Testing and Influencing the Properties of Man-Made Fibers

Introduction to Testing
The testing of chemical fibers is a necessary and integral part of the production process. It is multifaceted, can be carried out at various stages in the production process and can be viewed from different aspects with the following emphasis [I]. Quality control and quality assurance Process optimization during fiber production and further processing Product development of fibers and yarns Input and output controls for monitoring specifications Failure analysis in each stage of production Investigation into how textile articles behave in use.

Figure 9.1 illustrates the fundamental aspects of measurement and testing technology required for product quality assurance. In addition to the time-proven investigative methods, computer-driven measuring processes are increasingly being used. These are sometimes fully-integrated systems (or lines) which automatically carry out testing and evaluation. As apparel, textiles, carpets and other articles are also judged by their outward appearance, visual methods and sensor-based measurements (such as dye uptake uniformity, pilling, etc.) are still used in addition to textile testing of fibers and yarns. Statistically-evaluated wearer or application trials are still required for performance-in-use evaluation, as, e.g., for fiber development. Similar testing is necessary in the case of new fibers or new types of fibers and for their conformity with design quality. There is an increasing tendency to move away from the chemical and physical testing of fibers in monitoring producer quality, and to move towards control of process variables on the machine itself: This requires a re-orientation in thinking, from product control to the individual process parameters: the more reproducible a production process is, the less need there is for subsequent random samples for chemical or physical testing in the laboratory. Taken to extremes, an absolutely reliable reproduction of process parameters eliminates the need for subsequent product testing in the laboratory, except for a few random samples. Figure 9.2 compares the methodology of process control (left) and product control