Abstract Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/Co(OAc)2/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite nanofibers were fabricated via electrospinning with N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent, and by carbonization and activation of the above precursor nanofibers, porous carbon composite nanofibers were successfully obtained. Scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, ASAP 2020, and Solartron 1470 were used to characterize the surface morphology, the phase composition, specific surface area, and electrochemical property of the nanofibers, respectively. The result showed that some of the fibers were broken after sintering, and the surface area and pore volume of the porous C/Cu/CNTs were 771 m2/g and 0.347 cm3/g, respectively. The specific capacitance of the composite nanofibers reached up to 210 F/g at the current density of 1.0 A/g. Its energy density and power density were 3.1 Wh/Kg and 2,337 W/Kg, respectively, at the current of 0.5 and 5 mA.

Abstract Fabric noise generated by fabric-to-fabric friction is considered as one of the auditory disturbances that can have an impact on the quality of some textile products. For this reason, an instrument has been developed to analyse this phenomenon. The instrument is designed to simulate the relative movement of a human arm when walking. In order to understand the nature of the relative motion of a human arm, films of the upper half of the human body were taken. These films help to define the parameters required for movement simulation. These parameters are movement trajectory, movement velocity, arm pressure applied on the lateral part of the trunk and the friction area. After creating the instrument, a set of soundtracks related to the noise generated by fabric-to-fabric friction was recorded. The recordings were treated with a specific software to extract the sound parameters and the acoustic imprints of fabric were obtained.

Abstract The manufacturers of weaving equipment recently endeavour to minimise the necessary designing plays in the weaving loom mechanisms. One of the mechanisms most exposed to stress is the shedding motion that defines the held-shaft stroke. Its end part is the heald shaft. The heald shaft constitutes a problematic assembly of the shedding motion. The design employed presently is characterised by dynamic impact loading caused by designing play in the suspension of healds into the heald shaft. During weaving cycle, the healds fly between the main beams of the heald shaft, producing a considerable force pulse. This paper is concerned with the description of dynamic behaviour of the existing design on the basis of mathematical modelling and verification of obtained results by means of experimental analysis.

Abstract The currently used methods of ergonomic assessment of protective clothing depend on the subjective feeling of research participants and don’t take into consideration all aspects of its use. Therefore, more amount of work is undertaken toward the development of new research tools for the ergonomic assessment of protective clothing. Research was carried out at the Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute in Lodz. A new methodology will take into consideration a variant of reference clothing, which is related to the results of ergonomics research of protective clothing. Preparation of the reference clothing initiated by picking the appropriate fabric is based on the results of parameters influencing the physiological comfort and sensorial comfort. In the current part, results of different fabric parameters are presented, which are related to physiological comfort, i.e., the thermal resistance, water vapor resistance, hygroscopicity, and air permeability. In the next part of research, we will focus on the parameters related to objective sensorial feelings, i.e., total hand value and its components. Seven fabrics, including six cotton/polyester fabrics, diverse in terms of constituent fiber content and structure parameters (weave, thread density per 1 dm, thread linear density, mass per square meter, thickness), and Tencel/polyester fabric were tested. The best in terms of thermal resistance, water vapor resistance, and air permeability was the cotton/polyester fabric (35% cotton/65% PES) with the smallest mass per square meter. This fabric also exhibits the high hygroscopicity of 7.5%, which puts it into the fourth position.

Abstract Let us next analyse the coupled problem during ironing of textiles, that is, the heat is transported with mass whereas the mass transport with heat is negligible. It is necessary to define both physical and mathematical models. Introducing two-phase system of mass sorption by fibres, the transport equations are introduced and accompanied by the set of boundary and initial conditions. Optimisation of material thickness during ironing is gradient oriented. The first-order sensitivity of an arbitrary objective functional is analysed and included in optimisation procedure. Numerical example is the thickness optimisation of different textile materials in ironing device.

Abstract Single-layered warp knitted fabrics were produced by the 60D/36F (containing 36 filaments) polyester yarn with differential shrinkage (DS) property in this study. Due to the differential shrinkage property, the fabric becomes curly and bulkier, simulating cotton fabric in terms of its appearance and fabric handle. The performance and appearance of these DS polyester warp knitted fabrics were evaluated objectively and subjectively. The testing results demonstrated that the DS polyester warp knitted fabric had better abrasion property, worse pilling resistance due to the mechanical property of polyester yarn when compared with 100% cotton warp knitted fabric. Meanwhile, lower water vapour permeability and air resistance were found for DS polyester warp knitted fabric resulting from the dense structure of yarn shrinkage after heat-moisture treatment. Besides, the fabric handle was evaluated by Kawabata evaluation system and subject to trial under dry and wet fabric condition. DS polyester warp knitted fabrics provide better recovery under low stress mechanical pressure. The subjective evaluation result shows that the warp knitted fabrics made of DS polyester had similar handle against cotton warp knitted fabric in terms of prickle, smooth, comfort and dry feeling in both dry and wet testing conditions.

Abstract ‘The smart textiles’ concept has to develop products based not only on design, fashion and comfort but also in terms of functions. The novel electro-textiles in the market open up new trends in smart and interactive gadgets. ‘Easy to care and durability’ properties are among the most important features of these products. On the other hand, wearable electronic knitwear has been gaining the attention of both researchers and industrial sectors. Combining knitting technology with electronics may become a dominant trend in the future because of the wide application possibilities. This research is concerned primarily with the design methodology of knitted fabrics containing electrically conductive textiles and especially in-use performance studies. The structural characteristics of the fabrics have been evaluated to enhance the performance properties.

Abstract In this study, a new detection algorithm for yarn-dyed fabric defect based on autocorrelation function and grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) is put forward. First, autocorrelation function is used to determine the pattern period of yarn-dyed fabric and according to this, the size of detection window can be obtained. Second, GLCMs are calculated with the specified parameters to characterise the original image. Third, Euclidean distances of GLCMs between being detected images and template image, which is selected from the defect-free fabric, are computed and then the threshold value is given to realise the defect detection. Experimental results show that the algorithm proposed in this study can achieve accurate detection of common defects of yarn-dyed fabric, such as the wrong weft, weft crackiness, stretched warp, oil stain and holes.

Abstract Colour is one of the most important properties of cotton raw materials. It helps in determining and classifying the quality of fibres according to the Universal Cotton Standards. Organoleptic and instrumental techniques are applied to assess the color of cotton. Worldwide, the colour parameters of cotton are measured by the High Volume Instrument (HVI), which provides information on reflectance (Rd) and yellowness (+b) that is specific for cotton, but are not the typical and globally recognized colour characteristics. Usually, worldwide, the colour of textile products and other goods is assessed utilizing the spectrophotometer, which provides the colour data that is widely recognized and accepted by the CIE L*a*b* colour space. This paper discusses utilizing the DigiEye system to measure the colour parameters of cotton samples and compares the results with the colour parameters from the HVI.

Abstract This study focuses on the analysis of the existing design solution of shedding mechanism. It is characterised by a heald attachment into the heald shaft with a necessary design allowance. The preparation of a mathematical model for the new concept of the heald attaching to the heald shaft frame is explained in this study. A damping element for dissipating the energy created during the heald impact on the carrying wire of the heald shaft is currently used for the high-speed weaving loom. This system makes use of a damping element, fitted in the profile of the rod at an optimum distance from heald eye. This element provides for reduction of the heald velocity before its drop upon the supporting wire because the opposite section of the heald is pressed into the rubber element. The calculated results of the new concept of the heald attaching to the heald shaft frame are compared with the existing solution without application of the damping element.