knitted fabric made of cotton and spandex yarn Roqaya Sadek Textile Engineering Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt Abstract Purpose The purpose of this research is to study the effect of softener treatment on plain jersey fabrics with properties made of cotton and spandex yarn. Design/methodology/approach Samples with 100 percent cotton yarns, spandex yarns in alternating courses (half plating) and spandex yarns in every courses (full plating) were produced on a circular knitting machine where the two latter cases were produced at ve different levels of spandex extension. After the dyeing process, fabrics were treated with fabric softener using two softener types (cationic and silicon) and all type two concentrations (3 percent, 6 percent) to evaluate the most appropriate softener type and concentration on fabric friction force, sewing needle penetration force and weight loss percent under different levels of spandex extension. Findings Results showed that silicon softener treatment results in high decreases in fabric sewing needle penetrating force, friction force and while treatment with cationic softener results in high decreases in weight loss percent for 100 percent cotton, half and full plating fabrics. Originality/value There is a growing need to study the effect of softeners when spandex yarns are used in the production of knitted fabric which results in high increase of stitch density. This research compares the effects of two different softener types at different concentrations on the properties of both plain jersey fabric produced from 100 percent cotton yarns and from cotton/spandex yarns with different stitch density. Keywords Silicon, Cationic, Bare spandex yarn, Half and full plating, Fabric softeners, Fabric testing Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction Fabric damage is also one of knitted fabrics defects which occur during sewing process as shown in Figure 1. So, knitted fabrics are treated with fabric softeners applied in the nal nishing stages in order to improve fabric performance during sewing process, to improve fabric handle and the appearance and to increase fabric life time. Softeners act as ber lubricants which reduce the coefcient of friction in between bers, in between yarns and in between fabric and other surfaces thus reduce the sewing needle penetration force during sewing which in turn increase needle life time and reduce needle temperature especially when sewing fabric made from man made bers at high sewing speed (Tomasino, 1992). Lower coefcients of friction also increase the abrasion resistance. But there are some fabric softener inuences on the properties of color shade and is then capability of soiling. There is a growing need to study the effect of softeners when spandex yarns are used in the production of knitted fabric which results in high increase of stitch density. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0955-6222.htm Effect of fabric softener 251 Received 22 October 2011 Revised 9 February 2012 Accepted 9 February 2012 International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology Vol. 24 No. 4, 2012 pp. 251-272 qEmerald Group Publishing Limited 0955-6222 DOI 10.1108/09556221211232847 The aimof this research is to compare between the effects of two different softener types at different concentrations on the properties of both plain jersey fabric produced from 100 percent cotton yarns and from cotton/spandex yarns with different stitch density. 2. Literature survey Jang and Yeh (1993) studied the effect of silicone softeners and silane-coupling agents on the performance properties of twill cotton fabrics. A cationic softener was also used for comparison. Cotton fabric samples were treated with a pad-dry-cure process from an aqueous bath containing the softener and other additives. The results indicated that silicone softeners provide better durable press performance with a higher retention of mechanical properties and durability compared with the cationic softener. In addition, the type of reactive group, the viscosity, and the adsorption mechanism of the softener, as well as treatment conditions such as curing temperature, are crucial factors affecting the performance properties of the treated fabrics. Furthermore, the study of the silane-coupling agent revealed that it plays an important role in improving the durability and performance of silicone softeners, especially the linear reactive type. The results also suggested that improvements in wrinkle recovery are mainly due to the formation of an elastic silicone polymer network, which entraps bers within its matrix, thus improving the fabrics ability to recover from deformation. Min and Tae (2002) studied to improve the dimensional properties of wool fabric, two kinds of silicone polymers are applied to plasma pretreated wool. With this treatment, hygral expansion increases slightly but remains smaller than that of silicone treated wool without the plasma pretreatment. The wrinkle recovery angles of wool increase with the treatment, and the values of fabric treated with plasma and silicone polymers are higher than those with no plasma as pretreatment. In addition, the harsher handle imparted by plasma modication is improved with silicone treatment. The results showed that the plasma pretreatment modies the cuticle surface of the wool bers and increases the reactivity of the wool fabric toward silicone polymers. Therefore, the combination of plasma and silicone treatments can improve the dimensional stability, wrinkle resistance, and performance properties of the wool. Nihat (2008) studied the effect of nano-silicon softener on abrasion, pilling resistance and color fastness properties of knitted fabrics. Nano-silicon softeners are applied Figure 1. Fabric damage during sewing process (a) (b) Notes: (a) Damage in fabric; (b) damage shape after focus IJCST 24,4 252 to knitted fabric produced from with a wide range of raw materials and different knit structure. Results showed that fabric with nano-silicon softener exhibited poor abrasion but better pilling resistance and does not have signicant effect on color fastness properties. Darko and Dubravko (2008) studied the processing parameters during the process of garment production inuence on knitted garment quality. Penetration force values were observed in view of the quantity and type of softeners, different sewing needle size and number of layers of the stitched sample of a dyed plain jersey. The results showed that reduction of sewing needle penetration force depends on knitted fabric nishing, type and quantity of softeners, their quantity, sewing needle size and number of layers of the stitched sample. The highest reduction of penetration force was observed when using wax emulsion with fatty acid, and the lowest one when using fatty acid. By increasing the number of layers of the stitched sample, an increase in the value of sewing needle penetration force was also observed. Tae (2001) studiedthe effects of silicone softeners onthe dimensional properties of wool fabric. A scoured and crabbed plain-weave worsted fabric samples treated with a simple pad-dry-cure process in an aqueous bath with amino functional and epoxy functional silicone softeners. The results indicated that dimensional stability and performance properties improved. In addition, a hydrophilic epoxy functional silicone softener was seemed to increase ber swelling and prevents the reduction of hygral expansion. However, for the other properties, there were no signicant variations when different kinds of epoxy functional silicone softeners were used. Finally the most signicant effect of the softeners was the surface coating, which reduces inter ber or inter yarn friction. Ana et al. (2005) studied the inuence of pretreatment on cotton knitted fabrics handle properties. Greige 100 percent carded cotton knitted fabric. Adding softener treatment during every process fromnishing processes and tested cotton knitted fabric was alkali and enzymatic scoured, pre-bleached and bleached in laboratory and in industrial conditions. The results showed that the lower penetration force obtained for enzymatic scoured cottons is because not only such cotton is not damaged but also due to the removal of some cotton impurities that poor handle. The mkin mean value for alkali scoured and pre-bleached cotton is lower than enzymatic scoured. Ayca and Binnaz (2005) studied the effects of elastane draw ratio, pre-setting temperature and nishing process on the penetration forces of a sewing needle and damage to elastane yarn during the sewing of cotton/elastane woven fabrics. Three fabric types with three different elastane weft yarn drawratios were used. Apre-setting process was applied to all three types of fabric at two different temperatures and at the nishing process half of the samples were treated with silicone and the other half were washed only. Results showed that the sewability value in the warp direction of the samples which were only washed was 68 percent and for the samples which were treated with silicone it was 40 percent. As a result, the sewability was considered to be poor, especially for samples, which were only washed. Gurarda and Meric (2007) presented the effects of elastane yarn type and fabric density on the seam performance of PET/elastane woven fabrics. The weft and warp yarns of the weft stretched fabrics were polyester-elastane covered yarn and polyester yarn, respectively. Air-covered and twisted elastane weft yarns were used at twill and plain fabrics. Needle penetration forces were determined on an L&M sewability tester for seam performance. The values of the needle penetration forces were between Effect of fabric softener 253 64 and 370 cN and the needle damage index values varied between 18 and 73 percent. Elastane yarn type and fabric density had signicant effects on the needle penetration force. George and Xu (1995) studied the distributions of the tangential and radial stresses acting on the yam of a fabric during sewing as the sewing needle is inserted into the fabric by means of the mechanical principles of elasticity. Carvalho et al. (2009) presented a systemthat allows the measurement of parameters of needle penetration during high-speed sewing. The system has been developed as a tool for analysis of the most important mechanical effects occurring during high-speed sewing. Stylios and Lloyd (1990), used low cost technique for predicting the degree of pucker by correlating measured values of fabric and thread mechanical properties and geometrical relationships with the degree of pucker obtained in the seams. 3. Experimental work 3.1 Material and method In order to achieve the purpose of this research, half and full plating single jersey fabrics were produced with ve different levels of spandex extensions. Also 100 percent cotton single jersey fabrics were produced. Experimental samples were knitted on a Relanit 3.2 Mayer & Cie circular knitting machine with the following specications: . 24 gauges, 2,268 total needle count, 96 systems, with positive yarn feeding system during the knitting process. . 40 dtex Bare spandex yarn was used, spandex means manufactured bers in which the bers forming substance is long-chain synthetic polymer comprised of at least 85 percent of segmented polyurethane. Also 30/1 Ne combed cotton spun yarn was used. Fabrics were prepared and dyed in a nishing mill as follows: (1) Silt opening. The knitted fabric tube is silt open and laid at. (2) Heat setting. Samples were heat set without any traverse tension on the same width produced on knitting machine to keep the same fabric specications, heat setting machine was used with a speed of 5 m/min at 1858C. (3) Closed width. Fabric was sewed back into tubular shape using industrial sewing machine. (4) Scouring. Fabric was fed to (250, LDT) GMBH jet dyeing machine and the scouring bath consists of (soap 2 gm/l and 4 gm/l caustic soda) which performs the following operations: . boiling for 45 min, then otation in cold water; . adding acetic acid (2 gm/l) at 508C for 10 min; . immersion in hot water at 808C for 10 min; and . otation in cold water. (5) Dyeing. The dyeing bath consists of (red reactive dye, 80 gm/l salt and 5 gm/l soda ash). Red reactive dye consists of sun x yellow S P D 1.5 percent and sun x red S P D 3.5 percent which performs the following operations: IJCST 24,4 254 . adding salt on the cold for 15 min; . dye withdrawal gradually for 20 min; . raising temperature to 608C for 20 min; . soda ash withdrawal on three times and continuing to the end of dye process; . otation; and . fabric exit from machine without any softener treatment. (6) Squeezing. Helint balloonsqueezer machine was used, the air pressure was 2.4 bar with a speed from(20 to 80) m/min. The principle of this machine is stretching the fabric in the traverse direction to retain the fabric extension which appears in the fabric during dyeing process. (7) Drying. GM6H kranz relax dryer was used at 1508C. (8) Fabric softeners treatment in laboratory using automatic washing machine. After dyeing process, fabric samples were classied into ve groups and each group consists of 11 samples produced from (one is 100 percent cotton, half and full plating each of them is at ve different spandex extension percent): the used automatic washing machine was WPW 4022 automatic washing machine using (B) program: . First group was washed at 458C for 20 min without any softener treatment then, dried in sunlight at room temperature at 308C for 12 h. . Rest of groups were softener treated at 458C for 20 min, with two types of fabric softeners: cationic softener (A) of clariant company under (Uni soft NCS trade name) based on fatty acid and polyethylene and silicon softener (B) of eksoy company under (knit soft wa-et trade name) based on polysiloxane polymers) with two level of softener concentrations (3 and 6 percent) with adding acetic acid to achieve pH 5.5 then dried in sunlight at room temperature 308C for 12 h. 3.2 Testing method The following properties were measured for with and without softener treatment, in accordance to standard methods as follows: . Fabric abrasion resistance was tested using M249 AATCC accelerator equipped tester by using AATCC 93 standard test method. . Sewing needle penetration force and friction force measuring system. In order to measure needle penetration force the measuring system which was used and shown in Figure 2. This system was used with a home sewing machine due to low weight parts and simple basic mechanism. The heavy pulley was replaced by a light pulley and the AC sewing machine motor was replaced by a direct current DC servo motor, which always trying to keep its speeds constant by consuming more or less electric power under different mechanical loading. An electronic circuit was built up to measure the change of current intensity consumed on the servo motor as an indication to the change of the feeding and needling mechanical loads. To determine the start of the sewing cycle the electronic marker (micro-switch) this is shown in Figure 2 is used to specify the beginning Effect of fabric softener 255 of the sewing cycle. It depends on a switch works only when tension rod reaches its maximum stroke up as it closes the electric circuit a voltage value is recorded. Machine signal and micro switch signal were recorded simultaneously by PCSu1000 which is a digital storage oscilloscope as shown in Figure 2 that uses an IBMcompatible computer and a monitor to display wave forms. It is used as a data acquisition systemby means of converting analog signal to digital signal. The results can be recorded as a data le which can be then analyzed by computer programs. The oscilloscope records 2,000 samples in each record. The specications of the sewing machine and PC laptop as follow. APfaff sewing machine is used with 301 stitch type, 5 stitches/cm, needle number of 14 and a speed of max 300 stitches/min and the specications PC laptop Processor Intel w celeron w cpu, 2.2 GHz and 2 GB of RAM. The measured property of 100 percent cotton, half and full plating cotton/spandex fabrics with softener treatment was calculated as a percent from the measured property of the fabric without softener treatment as follows: Decrease Percent C 2 D D
* 100 1 where: C value of the property for fabric with softener treatment. D value of the property for fabric without softener treatment. 4. Results and discussion 4.1 Sewing needle penetration force in case of 100 percent cotton fabric Figure 3 shows the effect of softeners type andconcentrationpercent onthe sewingneedle penetration force (cN) for 100 percent cotton single jersey fabric at stitch density 241 stitch/cm 2 . As shown, generally the softener treatment decreases the sewing needle penetrationforce byanaverage value (59 percent) comparedto the fabric without softener treatment. The decrease percent of softener (A) at concentrations (3 percent, 6 percent) Figure 2. The diagrammatical sketch of the measuring system of sewing needle penetration force Power supply Servo motor Sewing machine Micro Switch 12 Ch1 Ch2 Digital Oscilloscope P.C. 6 9 V IJCST 24,4 256 was (27 percent, 58 percent), while the decrease percent of softener (B) at concentrations (3 percent, 6 percent) was (71 percent, 80 percent), respectively. The decrease percent of softener (B) was higher than softener (A), where the decrease percent of softener (B) at (3 percent) was more than twice the decrease percent of softener (A) and at 6 percent was one and half time the decrease percent of softener (A). Statistical analysis one-way ANOVAtest shows that the fabric softener treatment (with and without softener) affects on the sewing needle penetration force signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent when using softener (B) at concentration 6 percent as shown in Table I. 4.2 Sewing needle penetration force in case of half plating fabric Figure 4 shows the effect of softeners type and concentration percent on sewing needle penetration force (cN) for half plating single jersey fabric at different levels of stitch density. As shown, generally softener treatment decreases sewing needle penetration force by an average value of (41.6 percent) compared to fabric without softener treatment. For softener (A), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 6 percent (50 percent) compared to concentration 3 percent (29 percent). For softener (B), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 3 percent (49 percent) compared to concentration 3 percent (38 percent). The difference between softener Aat concentration 6 percent and softener B at concentration 3 percent is very low so that softener B is considered more economic. Also, results show that softener (B) at concentration (3 percent) gives the max decrease percent (63 percent) at the lower density and softener (A) at concentration ANOVA Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. PENETFOR Between groups 175,202.3 1 175,202.3 135,525.8 0.000 Within groups 10.342 8 1.293 Total 175,212.6 9 Table I. One-way ANOVA for the effect of softener treatment (with softener B 6 percent and without softener) on sewing needle penetration force for 100 percent cotton fabric Figure 3. Effect of softeners type and concentration percent on the sewing needle penetration force for 100 percent cotton single jersey fabric 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 without softener with softener A(3%) with softener A(6%) with softener B(3%) with softener B(6%) P e n e t r a t i o n
F o r c e
( c N ) Effect of fabric softener 257 (3 percent) gives the max decrease percent (67 percent) at the highest density. The effect of stitch density is not clear which may be due to the low range of stitch density levels (294-345 s/cm 2 ). Statistical analysis (two way and three way) M-ANOVA test shows that the softener type, concentration and stitch density affect on the sewing needle penetration force signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent as shown in Table II. Fabric softener treatment (with and without softener) affects on the sewing needle penetration force signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent when using softener (B) at concentration 3 percent as shown in Table III. 4.3 Sewing needle penetration force in case of full plating fabric Figure 6 shows the effect of softeners type and concentration percent on sewing needle penetration force (cN) for full plating single jersey fabric at different levels of stitch density. As shown, generally softener treatment decreases sewing needle penetration force by an average value of (37 percent) compared to fabric without softener treatment. For softener (A), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 6 percent (39 percent) compared to concentration 3 percent (32 percent). For softener (B), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 6 percent (43 percent) compared to concentration 3 percent (34 percent). Also, results showthat softener (A) at concentration(6 percent) gives the maxdecrease percent (60 percent) at the lower densityandsoftener (B) at concentration(6 percent) gives the max decrease percent (30 percent) at the highest density. The high difference between decrease percent lower and higher density in this case compared to the case of half plating may be due to the higher range of stitch density level (363-499 s/cm 2 ) in the case Figure 4. Effect of softeners type and concentration percent on sewing needle penetration force (cN) for half plating fabric 250 349 Stitch/cm2 311 Stitch/cm2 294 Stitch/cm2 337 Stitch/cm2 321 Stitch/cm2 200 150 100 50 0 without softener P e n e t r a t i o n
F o r c e
( c N ) with softener A(3%) with softener A(6%) with softener B(3%) with softener B(6%) IJCST 24,4 258 A N O V A a , b U n i q u e m e t h o d S u m o f s q u a r e s d f M e a n s q u a r e F S i g . P E N H A L F M a i n e f f e c t s ( C o m b i n e d ) 5 , 5 3 3 . 4 9 5 6 9 2 2 . 2 4 9 5 , 6 9 5 . 2 4 0 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N 1 , 2 6 9 . 4 1 6 1 1 , 2 6 9 . 4 1 6 7 , 8 3 9 . 1 2 7 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T T Y P E 6 3 3 . 1 0 0 1 6 3 3 . 1 0 0 3 , 9 0 9 . 6 3 5 0 . 0 0 0 S T I T C H 3 , 6 3 0 . 9 7 9 4 9 0 7 . 7 4 5 5 , 6 0 5 . 6 6 9 0 . 0 0 0 T w o - w a y i n t e r a c t i o n s ( C o m b i n e d ) 3 1 , 6 4 6 . 9 7 5 9 3 , 5 1 6 . 3 3 1 2 1 , 7 1 4 . 6 8 0 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N * S O F T T Y P E 1 1 , 3 3 3 . 3 0 2 1 1 1 , 3 3 3 . 3 0 2 6 9 , 9 8 7 . 4 5 8 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N * S T I T C H 1 3 , 5 8 0 . 9 9 0 4 3 , 3 9 5 . 2 4 7 2 0 , 9 6 6 . 9 4 6 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T T Y P E * S T I T C H 6 , 7 3 2 . 6 8 3 4 1 , 6 8 3 . 1 7 1 1 0 , 3 9 4 . 2 2 0 0 . 0 0 0 T h r e e - w a y i n t e r a c t i o n s S O F T C O N * S O F T T Y P E * S T I T C H 2 , 8 6 3 . 6 8 2 4 7 1 5 . 9 2 0 4 , 4 2 1 . 0 8 1 0 . 0 0 0 M o d e l 4 0 , 0 4 4 . 1 5 1 1 9 2 , 1 0 7 . 5 8 7 1 3 , 0 1 5 . 1 5 2 0 . 0 0 0 R e s i d u a l 6 . 4 7 7 4 0 0 . 1 6 2 T o t a l 4 0 , 0 5 0 . 6 2 9 5 9 6 7 8 . 8 2 4 N o t e s : a P E N H A L F b y S O F T C O N , S O F T T Y P E , S T I T C H ; b a l l e f f e c t s e n t e r e d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y Table II. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener type, concentration and stitch density on sewing needle penetration force for half plating fabrics Effect of fabric softener 259 of full plating, fromFigures 4 and 5, softener Bgives the highest decrease percent in both case of half and full plating. Statistical analysis (two way and three way) M-ANOVA test shows that the softener type, concentration and stitch density affect on the sewing needle penetration force signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent as shown in Table IV. Fabric softener treatment (with and without softener) affects on the sewing needle penetration force signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent when using softener (B) at concentration (6 percent) as shown in Table V. We nd that softener B (silicon) is better than softener A (cationic) with 100 percent cotton, half and full plating fabrics. As there is a strong chemical bond between bre surface and silicon softeners while there is a weak ionic attraction between bre surface and cationic softeners the maximum decrease was found in the case of silicon softener ANOVA a,b Unique method Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. PENHALF Main effects (Combined) 72,475.930 5 14,495.186 14,495.186 0.000 SOFRENER 58,842.808 1 58,842.808 58,842.808 0.000 STITCH 13,633.122 4 3,408.280 3,408.28 0.000 Two-way interactions SOFRENER * STITCH 14,816.884 4 3,704.221 3,704.221 0.000 Model 87,292.814 9 9,699.202 9,699.202 0.000 Residual 20.000 20 1.000 Total 87,312.814 29 3,010.787 Notes: a PENHALF by SOFRENER, STITCH; b all effects entered simultaneously Table III. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener treatment (with softener B 3 percent and without softener) with different levels stitch density on sewing needle penetration force for half plating fabric Figure 5. Effect of softeners type and concentration percent on sewing needle penetration force (cN) for full plating fabric 250 499 Stitch/cm2 402 Stitch/cm2 363 Stitch/cm2 472 Stitch/cm2 425 Stitch/cm2 200 150 100 50 0 without softener P e n e t r a t i o n
F o r c e
( c N ) with softener A(3%) with softener A(6%) with softener B(3%) with softener B(6%) IJCST 24,4 260 A N O V A a , b U n i q u e m e t h o d S u m o f s q u a r e s d f M e a n s q u a r e F S i g . P E N F U L L M a i n e f f e c t s ( C o m b i n e d ) 1 7 , 8 3 5 . 7 5 7 6 2 , 9 7 2 . 4 6 0 2 8 , 4 5 9 . 5 5 3 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N 3 , 8 2 1 . 4 9 2 1 3 , 8 2 1 . 4 9 2 3 6 , 5 8 8 . 5 3 6 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T T Y P E 3 , 3 5 . 8 6 9 1 3 3 5 . 8 6 9 3 , 2 1 5 . 7 4 5 0 . 0 0 0 S T I T C H 1 3 , 6 7 7 . 3 9 7 4 3 , 4 1 9 . 3 4 9 3 2 , 7 3 8 . 2 5 9 0 . 0 0 0 T w o - w a y i n t e r a c t i o n s ( C o m b i n e d ) 1 9 , 1 5 8 . 9 6 2 9 2 , 1 2 8 . 7 7 4 2 0 , 3 8 1 . 7 5 5 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N * S O F T T Y P E 6 2 . 7 5 5 1 6 2 . 7 5 5 6 0 0 . 8 3 8 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N * S T I T C H 1 1 , 1 2 1 . 7 6 5 4 2 , 7 8 0 . 4 4 1 2 6 , 6 2 1 . 0 9 1 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T T Y P E * S T I T C H 7 , 9 7 4 . 4 4 2 4 1 , 9 9 3 . 6 1 1 1 9 , 0 8 7 . 6 4 9 0 . 0 0 0 T h r e e - w a y i n t e r a c t i o n s S O F T C O N * S O F T T Y P E * S T I T C H 1 7 , 7 1 8 . 3 4 4 4 4 , 4 2 9 . 5 8 6 4 2 , 4 1 0 . 6 8 1 0 . 0 0 0 M o d e l 5 4 , 7 1 2 . 0 6 3 1 9 2 , 8 7 9 . 5 8 2 2 7 , 5 7 0 . 3 0 7 0 . 0 0 0 R e s i d u a l 4 . 1 7 8 4 0 0 . 1 0 4 T o t a l 5 4 , 7 1 6 . 2 4 1 5 9 9 2 7 . 3 9 4 N o t e s : a P E N F U L L b y S O F T C O N , S O F T T Y P E , S T I T C H ; b a l l e f f e c t s e n t e r e d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y Table IV. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener type, concentration and stitch density on sewing needle penetration force for full plating fabrics Effect of fabric softener 261 with 6 percent concentration for 100 percent cotton, half and full plating fabric. These results are consistent with the former studies of Ayca and Binnaz (2005). 4.4 Friction force in case of 100 percent cotton fabric Figure 6 shows the effect of softeners type and concentration percent on the friction force (cN) for 100 percent cotton single jersey fabric at stitch density 241 stitch/cm 2 . As shown, generally softener treatment decreases the friction force by an average value (15 percent) compared to the fabric without softener treatment. The decrease percent of softener (A) at concentrations (3 percent, 6 percent) was (11 percent, 19 percent), while the decrease percent of softener (B) at concentrations (3 percent, 6 percent) was (12 percent, 18 percent), respectively. The results showthat the effect of softener (B) is approximately equal to the effect of softener (A) either at concentrations (3 or 6 percent). Statistical analysis one-way ANOVA test shows that the fabric softener treatment (with and without softener) affects onthe frictionforce signicantlyat condence limit 99.9percent whenusingsoftener (B) at concentration 6 percent as shown in Table VI. ANOVA a,b Unique method Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. PENFULL Main effects (Combined) 66,462.933 5 13,292.587 13,292.587 0.000 SOFRENER 55,004.003 1 55,004.003 55,004.003 0.000 STITCH 11,458.930 4 2,864.733 2,864.733 0.000 Two-way interactions SOFRENER * STITCH 4,582.594 4 1,145.649 1,145.649 0.000 Model 71,045.527 9 7,893.947 7,893.947 0.000 Residual 20.000 20 1.000 Total 71,065.527 29 2,450.535 Notes: a PENFULL by SOFRENER, STITCH; b all effects entered simultaneously Table V. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener treatment (with softener B 6 percent and without softener) and stitch density on sewing needle penetration force for full plating fabrics Figure 6. Effect of softener type and concentration on friction force for 100 percent cotton single jersey fabric 0 50 100 150 200 250 F r i c t i o n
F o r c e
( c N ) without softener with softener A(3%) with softener A(6%) with softener B(3%) with softener B(6%) IJCST 24,4 262 4.5 Friction force in case of half plating fabric Figure 7 shows the effect of softeners type and concentration percent on the friction force (cN) for half plating single jersey fabric at different levels of stitch density. As shown, generally softener treatment decreases the friction force by an average value of (21 percent) compared to fabric without softener treatment. For softener (A), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 6 percent (23 percent) compared to concentration 3 percent (14.6 percent). For softener (B), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 6 percent (28.5 percent) compared to concentration 3 percent (19 percent). Also, results show that softener (B) at concentration (6 percent) gives the max decrease percent (32 percent) at the lower density and at softener (B) at concentration (6 percent) gives the max decrease percent (20 percent) the highest density. Therefore, the highest decrease percent they are using softener B at concentration 6 percent and to conrm the result with the softener B at high and low density. Statistical analysis (two way and three way) M-ANOVAtest shows that the softener type, concentration and stitch density affect the friction force signicantly at ANOVA Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. FRICTFOR Between groups 5,314.408 1 5,314.408 5,742.699 0.000 Within groups 7.403 8 0.925 Total 5,321.811 9 Table VI. One-way ANOVA for the effect of softener treatment (with softener A 6 percent and without softener) on friction force for 100 percent cotton fabric Figure 7. Effect of softener type and concentration percent on friction force (cN) for half plating fabric 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 without softener with softener A(3%) with softener A(6%) with softener B(3%) with softener B(6%) F i r i c t i o n
F o r c e
( c N ) 394 Stitch/cm2 311 Stitch/cm2 294 Stitch/cm2 337 Stitch/cm2 321 Stitch/cm2 Effect of fabric softener 263 condence limit 99.9 percent as shown in Table VII. Fabric softener treatment (with and without softener) affects on the friction force signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent when using softener B at concentration 6 percent as shown in Table VIII. 4.6 Friction force in case of full plating fabric Figure 8 shows the effect of softeners type and concentration percent on friction force (cN) for full plating single jersey fabric at different levels of stitch density. As shown, generally softener treatment decreases friction force by an average value of (20 percent) comparing to fabric without softener treatment. For softener (A), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 6 percent (20 percent) compared to concentration 3 percent (13 percent). For softener (B), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 3 percent (25 percent) compared to concentration 6 percent (22 percent). Also, results show that softener (B) at concentration (3 percent) gives the max decrease percent (18 percent) at the lower density and softener (B) at concentration (6 percent) gives the max decrease percent (30 percent) at the highest density. Statistical analysis (two way and three way) M-ANOVA test shows that the softener type, concentration and stitch density affect on the friction force signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent as shown in Table IX. Softener treatment (with and without softener) affects on the friction force signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent when using softener (B) at concentration (3 percent) as shown in Table X. We nd that the decrease percent with softener B (silicon) is equal softener A (cationic) for 100 percent cotton fabric while the decrease percent with softener B (silicon) at concentration 6 percent better than softener A (cationic) for half and full plating fabrics. Softeners act as ber lubricants and reduce the coefcient of friction between bers, yarns, and between a fabric and an object (Tomasino, 1992). These results are consistent with the former studies of Ana et al. (2005). 4.7 Abrasion resistance (weight loss percent) in case of 100 percent cotton fabric Figure 9 shows the effect of softeners type and concentration percent on the weight loss percent for 100 percent cotton single jersey fabric at stitch density 241 stitch/cm 2 . As shown, the decrease percent of softener (A) at concentration (3 percent, 6 percent) was (27 percent, 25 percent), while the decrease percent of softener (B) at concentrations (3 percent) was (10 percent). The weight loss percent for softener B at concentration (6 percent) was higher than that for fabric without softener treatment by (34 percent). The highest decrease percent achieved with softener (A) at concentration (3 percent). Statistical analysis one-way ANOVAtest shows that the fabric softener treatment (with and without softener) affects on the abrasion resistance (weight loss percent) signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent when using softener (A) at concentration 3 percent as shown in Table XI. 4.8 Abrasion resistance (weight loss percent) in case of half plating fabric Figure 10 shows the effect of softeners type and concentration percent on weight loss percent of half plating single jersey fabric at different levels of stitch density. As shown, generally softener treatment decreases weight loss percent by an average value of (32 percent) compared to fabric without softener treatment. IJCST 24,4 264 A N O V A a , b U n i q u e m e t h o d S u m o f s q u a r e s d f M e a n s q u a r e F S i g . F E E D H A L F M a i n e f f e c t s ( C o m b i n e d ) 1 1 , 5 3 9 . 8 8 3 6 1 , 9 2 3 . 3 1 4 9 , 2 7 8 . 1 4 9 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N 7 , 3 8 1 . 2 8 2 1 7 , 3 8 1 . 2 8 2 3 5 , 6 0 7 . 6 2 4 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T T Y P E 2 , 4 4 1 . 6 2 6 1 2 , 4 4 1 . 6 2 6 1 1 , 7 7 8 . 5 0 9 0 . 0 0 0 S T I T C H 1 , 7 1 6 . 9 7 5 4 4 2 9 . 2 4 4 2 , 0 7 0 . 6 9 0 0 . 0 0 0 T w o - w a y i n t e r a c t i o n s ( C o m b i n e d ) 1 , 4 3 4 . 7 1 3 9 1 5 9 . 4 1 3 7 6 9 . 0 1 3 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N * S O F T T Y P E 1 0 . 4 2 5 1 1 0 . 4 2 5 5 0 . 2 9 1 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N * S T I T C H 5 0 5 . 0 1 4 4 1 2 6 . 2 5 4 6 0 9 . 0 5 3 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T T Y P E * S T I T C H 9 1 9 . 2 7 4 4 2 2 9 . 8 1 8 1 , 1 0 8 . 6 5 4 0 . 0 0 0 T h r e e - w a y i n t e r a c t i o n s S O F T C O N * S O F T T Y P E * S T I T C H 2 9 7 . 6 9 4 4 7 4 . 4 2 3 3 5 9 . 0 2 2 0 . 0 0 0 M o d e l 1 3 , 2 7 2 . 2 9 0 1 9 6 9 8 . 5 4 2 3 , 3 6 9 . 7 9 5 0 . 0 0 0 R e s i d u a l 8 . 2 9 2 4 0 0 . 2 0 7 T o t a l 1 3 , 2 8 0 . 5 8 2 5 9 2 2 5 . 0 9 5 N o t e s : a F E E D H A L F b y S O F T C O N , S O F T T Y P E , S T I T C H ; b a l l e f f e c t s e n t e r e d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y Table VII. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener type, concentration and stitch density on friction force for half plating fabrics Effect of fabric softener 265 For softener (A), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 3 percent (50 percent) compared to concentration 6 percent (46 percent). For softener (B), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 3 percent (17 percent) compared to concentration 6 percent (16 percent). Also, results show that softener (A) at concentration (3 percent) gives the max decrease percent (64 percent) at the lower density and softener (A) at concentration (6 percent) gives the max decrease percent (54 percent) at the highest density. Statistical analysis (two way and three way) M-ANOVA test shows that the softener type, concentration and stitch density affect on the weight loss percent signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent as shown in Table XII. Fabric softener treatment ANOVA a,b Unique method Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. FEEDHAL Main effects (Combined) 806.969 5 8,161.394 8,161.394 0.000 SOFRENE 8,401.959 1 8,401.959 8,401.959 0.000 STITCH 2,405.010 4 601.253 601.253 0.000 Two-way interactions SOFRENER * STITCH 2,350.294 4 587.573 587.573 0.000 Model 3,157.263 9 4,795.251 4,795.251 0.000 Residual 20.000 20 1.000 Total 3,177.263 29 1,488.871 Notes: a FEEDHALF by SOFRENER, STITCH; b all effects entered simultaneously Table VIII. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener treatment (with softener B 6 percent and without softener) and stitch density on friction force for half plating fabrics Figure 8. Effect of softener type and concentration percent on friction force (cN) for full plating fabric 499 Stitch/cm2 402 Stitch/cm2 363 Stitch/cm2 472 Stitch/cm2 425 Stitch/cm2 250 300 200 150 100 50 0 without softener F r i c t i o n
F o r c e
( c N ) with softener A(3%) with softener A(6%) with softener B(6%) with softener B(6%) IJCST 24,4 266 A N O V A a , b U n i q u e m e t h o d S u m o f s q u a r e s d f M e a n s q u a r e F S i g . F E E D F U L L M a i n e f f e c t s ( C o m b i n e d ) 8 , 5 5 3 . 6 4 6 6 1 , 4 2 5 . 6 0 8 6 , 2 4 9 . 8 7 9 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N 2 8 8 . 6 4 3 1 2 8 8 . 6 4 3 1 , 2 6 5 . 4 1 2 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T T Y P E 4 , 5 3 0 . 6 1 8 1 4 , 5 3 0 . 6 1 8 1 9 , 8 6 2 . 2 7 7 0 . 0 0 0 S T I T C H 3 , 7 3 4 . 3 8 5 4 9 3 3 . 5 9 6 4 , 0 9 2 . 8 9 6 0 . 0 0 0 T w o - w a y i n t e r a c t i o n s ( C o m b i n e d ) 5 , 3 7 6 . 7 9 1 9 5 9 7 . 4 2 1 2 , 6 1 9 . 1 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N * S O F T T Y P E 1 , 9 3 5 . 5 1 7 1 1 , 9 3 5 . 5 1 7 8 , 4 8 5 . 3 2 5 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T C O N * S T I T C H 1 , 8 7 6 . 1 5 3 4 4 6 9 . 0 3 8 2 , 0 5 6 . 2 6 9 0 . 0 0 0 S O F T T Y P E * S T I T C H 1 , 5 6 5 . 1 2 0 4 3 9 1 . 2 8 0 1 , 7 1 5 . 3 7 6 0 . 0 0 0 T h r e e - w a y i n t e r a c t i o n s S O F T C O N * S O F T T Y P E * S T I T C H 2 , 2 6 2 . 5 4 2 4 5 6 5 . 6 3 5 2 , 4 7 9 . 7 5 1 0 . 0 0 0 M o d e l 1 6 , 1 9 2 . 9 7 9 1 9 8 5 2 . 2 6 2 3 , 7 3 6 . 3 2 5 0 . 0 0 0 R e s i d u a l 9 . 1 2 4 4 0 0 . 2 2 8 T o t a l 1 6 , 2 0 2 . 1 0 3 5 9 2 7 4 . 6 1 2 N o t e s : a F E E D F U L L b y S O F T C O N , S O F T T Y P E , S T I T C H ; b a l l e f f e c t s e n t e r e d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y Table IX. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener type, concentration and stitch density on friction force for full plating fabrics Effect of fabric softener 267 (with and without softener) affects on weight loss percent signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent when using softener (A) at concentration (3 percent) as shown in Table XIII. 4.9 Abrasion resistance (weight loss percent) in case of full plating fabric Figure 11 shows the effect of softeners type and concentration percent on weight loss percent for full plating single jersey fabric at different levels of stitch density. As shown, generally softener treatment decreases the weight loss percent by an average value of (35 percent) comparing to fabric without softener treatment. ANOVA a,b Unique method Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. FEEDHAL Main effects (Combined 2,609.304 5 4,521.861 4,639.646 0.000 SOFRENE 2,323.224 1 2,323.224 2,904.698 0.000 STITCH 286.080 4 71.520 73.383 0.000 Two-way interaction SOFRENE * STITCH 1,515.819 4 378.955 388.826 0.000 Model 4,125.123 9 2,680.569 2,750.393 0.000 Residual 19.492 20 0.975 Total 4,144.615 29 832.573 Notes: a FEEDHALF by SOFRENER, STITCH; b all effects entered simultaneously Table X. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener treatment (with softener B 3 percent and without softener) and stitch density on friction force for full plating fabrics ANOVA Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. ABRASION Between groups 3.306 1 3.306 225.683 0.000 Within groups 0.117 8 1.465 10 202 Total 3.423 9 Table XI. One-way ANOVA for the effect of softener treatment (with softener A 6 percent and without softener) on abrasion resistance for 100 percent cotton fabric Figure 9. Effect of softener type and concentration on abrasion resistance for 100 percent cotton single jersey fabric 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W e i g h t
L o s s
% without softener with softener A(3%) with softener A(6%) with softener B(3%) with softener B(6%) IJCST 24,4 268 For softener (A), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 3 percent (53 percent) compared to concentration 6 percent (33.5 percent). For softener (B), the average value of decrease percent for the different levels of stitch density is higher for concentration 6 percent (34 percent) compared to concentration 3 percent (19 percent). ANOVA a,b Unique method Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. ABRASHAF Main effects (Combined) 36.341 6 6.057 1,329.721 0.000 SOFTCON 0.273 1 0.273 60.016 0.000 SOFTTYPE 35.620 1 35.620 7,820.025 0.000 STITCH 0.448 4 0.112 24.571 0.000 Two-way interactions (Combined) 3.199 9 0.355 78.044 0.000 SOFTCON * SOFTTYPE 5.954 10 202 1 5.954 10 202 13.070 0.001 SOFTCON * STITCH 1.398 4 0.349 76.704 0.000 SOFTTYPE * STITCH 1.742 4 0.436 95.626 0.000 Three-way interactions SOFTCON * SOFTTYPE * STITCH 5.154 4 1.289 282.881 0.000 Model 44.695 19 2.352 516.434 0.000 Residual 0.182 40 4.555 10 203 Total 44.877 59 0.761 Notes: a ABRASHAF by SOFTCON, SOFTTYPE, STITCH; b all effects entered simultaneously Table XII. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener type, concentration and stitch density on weight loss percent due to abrasion for half plating fabrics Figure 10. Effect of softener type and concentration percent on the abrasion resistance (weight loss percent) for half plating fabrics 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 W e i g h t
l o s s
% 349Stitch/cm2 337 Stitch/cm2 321 Stitch/m2 311Stitch/cm2 294 Stitch/cm2 without softener with softener A(3%) with softener A(6%) with softener B(3%) with softener B(6%) Effect of fabric softener 269 Also, results show that softener (B) at concentration (6 percent) gives the max decrease percent (55 percent) at the lower density and softener (A) at concentration (3 percent) gives the max decrease percent (55.3 percent) at the highest density. Statistical analysis (two wayandthree way) M-ANOVAtest shows that the softener type, concentration and the stitch density affect on the weight loss percent signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent as shown in Table XIV. Softener treatment affect on weight loss percent signicantly at condence limit 99.9 percent when using softener A at concentration 3 percent as shown in Table XV. We nd that softener A better than softener B so, the chemical bond between bres and silicon softener weaken tensile ber properties or facilitate the slippage of bres from fabric surface the maximum decrease in weight loss percent was found in case of cationic softener with 3 percent concentration for 100 percent cotton, half and full plating fabrics. These results are consistent with the former studies of Nihat (2008). Figure 11. Effect of softener type and concentration percent on abrasion resistance (weight loss percent) for full plating fabrics 0 1 2 3 4 5 W e i g h t
l o s s
% 499 Stitch/cm2 472 Stitch/cm2 425 Stitch/cm2 402 Stitch/cm2 363 Stitch/cm2 without softener with softener A(3%) with softener A(6%) with softener B(3%) with softener B(6%) ANOVA a,b Unique method Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. ABRAHALF Main effects (Combined) 51.427 5 10.285 2,533.340 0.000 SOFRENER 45.313 1 45.313 11,160.894 0.000 STITCH 6.114 4 1.528 376.452 0.000 Two-way interactions SOFRENER * STITCH 0.831 4 0.208 51.196 0.000 Model 52.258 9 5.806 1,430.165 0.000 Residual 8.120 10 202 20 4.060 10 203 Total 52.339 29 1.805 Notes: a ABRAHALF by SOFRENER, STITCH; b all effects entered simultaneously Table XIII. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener treatment (with softener A 3 percent and without softener) and stitch density on weight loss percent due to abrasion for half plating fabrics IJCST 24,4 270 5. Conclusion Generally adding softener to 100 percent cotton, half and full plating samples results in decrease in: . The sewing needle penetration force by (59, 42 and 37 percent), respectively. . The friction force by (15, 21.4 and 20 percent), respectively. . The weight loss percent due to abrasion resistance by (7, 32 and 35 percent), respectively. . Softener B (silicon) improves two properties for the 100 percent cotton fabric, half and full plating samples which are the sewing needle penetration force and the friction force. ANOVA a,b Unique method Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. ABRASFUL Main effects (Combined) 5.904 6 0.984 320.533 0.000 SOFTCON 0.212 1 0.212 69.191 0.000 SOFTTYPE 5.169 1 5.169 1,683.562 0.000 STITCH 0.523 4 0.131 42.611 0.000 Two-way interactions (Combined) 11.424 9 1.269 413.455 0.000 SOFTCON * SOFTTYP 5.673 1 5.673 1,848.005 0.000 SOFTCON * STITCH 1.043 4 0.261 84.923 0.000 SOFTTYPE * STITCH 4.708 4 1.177 383.35 0.000 Three-way interactions SOFTCON * SOFTTYP * STITCH 4.610 4 1.153 375.415 0.000 Model 21.938 19 1.155 376.103 0.000 Residual 0.123 40 3.070 10 203 Total 22.061 59 0.374 Notes: a ABRASFUL by SOFTCON, SOFTTYPE, STITCH and b all effects entered simultaneously Table XIV. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener type, concentration and stitch density on weight loss percent due to abrasion for full plating fabrics ANOVA a,b Unique method Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig. ABRASFUL Main effects (Combined) 31.842 5 6.368 62.146 0.000 SOFRENER 29.976 1 29.976 292.519 0.000 STITCH 1.866 4 0.467 4.553 0.009 Two-way interactions SOFRENER * STITCH 1.086 4 0.271 2.649 0.064 Model 32.928 9 3.659 35.703 0.000 Residual 2.050 20 0.102 Total 34.977 29 1.206 Notes: a ABRASFUL by SOFRENER, STITCH; b all effects entered simultaneously Table XV. M-ANOVA for the effect of softener treatment (with softener A 3 percent and without softener) and stitch density on weight loss percent due to abrasion for full plating fabrics Effect of fabric softener 271 . Softener A(cationic) improves only weight loss percent for the 100 percent cotton fabric, half and full plating samples. . The results show that, adding the spandex yarn increases the density of Wales and courses, so, there is difcult sewing needle penetration force, and silicon has the best results with sewing needle penetration force. References Ana, M.L., Grancaric, M.V. and Rosa, A. (2005), Handle of cotton knitted fabrics inuence of pretreatments, paper presented at World Textile Conference Autex. Ayca, G. and Binnaz, M. (2005), Sewing needle penetration forces and elastane ber damage during the sewing of cotton/elastane woven fabrics, Textile Research Journal, Vol. 75 No. 8, pp. 628-33. Carvalho, H., Rocha, A.M. and Monteiro, J.L. (2009), Measurement and analysis of needle penetration forces in industrial high-speed sewing machine, Journal of the Textile Institute, Vol. 100 No. 4. Darko, U. and Dubravko, R. (2008), Inuence of sewing needle penetration force on the quality of knitted garment, Fibres & Textiles in Eastern Europe, Vol. 16 No. 4(69), pp. 85-9. George, S. and Xu, Y.M. (1995), An investigation of the penetration force prole of the sewing machine needle point, Journal of the Textile Institute, Vol. 86 No. 1. Gurarda, A. and Meric, B. (2007), Effects of elastane yarn type and fabric density on sewing needle penetration forces and seam damage of pet/elastane woven fabrics, Fibres & Textiles in Eastern Europe, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 73-6. Jang, K. and Yeh, K. (1993), Effect of silicone softeners and silane coupling agents on the performance properties of cotton fabrics, Textile Research Journal, Vol. 63 No. 10, pp. 557-65. Min, S.K. and Tae, J.K. (2002), Dimensional and surface properties of plasma and silicone treated wool fabric, Textile Research Journal, Vol. 72 No. 2, pp. 113-20. Nihat, C. (2008), Effect of nano-silicon softener on abrasion and pilling resistance and color fastness of knitted fabrics, Tekstile ve konfeksiyon. Stylios, G. and Lloyd, D.W. (1990), Prediction of seam pucker in garments by measuring fabric mechanical properties and geometric relationships, International Journal of Clothing Science & Technology, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 6-15. Tae, J.K. (2001), Effects of silicone treatments on the dimensional properties of wool fabric, Textile Research Journal, Vol. 71 No. 4, pp. 295-300. Tomasino, C. (1992), Chemistry and Technology of Fabric Preparation and Finishing, Chemistry and Science College of Textiles North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Corresponding author Roqaya Sadek can be contacted at: R_sadek@mans.edu.eg IJCST 24,4 272 To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: reprints@emeraldinsight.com Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints