TEXTILE TESTING

METHODS
 INTRODUCTION
Fabric testing is an important segment of the
textile industry. We can easily detect the faults of
machinery and materials during test of textiles.

Textile standards: Standard is a prescribed

required level of performance of material. These
standards are:

NFPA: National Fire Protection Association

ANSI: American National Standard Institute
ISO: International organization for
 COTTON
Microscopic
Cotton fiber is a single
elongated cell. view of cotton
Under a microscope, cotton
fiber looks like flat, spirally
twisted ribbon-like tube with
rough granular surface.
Mercerized cotton does not
have natural twist. The finishing
process makes them
swollen, straight, smooth and
round with a shining surface.
 WOOL
Wool fiber has
irregular, roughly MICROSCOPIC
cylindrical, multi cellular VIEW OF WOOL
structure with tapered ends.

Under a microscope, three

basic layers are shown-
epidermis (outer layer), cortex
(middle layer) and medulla
(inner layer).

Medulla is seen only in coarse

and medium wool fibers and
that too under a highly powerful
 LINEN
Linen fiber, under a Microscopic view of
microscope, looks like having linen/flax
multiple sided cylindrical
filaments with fine pointed
edges.

The filaments show nodes at

intervals.

It, in fact, looks like a bamboo

stick having joints that results
into a little unevenness.

SILK
Silk fibers are straight and
smooth.
Raw silk fiber, composed of two MICROSCOPIC
filaments, has elliptical shape VIEW OF SILK
under the microscope.
The two fine and lustrous
filaments are shown clearly
looking like transparent rods with
triangular shape.
Wild silk or tussah fiber has
different appearance than the
cultivated silk. It is
flattened, coarse, thick and
broader fiber having fine, wavy
lines all across its surface
whereas cultivated silk is
 POLYESTER
Polyester (aka Terylene ) is a category of polymers which
contain the ester functional group in their main chain.
Generally, polyester fibers are smooth and straight and the
cross-section is round.
With various finishing processes, its appearance changes in
context of texture and luster.
MICROSCOPIC VIEW OF POLYESTER
 NYLON
The basic microscopic appearance is generally
fine, round, smooth, and translucent.
Sometimes it has shiny appearance. If it looks dull, it will
also be dotted under the microscope.
It is also produced in multilobal cross-sectional types.
MICROSCOPIC VIEW OF NYLON
 PHYSICAL TESTS
BREAKING
STRENGTH
TEARING STRENGTH
BURSTING
STRENGTH
PILLING PROPENSITY
AIR PERMEABILITY
ABRASION
RESISTANCE
 BREAKING STRENGTH
Breaking strength is the force required to
break a fabric when it is under tension (being
pulled).
Breaking longation is the increase in length
that has occurred when the fabrics breaks.
 BREAKING STRENGTH
Mainly used for woven fabric because the tests
are unidirectional and woven fabrics have
unidirectional yarns.
Factors that produce a strong fabric include
fiber content, yarn size and type, weave, and
yarns per inch.
Breaking strength is expressed in pounds
and the elongation is expressed as a percent
and in both cases a number of warp tests and
weft test are performed.
IMPORTANCE OF BREAKING STRENGTH
TEST

Breaking strength is important in various end

uses such as automotive safety
belts, parachute harness and pants.

Breaking strength can also be used to test the

effects of destructive forces upon a woven
fabric including sunlight, abrasion, laundering
etc.
 TEARING STRENGTH
Tearing strength is the force required to
continue a tear or rip already stated in a fabric.
This test is used mainly in
woven fabrics because the test
is unidirectional and woven
fabrics have unidirectional
yarns.
A number of tear strength test
is carried out and the average
is taken to determine the tear
strength.

Tearing strength is expressed

either in pounds or grams.
 BURSTING STRENGTH
Bursting strength is the amount of pressure required to rupture a
fabric.

In this test, the testing force is applied radially and not in one
direction as in breaking or tearing strength tests.
Fabrics like knits, felt, non woven, lace and netting are usually
tested in this manner because these fabrics either do not have
yarns or yarns are not in any given direction.
The bursting strength is expressed in pounds.
 PILLING PROPENSITY
Pilling is the formation of small balls of fibres called pills
on the surface of the fabric.
Pilling occurs only when there is
rubbing or an abrasive action on
the surface of the fabric.
Pilling usually occurs during
normal wear and also while
clothes are in the dryer
Evaluation should be made taking
into account the size, number, and
visibility of the pills as well as the
type and degree of other surface
change.
 PILLING PROPENSITY
After each test, each of the specimen is first evaluated for pilling
usually on a 5-4-3-2-1 pilling scale, then surface appearance is
evaluated both for colour change as well as for fuzz.

An average of ratings is usually taken as a result.

 AIR PERMEABILITY
Air permeability is the rate of air flow through a material
under a differential pressure between two fabric
surfaces.
This property is important for a wide range of textile
applications.
With some products like curtains high
air permeability is required and for
other products like parachutes and
gas filters air permeability required is
very less.
Air permeability is expressed as cubic
feet per square foot of fabric at a
stated pressure differential between
two surfaces of fabric.
 VARIABLES WHICH AFFECT AIR
PERMEABILITY
Fiber content: more crimp, lower air
permeability.
Yarn size: heavier yarns, lower air permeability.

Yarn Twist: less twist, less air permeability.

Fabric Thickness: thicker fabric, lower air
permeability.
Multiple layers: more layers, lower air
permeability.
Fabric yarns per inch or stitches per inch:
greater density, lower air permeability.
ABRASION RESISTANCE
Abrasion resistance is the wearing away of any part of a
material when rubbed against any other material.

Garments that are made from

fibres that possess both high
breaking strength and
abrasion resistance can be
worn often and for a long
period of time before signs of
physical wear appear..

Nylon is extremely high in abrasion resistance so it is used

widely in action outer whereas Acetate has poor abrasion
resistance so it does not last long when used for lining in
jackets and coats.
 CHEMICAL TESTING
COLORFASTNESS PROPERTIES.
CHEMICAL SOLUBILITY TEST .
 COLORFASTNESS
PROPERTIES
Used to determine the resistance of dyed or
printed fabrics to color change under various
conditions.
There are various reasons as to which a fabric changes
colors like sunlight, pollution
gases, abrasion, perspiration, dry cleaning etc.
A fabric that experiences little color alteration when
exposed to a fading force is said to have a good
colorfastness while if the color does not hold, then the
fabric has poor colorfastness.
 COLORFASTNESS
PROPERTIES
Problem persists with deeper colors like red rather than
pastel colors.
There is a scale from 5 to 1 for evaluating
colorfastness.

Class 5 means no shade change and class 1 means

very great shade change.

Colorfastness to light is rated on L9 to L1 scale with L9

being the best rating and L1 the worst .
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF
COLORFASTNESS TESTS.
1. COLORFASTNESS TO SUNLIGHT .
2. COLORFASTNESS TO WASHING.
3. COLORFASTNESS TO CROCKING.
4. COLORFASTNESS TO FROSTING.
5. COLORFASTNESS TO PERSPIRATION.
6. COLORFASTNESS TO DRY CLEANING.
7. COLORFASTNESS TO BURNT GAS
FUMES
( GAS FADING ).
 COLORFASTNESS TO SUNLIGHT

Dyed fabrics when exposed to sunlight

will in time fade or change color. This
property is called as colorfastness to
sunlight.

Many apparels are tested up to 40

hours because certain fabrics have to
resist the fading effect of the sun to a
much greater degree.eg men's suit.

Drapery fabrics are usually tested for 8

hours whereas canopy fabrics for 160
hours.
 COLORFASTNESS TO SUNLIGHT

the no of hours that the specimens are in the machine

should be indicated .

The device used is called a weather- ometer.

This machine offers accelerated weathering and light

fastness test for chemicals.

A combination of artificial light, heat & moisture is used.

COLORFASTNESS TO WASHING

A no of variations are followed to test

colorfastness to washing because there
are differences in washing procedures of
different fabrics.
Eg wool fabrics cannot be washed like
cottons i.e. with same considerable
mechanical action in hot, soapy
solutions.

The machine used is called launder-

ometer.
 COLORFASTNESS TO WASHING
This instrument determines a materials colorfastness to
washing and staining as well as to dry cleaning .
The specimens are placed in containers in which there is
either dry cleaning solvent or water.
The container rotate inside the machine, agitating the
specimens.
 IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE
WASHING
The washing temperature
should have a great affect on
colors.
Often the dye is loosened from Time is important
fabrics by the action of hot water.
Articles from which dye runs
should be washed without
soaking and for less time so
that less amount of color runs
Additions to bath out.
Bleaching and sodium
carbonate should be
included to intensify the
washing action.
 IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE
WASHING
Mechanical action.
Mechanical action subjected to
laundering should also be included in
washing test.

Proportion of liquid.
The proportion of liquid to the amount of
material washed is important because if
volume of liquid is too high, the material
would just float without the squeezing .
Whereas in smaller amount there would be
twisting action.
 COLORFASTNESS TO CROCKING
Crocking is the transference of
color by rubbing from one
colored textile material to
another .
Dark shades are more
likely to crock than light
colors because there is
more dye in dark colors
than light ones.

Similarly, printed fabrics

often will crock more
easily than dyed fabrics
because in printed
fabrics the dye is on the
surface than inside the
fabric.
Wet fabrics will crock more
easily than dry ones because the
moisture present assists in
removing the dye.
 COLORFASTNESS TO CROCKING

The arm is rotated back & forth causing the white

crock test cloth to rub against the specimen.
The device used is
crock meter
The cloth is removed
and evaluated on a
scale of 5 to 1.(class
5:negligible or no
crocking; class 1 :
large amount of
crocking).
 COLORFASTNESS TO CROCKING

The arm is rotated back & forth causing the white

crock test cloth to rub against the specimen.

The cloth is removed

and evaluated on a
scale of 5 to 1.(class
5:negligible or no
crocking; class 1 :
large amount of
crocking).
 Colorfastness to frosting
Frosting is a localized color change produced by a
relatively severe, localized flat abrasion action. Eg
back pocket of a pair of trousers.
Fabrics with poor dye penetration will fade quickly
from abrasion as on the surface will wear, leaving a
very little color.
Blended fabric can change colors if each fiber has
different abrasion resistance.
Eg in a dark grey fabric, the black cotton will
abrade more quickly than a white polyester
fabric, developing a light grey color.

The device used is a surface Abrader.

Colorfastness to perspiration
Perspiration may change the color of a fabric.
Three things may take place :
1. color change of the dyed fabric.
2. Loosening and uneven repositioning of color on
colored fabric.
3. Staining of material next to the colored fabric.

Perspiration maybe slightly acidic but through

bacterial action, it becomes alkaline. The dye
may get affected by both.
The device used is the perspiration tester.
a slightly acid solution on one cloth & alkaline on
another is used. Both specimens are tested.
The one with the most color change is used to
represent the fabric and its class rating is used as
a result.
Colorfastness to dry cleaning
Color may change due to dry cleaning too.
This test indicates what will happen to the
color of textile materials after repeated
commercial dry cleaning.
Perchlorethylene is used in the test:
Commonly used dry cleaning solvents.
It is slightly more severe in solvent action.
A color that may get affected by
perchlorethylene will not get affected by
Stoddard solvent (petroleum base).

Device used for this test is the launder-

ometer.
Dry cleaning solvent instead of water is used as
liquid.
 Colorfastness to
burnt gas fumes
Lastly, color changes due to the presence of nitrous
oxide in the atmosphere.
Acetate is the most susceptible to this gas.
When disperse dye is combined with acetate , severe
color changes take place.eg blue which changes to
purple.
Solution dyeing & inhibitors can be used to reduce or
eliminate color fading .

The device used to perform the test is called gas

fading chamber.
The source of burnt gas fumes is a Bunsen burner
placed at the bottom of the instrument.
 Chemical test

In these types of tests , chemicals are

used as a part of the test procedure.
the specimen is dissolved in the
chemical to check its solubility .

The test include :

Colorfastness
Fiber identification using the solubility
test.
 Chemical solubility
test
COTTON & FLAX:
They can be differentiated by observing their
longitudinal appearance with a microscope.

CONCENTRATION TEMPERATURE MINUTES FIBER

SULPHURIC 70% 38*C 20 COTTON

ACID

SULPHURIC 70% 38*C 20 FLAX

ACID
SILK & WOOL:
Differentiate visually

SOLVENTS CONCENTRATION TEMPERATURE MINUTES FIBER

SODIUM 5.25% 20*C 20 WOOL

HYPOCHLORITE

SODIUM 5.25 % 20*C 20 SILK

HYPOCHLORITE
Polyester:
SOLVENTS CONCENTRATION TEMPERATURE MINUTES FIBER

META-CRESOL 100% 139*C 5 POLYESTER

Acetate :
SOLVENTS CONCENTRATION TEMPERATURE MINUTES FIBER

ACETIC ACID 100% 20*C 5 ACETATE

Rayon:

SOLVENT CONCENTRATION TEMPERATURE MINUTES FIBER

HYDROCHLORIC 38% 24*C 5 RAYON

ACID

Nylon:
SOLVENTS CONCENTRATION TEMPERATURE MINUTES FIBER

META-CRESOL 100% 139*C 5 NYLON

Spandex:

SOLVENT CONCENTRATION TEMPERATURE MINUTES FIBER

DIMETHYL 100% 90*C 10 LYCRA/

FORMAMIDE SPANDEX