Recently our Interior Materials class went on a two day field trip to the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute here in Lubbock, Texas. The first day was devoted to the processes of mainly cotton and how it’s transformed through a variety of stages into products. The second day, which I will focus on, was dedicated to different testing procedures the fibers go through. We witnessed several machines that test the resistance to the formation of pills, test dimensional changes, test the breaking force and elongation of textiles, and test the tearing strength of fibers, but I will focus mainly on the pilling tester and the quickwash machine that measures dimensional changes.
Each, of these procedures of testing, is necessary for fabric manufacturers to pass. “Fabric manufacturers spend countless hours and dollars altering fabrics and constructions so that they pass ‘wear tests’ and can be stamped with the data that specifiers have been led to believe are important” (Yates 2002). On our field trip we were able to view some of the machines that go about conducting these different tests. The random tumble pilling tester shows the resistance to the formation of pills. According to American Society for Testing and Materials (Standard Test 1996), “The pilling of textile fabrics is a very complex property because it is affected by many factors which may include type of fiber or blends, fiber dimensions, yarn and fabric construction, fabric finishing treatments and refurbishing method,” (1996). Pills are tiny pieces of fibers that accumulate on the surface of fabrics. This test is conducted in a cylindrical test chamber and random rubbing occurs on the fabric to cause pills to form. A scale of 1-5 is used to evaluate how much pilling occurred in the respective fabric, 5 being no pilling and 1 being very severe pilling.
A second test used at the research institute was the quickwash machine. It measures dimensional changes of accelerated fabrics. “The resistance to abrasion of textile materials is affected by many factors in a complex manner” (Standard Guide 1996). The dimensional changes are determined by comparing the distances between width and length before and after a programmed test. This test used at the Research Center is used very often considering it uses a small amount of fabric and only takes a small amount of time to complete. Basically the fabrics are measured before and after the quickwash, and the dimensional changes in both length and width determined and growth of shrinkage that has occurred in the fabric.
On our field trip we learned a lot about fibers and the testing of those fibers. Both the quickwash and the pilling tester are very essential in testing fabrics for both manufacturers and those researching fabrics such as the people at the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute.
References
“Standard Guide for Abrasion Resistance of Textile Fabrics (Uniform Abrasion)” (September 15,
2011). Retrieved from http://www.astm.org/Standards/D4158.htm 1996.
“Standard Test Method for Pilling Resistance and Other Related Surface Changes of Textile
Fabrics: Brush Pilling Tester.” (September 15, 2011). Retrieved from http://www.astm.org/ABOUT/overview.html 1996 1996.
Yates, Marypaul. (2002). Fabrics: A Guide for Interior Designers and Architects. New York: W.
W. Norton & Company.
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