05-11-2020

Weft Knitted Structures

Session Outcomes
• Draw line, symbolic and schematic diagrams of the weft knit
structures.
• Describe the preparation of the various weft knit structures.
• Explain the features and applications of the weft knit structures.
• Compare various weft knit structures.

• Plain, rib, interlock and purl are the four basic weft-knitted structures.
• all other weft-knitted structures can be derived from these basic structures.

• Plain structure is made on a single bed machine whereas the other three are
made on double bed machines.

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• But the arrangements of needles in the two beds are different for obtaining rib,
interlock and purl structures.
• Plain is made of only face loops or back/reverse loops whereas rib, interlock
and purl are made of both face loops and back loops.
• The first double jersey fabric structure in 1755. was 1 × 1 rib.
• Subsequently, double jersey machines were developed with modified needle
gating for knitting interlock and purl structures.
• Double jersey machine with rib gating produces rib structures only.
• But double jersey machine with interlock gating can be converted to rib gating.
• Double jersey purl knitting machines are capable of producing plain or rib if
needed.
• On account of presence of two needle beds, the knitting process is complicated
but offers higher possibility of manufacturing wide variety of structures
required in various end uses.

Features of Plain single jersey

1. Machine has only one bed which may be flat or
circular. There is only one set of needles and
one cam system in the machine.
2. Minimum one yarn is needed to produce a
fabric.
3. Single-faced structure, i.e. only one type of
loops – Face or Back – are visible on the surface
(Fig.).
4. Loops are V-shaped on technical face and semi-
circular on technical back of the fabric.
5. Because of side limbs of the loops on the face
side, it feels smoother on face side than back
side.

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6. Knitted loops tend to distort easily under tension which help to give form
fitting and comfort.
7. Fabric shortens in width if the same is extended in length by tension and
vice-versa.
8. Fabric has good extensibility in both length and width direction but width-
wise extensibility is generally much higher than length-wise extensibility.
8. Yarn /course can be unroved from starting and ending end of knitting.
9. Fabric curls at the free edges on flat surface due to the unbalanced yarn
bending moment.
10. Because of stitch simplicity, production rate is high and machine is simple
and cheap.
11. Stitch length can be varied with stitch cam setting.
12. Fabric shrinks in width/circumference and the extent of shrinkage is about in
the range of 25–40%.

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13. Courses per inch and wales per inch in the fabric
inversely vary with loop length.
14. Properties like rigidity, air permeability, bursting
strength, etc. and GSM of the fabric change with
change in loop length.
15. Laddering takes place; laddering means disintegration
of loops due to breakage of yarn as the intermeshed
loops.
16. Fabric thickness is approximately two times the
diameter of the yarn used.
17. Sinker top machine is very common.
18. Common gauge is 16–28 for circular machines and 5–
12 for flat machines.

Features of Rib Structure

1. Machine has two beds – may be flat or circular.
2. There are two sets of needles – one in each bed.
3. There are two cam systems – one in each bed.
4. Needles in the two beds are not face to face but
needles in one bed are in between the needles of the
other bed so that they do not touch while raised for
clearing.
5. Rib fabrics are double-faced structures as well as
balanced structures. Both face loops and back loops are
visible on both the sides of the fabric, and fabric has
identical appearance in face and back.
6. Each course is made of face loop and back loop in alternative order, the order
may be 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, 6×3, etc.
7. Fabric surface is vertically corrugated or ribbed.

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8. Fabric is much thicker, generally double, than single jersey fabric.

9. Fabric has good extensibility in length direction, but the width-wise
extensibility and the recovery are much higher than single jersey fabric
which makes it suitable for neck collar, hand cuff, waist band, etc.
10. Fabric surface is rough or harsh in feel.
11. Fabric does not curl at the free edges.
12. Fabric can easily be unroved from the end last knitted.
13. Loop length can be changed by varying dial height or vertical gap between
two beds and timing of knitting in addition to stitch cam setting in both the
beds.
14. Rib machine requires finer yarn and results in comparatively costly fabric.
15. Simplest needle gaiting is 1×1 but other combinations like 2×2, 3×3, 6×3,
etc., are also possible.
16. Minimum one yarn is needed to produce a fabric.

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Feature of Interlock structure

1. Machine has two beds. Machines may be flat or
circular, but generally circular.
2. There are two sub sets of needles in each bed, the
sub sets are known as short needles and long
needles, respectively.
3. Two sets of cam system, i.e. cam path in each bed
accommodate short and long needles of the
corresponding beds.
4. Needles in two beds face each other – short
needles in one bed face the long needles in the
other bed and vice versa.
5. Short needles in one bed make loops in
conjunction with short needles in the other bed,
similarly long needles in one bed make loops in
conjunction with long needles in the other bed.

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6. Separate yarns are to be supplied to the short needles and long needles for
loop formation through separate feeders.
7. Short needles and long needles don’t make loop simultaneously but with a
time gap.
8. Loops made by one set of needles are locked by the loops made by the other
set of needles.
9. Each interlock course is composed of two rib courses.
10. Minimum two yarns are needed to produce a fabric.
11. Fabric has double faced as well as very stable structure.
12. Fabric surface is smooth.
13. Fabric is equally thicker to rib but much more compact.
14. Fabric neither curls nor ladder.
15. Like rib, interlock can be made of different combination of needle gaiting.

16. Interlock fabric made from 2×2 needle gaiting is known as eight lock fabric,
as there are total eight loops in a unit of interlock loop.
17. Machine is complicated and costly.
18. Fabrics are dimensional stable, heavy and costly.

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Features of Purl Knitting

1. Machine has two beds. Machines may be
flat or circular.
2. There is only one set of needles which
change the bed in alternative knitting
cycle.
3. Needles are of special type; generally
double hooked latch needles are used.
4. Needles are shifted from one bed to
another bed with the help of sliders. Two
sliders are needed for each needle.
5. Same needle makes face loop in one bed
and back loop in other bed.

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6. Alternative courses are made of all face loops and all back loops. As a result
each wale is made of face loop and back loop in alternative order.
7. Fabric has horizontal corrugation or rib appearance on the surfaces, i.e.
opposite to rib fabric.
8. Fabric is reversible in appearance and has soft handle.
9. Fabric has very high extensibility in length direction, making it suitable for
kids wear.
10. Fabric does not curl at the edges because of alternate face and back loop
courses.
11. The knitting sequence or needle gating can be changed to produce rib and
plain structures on one hand, and derivatives like moss purl, basket purl,
etc., on the other.
12. Machines are very rare.

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Some popular extended double jersey fabrics

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