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Luster Properties of Polyester Filament Yarn Woven Fabrics

Article  in  Textile Research Journal · January 2004

DOI: 10.1177/004051750407400113

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72

Luster Properties of Polyester Filament Yarn Woven Fabrics

JONG JUN KIM
1AND KYUNG IN SHIN
Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea

HYO SEON RYU

Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea

EUN AE KIM
Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea

MEESIK LEE
Seoul Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea

KYUNG WHA OH
Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea

ABSTRACT

Polyester filament yam fabric specimens, plain, twill, and satin with varying levels of
yam twist, are prepared to measure their luster properties. Images of the fabrics under
specific illumination and viewing angles are acquired for further luster characterization,
since the reflectance properties of the fabrics are highly angle-dependent. Along with the
image analyses, goniometric luster is analyzed at varying angles to support macrolevel
luster characterization. As yam twist increases, the luster unit size diminishes accordingly,
resulting in macrolevel gloss decreases. While conventional goniometric gloss measure-
ments represent the macrolevel luster properties of fabrics, detailed analyses of luster
images provide an explanation of the "quality" of fabric luster.

Characterizing the appearance of textile fabrics with a
wide range of surface textures is a fundamental problem
when assessing hand. The appearance of fabric surfaces
also relies on their luster. With the advent of new syn-
thetic fiber manufacturing technologies, polymer modi-
fication, and finishing methods, the luster properties or
optical characteristics of fabrics have become very subtle
in their variations. Luster is an important aesthetic prop-
erty of textile fabrics [9]. If a light beam impinges on a
surface, it may be reflected specularly as on a mirror
surface, diffusely in varying intensity as on a chalkboard
surface, or as a combination of both.
Thus, one important component of surface appearance
is the directional variation of reflectance. The dramati-
cally different appearance of satin and velvet, for exam-
’
Author for correspondence: Jong Jun Kim, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of
Clothing and Textiles, Ewha Womans University, 11-1 Daehyun-
Dong, Seodaemun-Ku, Seoul, 120-750, South Korea, Phone: +82-2-
3277-3102, Fax: +82-2-3277-2852, e-mail : jjkim@mm.ewha.ac.kr
ple,is mainly due to the reflectance distribution function
[8].Velvet consists of numerous yarns extending verti-
cally from a fabric base. When a ray impinges upon a
yarn, it can be reflected, absorbed, or transmitted. Inci-
dent light flux on velvet, in most cases, would not be
reflected toward the viewing direction, while that on
satin would be mostly reflected toward the viewing di-
rection.
In recent years, a number of studies of computer
representations of woven fabric structures have been
reported. Lin and Newton [5] used cubic B-splines,
which employ piecewise cubic curves to approximate a
set of control points. Lau et al. [4] reported modification
of polyester by irradiation with an excimer laser and its
effects on the surface luster, wettability, dyeability, and
stability of the resulting microstructures of the fiber
surface. The laster treatment decreased glossiness in the
range of 25 to 85° for the weft direction and 40 to 85° for
the warp direction, but it increased that parameter in the
range of 5 to 25° for the weft direction and 5 to 40° for

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the warp direction. This indicates that glossiness-receiv-
ing angle curves become flatter and resemble those of the
silk fabric samples they used in their study. Dai et al. [3]]
proposed a simulation of worn-out cloth textures that
potentially involved complicated and hard-to-predict sur-
face textures. If the texture description and synthesis are
given in terms of complicated formulas and processes,
most users will not readily comprehend them and will
not use them. Therefore, they avempted another ap-
proach based on a stochastic system for simulating tex-
tures with nonsymmetrically distributed primitives. With
the advent of new synthetic fibers and fabrics such as
ultrafine fibers, microcrimp filament yarn fabrics, and
cross-sectionally modified filament fabrics, surface luster
and optical properties have become diverse. At the same
time, the study of natural luster properties of pure silk
fabrics at some microscale could lead to the development
of more sophisticated silk-like fabrics.
Visual information has always been a very important
means by which people have acquired vital information.
Image acquisition and analysis provide a numerical de-
scription of the structure, geometry, area, and percent of
a sample. In textile and related fields, many studies have
used image analysis systems to quantify and understand
the structures and morphological features of textile ma-
terials [2, 6]. The image analysis method can also be used
to analyze luster images of fabrics. For example, the
luster &dquo;quality&dquo; of a cotton fabric may be perceived as
different from that of a cotton-like textured synthetic
filament fabric, even if the glossmeter readings of the
two are the same. Luster quality could possibly be quan-
tified to some level with the aid of a microscale analysis
of fabric or yarn luster under specific illumination con-
’
ditions.
In this study, we investigate the effects of weave types
[ 10], plain, twill, and satin, and varying levels of yam
twist on fabric luster. We measure the luster-related
parameters of the fabric specimens and analyze them
with a glossmeter and a CCD camera system coupled with
a personal computer. For ongoing research, the results
from this experiment can be further analyzed and related
to rendered three-dimensional models [ I I ] based on sim-
plified yarn [7] and weave structures in order to develop
a specific understanding of the contribution of yarn twist
and weave structures to the luster of filament yarn fab-
rics. z
Experimental
Fabric sample preparation: Polyester filament yarn
fabrics, plain, twill, and satin weave, were prepared in
order to measure their luster properties. Polyester 75
denier/36 filament draw-textured yarn for warp and
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73
75/36 BY Hat filament yarn for filling were employed to
prepare the specimens. Table I shows the weave types
and twist levels (ppm, twists per meter) of filling. Grey
fabric samples were boiled off for 20 minutes and dried
afterward on a tenter frame. -
TABLE I. List of samples.
aP =
plain, T twill, S = satin (P_400 represents
=
plain weave
specimen with 400 twists per meter filling).
Gloss measurement: A goniometric glossmeter [I]J
(Tokyo Denshoku, Japan) used to measure the ma-
was
crolevel luster values of the fabric samples. The gloss-
meter has one photosensor connected to an amplifying
circuit in the measuring unit. Thus, one measurement
provides one value of reflectance. The incident light
angle can be varied up to 85°, and the receiving angle can
be varied from 0 to 85°. The equipment was calibrated
with a black glass standard. Each fabric specimen was
mounted on a square-shaped slot on the top plane of the
instrument. Gloss is associated with the capacity of a
surface to reflect more light in some directions than in
others. The directions associated with specular reflection
normally have the highest reflectance values. Measured
gloss ratings by this test method are obtained by com-
paring the specular reflectance from the specimen to that
from a black glass standard.
Image analysis of fabric sample luster: For microlevel
measurements of fabric luster, a cCD camera (640 x 480
pixels) connected to a frame grabber interface card
was
in a personal computer. A unit pixel of the CCD element
acts as an individual photosensor, as in the goniometric
glossmeter, even though the size is quite minute. A
sample fabric for image acquisition was illuminated with
a fiber optic light guide at a certain distance. The small
aperture size of the light guide was assumed to be a point
light source. The optical axis of the CCD camera and lens
unit could be tilted to form the specific angle needed for
a measurement. The fabric specimen was mounted on a
rotating platform, which was coupled with a vertical
 74

translation stage and a two-axes translation stage. These

were placed on an anodized aluminum breadboard for
optical instruments. Image acquisition and analysis were
implemented by a commercial image analysis program,
Global Lab Image/2 (Data Translation, U.S.A.). The ROI
(region of interest) tool used to select an appropriate
portion of the acquired fabric image had a rectangular
shape of 400 x 200 pixels, which was smaller than the
acquired image, since some portion of the image taken at
a tilted viewing angle was out of focus due to the skew
of the CCD plane and the focal plane.
.
The blob analysis tool of the image analysis program
performs operations on an input image. Given an input
image, it finds all blobs within the image when the pixels
meet the threshold requirement. All identified blobs are
treated as independent luster objects with an identifying
number attached. The thresholding function of the blob
analysis tool was used to create and select a binary image
from the gray scale image. The area of a blob was
calculated as the number of pixels per individually iden-
tified blob object in the ROI. The percent area of the
lustrous objects in a sample image represents the ratio of
the total luster objects in an image to the whole area of
the square image.

FIGURE l. Reflection from fabric samples (a) with varying incident

.

Results and Discussion angles (twist 0, twill), (b) with varying levels of twist (incident angle
30°. satin).
GOIYIOMETRIC GLOSS MEASUREMENT

Figure 1 a shows the reflection from the surface of a
twill fabric of zero twist filament yarn. The peak reflec-
tion values generally develop in the vicinity of corre-
sponding incident angles. Due to the complex nature of a
filament yarn fabric surface, including the presence of
filament twists, crimps, porosity, and weave structures,
the peak reflection angles of the fabrics do not necessar-
ily coincide with the incident angles exactly as those of
the flat surface materials would, and the shapes of the
curves are rather broad. With the twill sample (twist
zero), the reflectance value curve of Inc30 is positioned
on the top, and the Inc45 curve is next to it. The Inc60
curve is positioned as the lowest reflectance. Figure 1 b
shows the reflections from the surfaces of satin fabric
samples with different levels of filling yarn twists. As the
twist level increases, the reflection values generally tend
to decrease. The highly twisted specimen, S_2200 (satin,
2200 twists per meter), shows a rather flat curve com-
pared to the rest of the specimens with the change of
receiving angles from 0 to 85°. This implies that the
change in the viewing position of the S_2200 twisted
specimen does not have a greater impact on the reflec-
tance pattern than change in the viewing position does4on
less twisted specimens.
’.
IMAGE ANALYSIS OF FABRIC SAMPLE LUSTER
While the goniometric gloss measurement represents
macroscale luster properties, or information about the
quantity of luster, a detailed analysis of fabric luster
images provides an explanation of the quality of the
luster. Due to the complex nature of filament yam fab-
rics, such as fiber cross-sectional shape, fiber material,
yam twist, number of filaments, yam bulkiness, etc.,
luster-related parameters could better be determined by
microscale examination, including determination of the
size of each luster unit on a fabric or yam based on the
reflection intensity and the distribution of the luster unit
size on the fabric. The luster unit size was determined as
follows:
Figure 2 shows threshold-binary coded images of lus-
ter size distribution across the sample fabrics. For clarity,
the luster objects are represented in black on a white
background. Because sample S-0 weft filament yams
have no twist, they lie flat compared to other yam types.
Thus, individual luster objects of the S-0 sample are
larger in area than those of the others shown in b-d, and
the S-0 fabric specimen appears bright and lustrous to
the naked eye. As the twist level increases, the overall

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FIGURE 2.Threshold-binary images’of fabric luster, (a) S-0,
(b) S_400, (c) S_1200, and (d) S_2200 (incident angle 30°).
shape of the luster
objects become narrower and longer,
leading finally tocollections of separated small luster
objects, as shown in d, which emit a subtle and subdued
luster to the naked eye.
Figure 3 shows the histogram of the luster objects
classified according to their sizes in pixels. As the twist
level increases, the frequency of the small luster objects
increases, while the frequency of the larger luster objects
decreases, such as the object at 2821 or that at f621 of (a)
S-0. The histogram of S_2200 shows the frequency at
121 pixels reaches 55 or more occurrences.
Table II shows the percent area of the sum of luster
objects in each fabric sample image at various incident-
receiving angle combinations. In sample T 0, the aniso-
tropic nature of the luster is readily evident. The asterisk
indicates that the sample’s filling direction is parallel to
the incident beam-receiving sensor plane. The value of
60-0 is 1.92 and that of 60-0* is 0.15, so the ratio
between the two values is almost 13. With the other
ob~ervation combinations, the effect is not prominent.
Downloaded from trj.sagepub.com at Hanyang University Central Library on September 13, 2016
75
FIGURE 3. Histogram of luster unit size (in pixels)
of satin fabric: S-0, S_1200, and S_2200.
Generally, a higher twist level decreases the percent area.
For example, the percent area values of the sum of the
lustrous areas of sample P_2200 range from 0.09 to 2.31,
while those of P 0 range from 0.46 to 7.53.
Figure 4 shows the distribution of frequency times
luster size. Compared to the histogram plots of Figure 3,
we could readily judge the effect of larger luster size
visually. In a, we found that the satin fabric sample with
no twist, S-0, has a larger luster size than the others at
2821. For example, S_400 has a peak at 1921, while the
highly twisted S_2200 has a peak at 121. The luster of
sample S-0 arises mainly from luster objects of rather
larger size, while S_2200 sample’s luster characteristics
76

TABLE II. Percent area of the sum of luster units in fabric sample images.

’ b
TPM =
twists per meter. 60-0: the first number represents incident angle; the second receiving angle. *
Asterisk indicates the
sample’s filling direction is parallel to the incidence-receiving plane.

FIGURE 4. Frequency x luster size distribution of fabric

samples, incident-receiving angles of 30-0, (a) satin, (b) twill.

result from smaller luster objects. With this (frequency

X luster) size distribution plot, it would be
possible to
interpret the quality of luster properties by interpreting
subjective evaluation results in the future. In b, the gen-
eral trend is that the luster size range of the twill sample
is much narrower than that of the satin sample shown in
a. That is, the twill samples have less lustrous
properties
than the satin samples as a whole. T 400 has high peaks
at 700 and 450 luster size. The highly twisted sample of
T 2200 shows a prominent peak at 121. Thus, this sort of
distribution plot (frequency times luster size) might help
us to interpret luster quality.. I rection parallel to the incident-receiving plane and those
Figure 5 shows the relationship between TOM (twists
per meter) and percent area of the sum of luster objects
in the fabric samples along with changes in incident and
receiving angles. In a, the receiving angle is 0° to the
normal. The percent area values of 30% incident angle
FIGURE 5. Relation between TPM and percent area of the sum of luster
objects in the fabric sample, satin, (a) receiving angle 0°, (b) receiving
angle 30°.
measurements are generally higher than those of 60°
measurements. With incident angles of 60° on the sam-
ples of 500 and 0 TPM, the anisotropy is most pro-
nounced, between the measurements with the filling di-
with the warp direction parallel to the incident-receiving
plane. As the twist level increases, both the percent area
and anisotropy decrease. In b, the receiving angle is 30°
to the normal. In this case, the anisotropy between the
warp and filling directions is not significantly high.

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Conclusions
,
_
We have analyzed plain, twill, and satin weave poly-
ester filament yam fabric samples with varying levels of
yarn twist and characterized them using a goniometric
glossmeter and image analysis methods after acquiring
images under specific illumination and viewing angles.
Due to the anisotropic nature of fabric luster, it is nec-
essary to analyze it at various angles.
As yarn twist increases, the luster unit size diminishes
accordingly, resulting in macrolevel gloss decrease. In
addition to the conventional gloss measurements at vary-
ing angles, detailed image analysis complements
luster characterization with a microscale luster assess-
ment. While the conventional goniometric gloss mea-
surement represents the macrolevel luster properties of
fabrics, a detailed analysis of fabric luster images with
CCD cameras provides an explanation of the quality of
fabric luster.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by grant no. RO l -2000-
00397 from the Basic Research Program of the Korea
Science and Engineering Foundation. We appreciate the
provision of fabric specimens by Hyosung Corp.
Literature Cited
1. ASTM D539, Standard Test Method for
1998.
Downloaded from trj.sagepub.com at Hanyang University Central Library on September 13, 2016
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Manuscript received June J 2. 2002; accepted April 24. 2003.