layered model is reliable, accurate, real-time and well used in the industrial ˉeld.

A direct polymerization process was developed to synthesize homo- and copolymers of L-lactic acid. The properties and structures of the products were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). It was found that PLLA can be prepared by direct synthesis using melt polycondensation. Moreover, the number-average molecular weight and compositions of each polymer was determined by 1H-NMR spectra. In the meantime, the 1H-NMR spectra was also used for racemization analysis.

The purpose of this study was to measure temperatures of cotton and polyester woven fabrics in wetting and drying process by thermocouples placed on them. It also discussed temperature distribution caused by diffusion and evaporation at different relative humidity. The measurement points of thermocouples were located at two concentric circles with radius of 3 cm and 6 cm. The temperatures were measured by covering the same fabric when a droplet of water dropped on the center of circle at 20%RH, 65%RH and 80%RH environmental moistures, respectively. The results showed that because of diffusion determined by distance, it was different of temperature changes of every point. As the center of circle, at different humidity, temperatures when reached dynamic heat balance were different. The drying process of cotton showed consistency with temperature recovery. At 20%RH, it is the shortest for temperature returning to environmental temperature because of diffusion speed caused by steam content of environment. It can be applied to performance assessment for fabrics that liquid water absorbing function is required. It also can be used for evaluation of discomfort of wet fabrics by temperature decline with the wetting.

The extracellular cellulase enzyme produced by Trichoderma reesei was used to prepare Nanocrystalline Cellulose (NCC) by controlled hydrolysis of bamboo fibers. The morphology of the prepared bamboo cellulose nanocrystals was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and the crystallinity was measured by X-ray diffraction. The degree of polymerization was tested by automatic viscosimeter. The surface charge in suspension was estimated by Zeta-potential. The results showed that all NCC from bamboo fibers presented a rod-like shape, an average diameter of 24.7 nm and length of 286 nm, with an aspect ratio of around 12. The zeta potential of cellulase hydrolyzed NCC was 4 times lower than that of NCC prepared by acid hydrolysis process.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between wicking coe眂ients of fabrics and yarns. A range of plain fabrics were woven by varying the weave density, yarn count and 痓re content. From experiments on the in-plane capillary water 皁w within these fabrics and the yarns obtained from the corresponding fabric, the wicking coe眂ients of fabrics and yarns were determined. The wicking coe眂ient was higher for lower weave density because of the e甧ctive capillary radius. The results for four kinds of yarns showed that the 100% cotton yarn and cotton fabric had the highest wicking rate. Based on scanning electron microscope observation of cross section and longitudinal section of yarns, we discussed the e甧cts of inter-痓re space and yarn twist on the wicking in皍ence factor and found that the wicking rate is higher for larger inter-痓re space and yarns with fewer twists.

Electrospun nanofibers have increasingly attracted attention to be used as new generation tissue engineering scaffolds since they have the nanofibrous structure, which can biomimic the native Extracellular Matrix (ECM). This paper gives the review of our 10 years research on electrospun nanofibers for tissue engineering. Natural polymers like collagen and chitosan have been electrospun into complex nanofibers to biomimic the native ECM both in structure and components. Collagen-chitosan or silk fibroin (SF) was also blended with synthetic poly (L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (P(LLA-CL)) and electrospun into collgen-chitosan-P (LLA-CL) nanofibers or SF-P(LLA-CL) nanofibers to achieve both good mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Coaxial electrospinning was used to encapsulate the biomolecules into nanofibers to display antithrombotic properties. The nanofiber scaffolds have been used for skin, nerve and blood vessel tissue engineering in vivo.

The protein composition of the silk gland of caddisfly larva, Stenopsyche marmorata was investigated. Dissected silk glands of the larvae were treated in a Tris buffer (pH 8.0) containing 8 M urea, and the proteins in the lumen of the silk gland were solubilized by freeze and thaw. The major proteins of the silk gland were precipitated upon dialysis against diluted acetic acid. The precipitate was dissolved in a basic Tris buffer containing high concentrations of urea and dithiothreitol. Trypsin-like proteinase activity was detected in the silk gland extract. Therefore, all extraction procedures were re-visited in the presence of Leupeptin, which is a special inhibitor of the trypsin-like proteinase in the silk gland. The improved preparation of the silk gland extract contains a high molecular weight protein, namely S. marmorata silk protein-1 (Smsp-1), of which the molecular weight was estimated as 310-320 kDa on the basis of electrophoretic mobility on cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-poly (acryl amide) gel electrophoresis. Subsequent gel filtration exhibited a chromatogram, where the Smsp-1 bands were found from void (ca. 2000 kDa) toward the 300 kDa region, latter of which corresponds to the estimated molecular weight of monomeric Smsp-1. The Smsp-1 eluted near void region was found to be electrophoretically homogenous, suggesting that Smsp-1 molecules associate in a multimeric form. Sodium dodecylsulfate- PAGE indicated that the fractions eluted at the 650{280 kDa region also contain Smsp-1, together with three kinds of low molecular weight proteins, which were designated as Smsp-2 (26 kDa), -3 (21 kDa), and -4 (16 kDa). These results suggest that the Smsps-1, -2, -3, and -4 can form a larger complex to be spun into net threads.

Properties of natural bamboo fiber were studied, which was produced by Neosinocalamus affinis. By means of Optical Contact Angle Meter (OCA), Thermo-gravimetric Analyzer and Electronic Fiber Strength Tester, the natural bamboo fiber was evaluated for its mechanical properties, moisture absorption and thermal properties. Meanwhile, flax and jute fibers are selected to be control fibres. The results show that the bamboo fiber is high in tenacity, but low in elongation, similar to all bast fibers. By testing, it was found that the bamboo fiber is low in density with a small contact angle when water dropped, because the bamboo fiber is constituted by cellulose accompanied with lignin and hemicellulose. The bamboo fiber has advantages in terms of moisture absorption, drying rate and thermal property. Hence, we predict that the bamboo fiber is suitable for summer textiles, just like flax and jute fibers.

Lignin, the second most abundant biopolymer on earth, has the potential as a low cost and renewable precursor for carbon fibers. By creating lignin carbon nanofibers for lightweight structural composites for automobiles and functional applications as electromagnetic shields, the value of lignin will be enhanced. Under the Lignoworks Biomaterials and Chemicals Network program, we demonstrated the feasibility of producing carbon nanofibers from softwood Kraft lignin by electrospinning and heat treatment. The morphological, mechanical, and electromagnetic properties of the lignin carbon nanofiber were characterized. Results showed 10 times increase in strength for the lignin random nanofiber mats after carbonization. Alignment of fibers further improved the mechanical strength. By doping the lignin polymer with carbon nanotubes and functional nanoparticles such as magnetite, we demonstrated the feasibility of translating the strength and electromagnetic function respectively to the lignin nanofiber assemblies. The encouraging results demonstrated the potential of lignin as an engineering material thus establishing a pathway for adding values to the abundantly available lignin.

Polypyrrole was chemically synthesized by in situ polymerization in the presence of surfactant dopant on cotton denim fabric. Shape and size of the particles are characterized by SEM micrographs. Electrical and thermal conductivity of fabric samples were measured and it was found that electrical conductivity can be increased by increasing the concentration of polypyrrole, but there is no significant relation between electrical and thermal conductivities.

A series of the polysiloxanes modified with amino groups are synthesized. FTIR, 1HNMR are used to characterize the polysiloxane structure. Surface properties of the polysiloxane materials with amino groups are discussed. The results show that the polysiloxanes modified with tertiary amino groups had good flexibility and repellency to water. With increasing the amino value of the polysiloxanes, the flexibilities of the fabrics treated with the emulsion were improved. After the samples were treated with the polysiloxanes, the thermal yellowing had emerged. The whiteness of the fabrics treated with the polysiloxane decreased. The reflectance spectra of the fabrics treated without and with the modified polysiloxanes had not significant change.

This paper aims to review the latest researches on smoothness-roughness sensation of fabric, which is considered as one of the important factors that affect clothing comfort. To begin with, the definition of clothing comfort and position of smoothness-roughness sensation within clothing comfort were classified. Further the physical and neurophysiological understanding of sensation with research gap was reviewed. Lastly sensation evaluation methods were reviewed for further development of new instruments. This papers aims to be a reference in future for related studies.

The most important parameters characterizing thermophysiological comfort of sport and protective garments are thermal resistance, water vapour permeability and air permeability. Contrary to common textiles, protective and functional garments and some technical textiles like textile dressings are also used in wet state, which affects their comfort properties. However, common measuring instruments mostly do not enable reliable measurement of wet fabrics, due to long time of measurement, during which the fabrics get dry. In this paper two fast measuring PC evaluated instruments ALAMBETA and PERMETEST commercial instruments are described, which provide reliable non-destructive measurement of thermal conductivity, thermal resistance and water vapour permeability of fabrics in dry and wet state. By means of these instruments, thermal resistance and water vapour permeability of heavy cotton and cotton/PES woven fabrics in wet state were experimentally determined and results were discussed. The effect of structure and composition on the above-mentioned properties of these fabrics has been investigated as well. Some surprising results were achieved: with increasing fabrics humidity, the air permeability almost linearly decreased, whereas the total cooling heat flow (due to water evaporation from the wet fabric surface) slowly increased.

This paper evaluates and compares the electromagnetic (EM) shielding characteristics of a diverse range of conductive fabrics in order to analyse their suitability for use in wearable medical applications. The Shielding Effectiveness (SE) was characterised in terms of fabric structures, conductive materials, mass, thickness and washing durability. Experiments were carried out on single and double layers of fabrics using broad frequency range and SE was measured using different methodologies. EM shielding is the process of limiting the flow of EM fields between two locations by a barrier. The shielding barrier needs to have high conductivity, dielectric constant or high magnetic permeability, and the shielding happens due to reflection, absorption or multiple reflections of the incident radiation by the barrier. Therefore, shielding is important to block electromagnetic radiation that could be harmful to electronic devices, environment and humans.

Polyurethane foam is the material most widely used in bra cup production. From the main factors affecting the molding process of molded cup, this article analyzed the properties of polyurethane foam, and elaborated the principle of molding from the molecular structure of polyurethane foam. Then, a set of molding experiments has been done for three different parameters of materials. The results of the experiment analyzed the molding process parameters of the polyurethane foam, and summarized the main factors affecting the same. The work aims to develop a quantitative control method for bra cup modelling process.

The moisture transmission behaviour of clothing plays an important role in determining its thermo- physiological comfort. The determination of the factors involved in moisture transmission of clothing and its prediction have become a main concern for researchers for many years. An attempt has been made to review the research studies on modeling and simulation of moisture transmission through fibrous assemblies. The review work has been divided in two parts. The first part deals with moisture vapour transmission and the second with liquid water transmission through fibrous materials. The various processes involved in water vapour transmission through fibrous materials are diffusion, absorption - desorption, convection, evaporation and condensation. The models on water vapour transmission through fibrous materials are based on the mass balance equation. Some of the studies involving theoretical work on vapour transmission have been conducted on individual processes. Others consider the inter-related effects involved. Moisture vapour transmission through textile materials is coupled with heat transfer phenomena, due to its hygroscopic nature. The atmospheric conditions, the structure of the fibrous materials and the hygroscopic nature of the fibres significantly influence the processes. Amongst the available models on vapour transmission, the model developed by Li and Zhu predicts simultaneous heat and moisture transfer considering moisture sorption, condensation and capillary liquid di?usion in porous textiles and this model is best suited for determining textile clothing comfort.

The main aim is evaluation of illumination intensity for side emitting plastic optical fibres in dependence on the distance from light source. The special device for measurement of light intensity on surface and cross section at various distances from light source is described. The dependence of surface and cross section light intensity on the distance from light source is expressed by the exponential type model with two parameters; it is illumination intensity in the input into fibre and fibre attenuation factor. For textile structures with optical fibres the illumination intensity is evaluated as well. It was found that illumination intensity of textile structures is very different. It is dependent on the trajectory of optical fibre in textile structure. The highest illumination intensity is for straight fibre in textile with lower waviness.

Environmental sustainability is a vital issue in the clothing industry due to a large percentage of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from clothing manufacturing to consumption. The main GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), per fluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Carbon dioxide is considered as the most significant greenhouse gas. The carbon footprint (CFP) of clothing supply chain reflects the GHG emissions throughout the life cycle of a product or activity, and CFP assessment is an important approach to assess GHG emissions. Polyester is one of the most widely used synthetic fibres in the world, but it is produced from non-renewable resources. In this study, a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a polyester T-shirt imported to Australia from China has been undertaken to examine the processes which cause GHG emissions across the life cycle. The results of the baseline model showed that consumer use phase contributes the highest CFP 30.35%, and second highest contributor is polyester fibre production process. Within the production phase, spinning is the highest contributor of CFP due to high electric energy demand. Within the consumer use phase, CFP is dominated by the washing process. The results of the model can be considered reliable comparing with other related studies.

Multi-functional fibrous materials are a new family of fiber materials whose physical and chemical properties are sensitive to the change in the environment such as temperature, pressure, electric field, magnetic field, optical wavelength, adsorbed gas molecules and the pH value. This paper introduces a new approach to translate functions from nanoparticles to advanced fibrous structures by co-electrospinning of composite nanofibers. To illustrate this composite nanofiber concept an example of nanofibers that have tailorable, electrical and magnetic functions is shown.

Electrically conductive cotton fabrics were successfully prepared by a first free radical polymerization,assisted by a conventional pad-dry-cure textile technology and subsequent electroless deposition (ELD) of copper thin layers on cotton fiber surfaces. Pad-dry-cure takes a major role in the even uptake and penetration of the monomer [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethyl-ammonium chloride (METAC) solution throughout the cotton fabrics, making subsequent ELD plating of copper metal uniform. The surface electrical resistivity of as-prepared electro-conductive cotton fabrics varies from 103 to 10?1-/sq, depending on the ELD conditions. The whole process is low cost, low chemical wastage and compatible with current wet processing in the textile industry, which provides a great potential in commercialization in a bulk scale.

Foam cup moulding of seamless and traceless undergarments is an important manufacturing technique for the intimate apparel industry. Nevertheless, there is limited knowledge about the optimization of the main moulding parameters. In this study, Response Surface Methodology (RSM), based on a Box-Behnken Design (BBD), was used to analyze the effects of the three main moulding factors (moulding temperature, dwell time and size of mould head) on the shape conformity of moulded bra cups and formulate a prediction model in a second-order polynomial form. Design and analysis of experimental data were carried out by the Minitab R15.1.30.0. The analyses revealed that moulding temperature greatly affected the shape conformity of moulded bra cup, and the interactions between moulding temperature and dwell time have major influence on the control of bra cup moulding process. The optimal cup shape conformity and the corresponding settings of the selected variables in bra cup moulding process were obtained by solving the quadratic regression model, as well as by analyzing the response surface contour plots. When moulding temperature and dwell time were set as 200?and 140s for a mould head size of 36C, the optimum shape conformity of the moulded bra cup was predicted as 83%. The adopted model was proved reasonably and effectively. This research provided a reference for the intimate apparel manufacturers to improve the control of the bra cup molding process and production efficiency.

This study tried to introduce porous technology into functional textile’s formation, and developed a new way to improve working materials content in phase change material. Porous polyurethane (PU)/ polyethylene glycol (PEG) membrane was prepared and selected as a supporting material. Considered to be convenient for filling, anhydrous ethanol was used to decrease PEG viscidity according to the rule of similarity. The solution of PEG and anhydrous ethanol was filled into porous PU/PEG membrane by vacuuming and then PU dry-film technology was used for the sealing of the membrane hole. The effects of PEG mass percentage in ethanol solution on filling rate and the filling rate on the membrane morphology and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that, the filling rate increased with the increase of PEG content in the blending solution. As the filling rate increased, the elongation at break decreased obviously, while the initial modulus increased largely. After sealing the filled membrane using PU dry-film technology, the initial modulus of the membrane decreased, while the elongation at break increased. In addition, DSC analysis indicates that the sealed membrane and pure PEG show similar thermal properties, while the compound membrane can retain its solid shape during phase change.

This paper presents the preparation of PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven fabric and the study on its hydrophilic property. The property of polymer materials was investigated at the first place by differential thermal analysis (DSC) and rheology analysis. SEM was used to study the web structure affected by the hot air temperature. Wide-angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD) was used to study the degree of crystallization of PP/CHA melt-blown nonwovens produced at different hot air temperatures. The hydrophilic property of PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven fabrics was studied by testing the static water contact angle, the liquid wicking rate and the multiple liquid strikethrough time. The static contact angle test proves that hydrophilic properties were obtained by means of using the Commercial Hydrophilic Additive (CHA), while the addition of the Traditional Hydrophilic Additive (THA) did not. The liquid wicking rate test shows that PP/CHA nonwoven fabric has the highest liquid wicking rate due to its hydrophilic groups transferred to the surface and forming a hydrophilic 痩m. The multiple liquid strikethrough time indicates that the nonwoven fabric treated by THA lost its wettability after 3 insults, while nonwovens containing 5.5% CHA remained hydrophilic even after 12 insults. It can be concluded that PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven fabrics have durable hydrophilic property.

The jersey knitwear market occupies most of the knitting market due to its relatively simple manufacturing process and high public acceptance. Pattern design composed of some simple lines and geometric patterns usually applied to jersey knitwear, but it can not take advantage of knitting fabrics as much as possible. Therefore, in order to combine the merit of knitwear, the research process is as follows: firstly, learning about women’s preferences for knitwear in their 30s and 50s through questionnaire distribution and in-store inquiries. Secondly, designing and producing urban women’s knitwear collections with optical illusion patterns. The yarn used in this design experiment is mostly 100% 80s Australian wool, and the equipment is STOLL M1 plus—a computerized flat knitting machine, all of which are provided and assisted by the FSF factory, Suzhou, China. It is finally determined that the jacquard pattern put into production is double-sided birdeye jacquard and air layer jacquard. In terms of the final collection effect, the design ideas of “Fake Two Pieces” and “Simulated Pleated Skirt” are reflected in the collection named “chengSHi”. The combination of knitwear and optical illusion patterns dramatically simplifies the production process and improves production efficiency owing to knitwear’s one-piece weaving. Moreover, it also provides new inspiration for knitwear design.

This paper aims to make a comprehensive review of measurement methods developed for evaluating fabric and garment drape. Drapemeters used for evaluating drapeability since Pierce's bending length tester are reviewed. Parameters proposed for measuring drapeability are also considered. The authors propose that using flat fabric methods does not accurately reflect the drape of fabrics when worn. The paper is a pre-cursor to a new image analysis technique which will be reported in Part 2.

Natural fragrant microcapsules with ethyl cellulose (EC) as a shell and lavender oil as a core were prepared by emulsify-solvent diffusion method. The characters, including particle size, encapsulation efficiency and oil loading capacity, were tested and analyzed by using orthogonal design. The processing parameters of the ratio of an oil phase to water phase, the ratio of core material to shell material, concentration of PVA and stirring speed were evaluated. The morphology and structure features of microcapsules were studied by SEM, FT-IR and etc. The results showed that the microcapsules were in sphere shape and most of the particle size was about 1μm with a good formation. Encapsulation efficiency and the oil loading capacity are high with a satisfied fragrant releasing rate. This product shows a promising application on garment as well as functional textile industry.