Effect of structure of wool/nylon spun yarn on warp knittability and fabric performance

Abstract

This study was an investigation of the knittability of wool/nylon yarns subjected to stretching, bending, and friction during the warp knitting process and the anti-pilling performance of the resulting knitted fabrics. Wool/nylon compact spun yarn, core-spun yarn, and Sirofil spun yarn were prepared with the same wool/nylon ratio, of 70/30. The abrasion resistance and mechanical and bending properties were measured to evaluate the knittability of wool/nylon yarns, and the hairiness of the yarns and the pilling performance of the fabrics produced were also examined. In addition, the mechanical property, bending rigidity, and air and moisture permeability of the fabrics were measured. The Sirofil spun yarn demonstrated superior performance in terms of abrasion resistance (377×), breaking strength (202.10 cN), and hook-joint strength (178.45 cN), which were all significantly higher than for compact and core-spun yarns. Sirofil spun yarn had the best knittability of the three yarns; the pilling grade of the fabric produced by Sirofil spun yarn and after soft finishing was 3 for 7000 abrasion cycles, and the warp breaking strength of fabric produced by Sirofil spun yarn after the soft finishing was 593.53 N. The moisture permeability of the fabric produced by Sirofil spun yarn and after smooth finishing was 339.93 g/m²·h. It was concluded that the Sirofil spun yarn was more suitable for warp knitting than compact spun yarn or core-spun yarn.