DEPARTMENT OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY,BENGALURU

FABRIC STUDY OF WOVEN AND KNIT

ASSIGNMENT 2:DEFECTS IN KNITS
SUBMITTED TO:
DR. RASHMI THAKUR
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DATE OF SUBMISSION :16/11/18

SUBMITTED BY:
SHWETA IYER (MFT/18/5)
NIKHIL GUPTA (MFT/18/23)
Copyright NIFT 2018
PRAGATHI (MFT/18/45)
 INTRODUCTION TO PRIMARY KNITTED FABRIC
PARAMETERS
Any deviation in the below parameters lead
to major changes into fabric:

1) Stitch Density

2) WPI and CPI

3) Loop length

4) gsm (Gram per square meter)

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 KNITTING DEFECTS

Unwanted fluctuation in Improper and

speed and tension of fluctuating take
yarn fed in knitting down tension

Wrong FAULTS IN Mixing up of

conditioning of KNITTING yarn packages of
yarn package MACHINE DUE TO: different lots

Improper setting of
Improper functioning of
knitting elements: feed
stop motion, cleaning
plates, needles, sinkers,
and lubricating devices
cams ,beds
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 COMMON KNIT FABRIC DEFECTS
YARN RELATED KNITTING MACHINE FINISHING RELATED
ELEMENT SETTING
RELATED RELATED
1.Barriness 1.Needle & Sinker 1.Drop Stitches 1. High Shrinkage
2.Thick & Thin lines Lines/vertical lines* 2.Yarn Streaks 2. Skewing
3.Dark or Light 2.Drop Stitches* 3.Barriness 3. Spirality
horizontal lines (due to 3.Bowing of Course 4.Fabric press off* 4. Surface Hairiness & Pilling
the difference in dye lines and 5.Broken Ends* 5. Tonal variation
pick up) creasing/Distorted 6.Spirality 6. Snagging (Sharp points in the
4.Imperfections stitches* dyeing machine or trolley)*
5.Fly Contaminations* 4.Broken 7. Fold Marks
6.Snarling needles/laddering* 8. Wet Squeezer Marks
7.Spirality 9. GSM variation
8.Holes and cracks* 10. Fabric Width variation
9.Grease/Oil stains or 11. Curling of S.J. Fabrics
Oil Lines*

Copyright NIFT 2018 * Indicates presence as physical swatches also

 YARN RELATED DEFECTS:
1) BARRINESS
• Horizontal Stripes or streaks
of uniform or uneven width,
visible in the fabric

• Formed due to both yarn and

machine related problems.

CAUSES
 High Yarn Tension
 Count Variation
 Mixing of the yarn lots
 Package hardness variation
REMEDIES
 Ensure uniform Yarn Tension on all the feeders.
 The average Count variation in the lot, should not be more than ± 0.3
 Ensure that the yarn being used for Knitting is of the same Lot
 Ensure that the hardness of all the yarn packages, is uniform, using a
hardness tester.

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 YARN RELATED DEFECTS:
2) LIGHT AND DARK BANDS
• Formed by yarn (variation in twist,
tension, count), cam setting (variation in
setting on different feeders) or fabric
take down (uneven/jerky)

• Formed due to yarn and machine related

problems.

CAUSES REMEDIES
 If yarn being used has yarn thickness variation  Use of good quality yarn and convey parameters to
during spinning. suppliers

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 YARN RELATED DEFECTS:
3) IMPERFECTIONS
• Imperfections are the occurrence of
knots, slubs, thick or thin yarns, and
neps in the fabric.

CAUSES REMEDIES
 If yarn being used has knots,slubs,neps  Use of good quality yarn and convey parameters to suppliers
or thick and thin places.

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 YARN RELATED DEFECTS:
4) FLY CONTAMINATIONS*
• Formed due to yarn related
problems like presence of dead
and foreign fibers.

CAUSES REMEDIES
 Presence of dead fibers & other  Use rich fiber mixing for the yarns, to be used for Knitting, in order
foreign materials, as in case of to have less dead fibers, appearing in the fabric.
staple fiber mixing .  Rigid control measures in the Blow Room to prevent the mixing of
 Dyed & other types of fibers flying foreign matters in the Cotton mixing.
from the adjacent Knitting  Segregate the Spinning & Knitting Machines, with Plastic Curtains
machines cling to the yarn being or Mosquito Nets, to prevent the fibers flying from the neighboring
used for knitting embedding into machines,.
grey fabric.

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 YARN RELATED DEFECTS:
5) SNARLS
• Snarls appear on the fabric surface, in the
form of big loops of yarn getting twisted, due
to the high twist in the yarn (Unbalanced
twist yarn).

CAUSES REMEDIES

 High twist in the yarn.
 Hosiery yarns are soft twisted.
 High twist in the yarn is the cause of snarling
which results in fabric defects due to needle
breakages.
 Ensure using Hosiery Yarns of the recommended
T.P.M. only.
 The yarn has a balanced twist, if it doesn’t tend to
rotate or turn, in the form of a snarl.Such yarn can be
used for Hosiery applications.

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 YARN RELATED DEFECTS:
6) SPIRALITY
 Formed as result of seams on both
the sides of the garment being
displaced from their position &
appear on the front & back of the
garment.

 Appears as twisted garment after

washing

CAUSES
 Twisting Torque as a result of the high
yarn T.P.M.
 Uneven Fabric Take down tension on the
Knitting machine.
 Unequal rate of Fabric feed on the
Stenter, Calendar & Compactor
machines
REMEDIES
 Use the Hosiery yarns of the recommended TPM level for
Knitting(Hosiery yarns are soft twisted, in comparison to the
hard Warp yarns)
 Fabric pull or the Take Down tension on both sides of the grey
fabric tube on the knitting machine, should be equalized.
 Ensure uniform rate of feed of the dyed fabric on both the edges,
while feeding the fabric to the Calendar, Compactor or Stenter
machines

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 YARN RELATED DEFECTS:
7) HOLES AND CRACKS*
• Formed by rupture of yarns due to weak yarn or
variation in machine settings.

• Another form is pin hole caused by improper tension

and same drive for knit and tuck stitches or curved
latch needle.

CAUSES
 Yarn itself : weak places, thick places, knots, high
coefficient of friction and improper moisture content.
 Settings of machine : Wrong feeder setting, tension
adjustment, too strong or jerky take down.
 Improper knit construction: by mismatched loop length
and take down or even an excess of tucks in successive
courses lead to yarn breaks.
REMEDIES
 Yarn strength must be sufficient to withstand
the stretch as well as uniform.
 Use proper count of yarn.
 Correctly set of yarn feeder.
 Knot should be given properly
 Uniform tension

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 YARN RELATED DEFECTS:
8) OIL AND GREASE STAINS OR OIL LINES*
 Fibers, accumulated in the needle tricks,
cause the oil to seep into the Fabric.

 Some lubricating oils are not washable &

cannot be removed during Scouring.

 Oil lines appear in the fabric, in the

lengthwise direction, even after dyeing.

CAUSES REMEDIES
 Fibers & fluff accumulated in the needle tricks,  Remove all the Needles & the Sinkers of the machine,
which remain soaked with oil. periodically.
 Excessive oiling of the needle beds.  Clean the grooves of the Cylinder & Dial of the machine
thoroughly with petrol.
 Blow the grooves of the Cylinder, Dial & Sinker ring,
with dry air after cleaning.

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 KNITTING ELEMENT RELATED DEFECTS:
1) NEEDLE AND SINKER LINES/VERTICAL LINES*
• Formed by damaged needles, needles of
wrong dimension or insufficiently
lubricated surface of needle shank.

• Sinker lines are very fine & feeble vertical

lines, appearing in the fabric.

CAUSES
 Bent Latches, Needle Hooks
& Needle stems/sinkers
 Tight Needles in the grooves
 Wrong Needle selection
(Wrong sequence of needles
put in the Cylinder or Dial)
REMEDIES
 Inspect the grey fabric on the knitting machine for any Needle lines.
 Replace all the defective needles/sinkers having, bent latches, hooks or
stems.
 Remove the fibers accumulated in, the Sinker/Needle tricks (grooves).
 Replace any bent Needles/sinkers, running tight in the tricks.
 Check the Needle/Sinker filling sequence in the Cylinder / Dial grooves
(tricks).

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 KNITTING ELEMENT RELATED DEFECTS:
2) DROP STITCHES*
• Formed as result of needle not
catching the fed yarn and holes.

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 DROP STITCHES CONTINUED…
CAUSES
 High Yarn Tension or yarn Overfeed or Underfeed
 High Fabric Take Down Tension
 Obstructions in the yarn passage due to the clogging
of eyelets, yarn guides & tension discs, with wax &
fluff etc.
 Defects like; Slubs, Naps, Knots etc.
 Incorrect gap between the Dial & Cylinder.
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REMEDIES
 Ensure uniform yarn tension on all the feeders,
with a Tension Meter.
 Rate of yarn feed should be strictly regulated, as
per the required Stitch Length.
 The fabric tube should be just like a fully inflated
balloon, not too tight or too slack.
 Eyelets & the Yarn Guides, should not have, any
fibers, fluff & wax .
 The yarn being used, should have no
imperfections, like; Slubs, Neps & big knots.
 The gap between the Cylinder & the Dial should,
be correctly adjusted, as per the knitted loop size
 KNITTING ELEMENT RELATED DEFECTS:
3) BOWING OF COURSE LINES AND CREASING*
 Bowing appears as rows of courses or yarn
dyed stripes, forming a bow shape, along the
fabric width

 Formed as result of uneven take down along

different wale lines whereby the unevenness
shows a periodicity.
CAUSES REMEDIES

 The nip pressure of the take down roller is high at  Bowing can be corrected by reprocessing the fabric
the center and diminishes towards the edges feeding it from the opposite end.
creating a backward bow result.  A special machine (MAHLO) is also available for,
 Similarly when the dial is set slightly inclined to the correcting the bowing in the knitted fabrics
horizon then loop lengths along a courses show
continuous variation, leading to slack and tight
zones creating a banana distortion .

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 KNITTING ELEMENT RELATED DEFECTS:
4) BROKEN NEEDLES/LADDERING*
• Defects caused by the broken needles
show prominently as vertical lines
parallel to the Wales.

• There are no loops formed in the Wale

which has a broken needle.

CAUSES REMEDIES

 High Yarn Tension
 Bad Setting of the Yarn Feeders
 Old & Worn out Needle set
 Cylinder Grooves are too tight restricting
needle movement
 Breakage of hook or butt in needle.
 Ensure uniform & the right Yarn tension on all the
feeders.
 Keep the recommended gap between the Yarn Feeders &
the Needles.
 Periodically change the complete set of needles.
 Remove fly or blockage from groove.
 Replace defective needle

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 MACHINE RELATED DEFECTS:
1) STREAKINESS
• Thin horizontal lines that appear at
irregularly spaced intervals and are of various
sizes.
CAUSES
 Yarn slippage on the pulley due to the yarn slipping
in & out from underneath the pulley belt due to a
tilted pulley.
 Worn out pulley belts, yarn guides & eyelets
 Faulty winding of the yarn packages
 Yarn running out of the belt on the Pulley.
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REMEDIES
• Ensure very smooth, clean & obstruction free
passage of the yarn, through the eyelets, yarn &
tension discs etc.
• No cuts or rough surfaces in the Porcelain
Eyelets, Yarn Guides & the Yarn Feeder holes
• Flawless winding of the Yarn Package (The yarn
coils should unwind smoothly without any
obstruction)
 MACHINE RELATED DEFECTS:
2) FABRIC PRESS OFF*
 Fabric press off appears as a big or small hole in the fabric
caused due to the interruption of the loop forming process
as a result of the yarn breakage or closed needle hooks.

 Press off takes place when the yarn feeding to both the short
butt & long butt needles suddenly stops due to the yarn
breakage.

 At times complete fabric tube can fall off the needles if the
needle detectors are not functioning or are not properly set.

CAUSES REMEDIES

• End breakage on feeders with all needles knitting. • Proper yarn tension should be
• Yarn feeder remaining in lifted up position due to which the yarn maintained on all the feeders.
doesn’t get fed in the hooks of the needles. • Needle detectors should be set precisely
to detect the closed needles & prevent
the fabric tube from completely pressing
off.

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 MACHINE RELATED DEFECTS:
3) BROKEN ENDS*
 Broken ends appear as equidistant prominent
horizontal lines along the width of the fabric
tube when a yarn breaks or is exhausted.

CAUSES REMEDIES

 High Yarn Tension
 Yarn exhausted on the Cones.
 Ensure correct yarn tension on all the feeders.
 Ensure that the Yarn detectors on all the feeders are
working properly.
 Depute a skilled & alert machine operator on the
knitting machine

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 FINISH RELATED DEFECTS:
1) SURFACE HAIRINESS AND PILING
• Surface hairiness appears in the form of excess
superfluous fibers on the surface which have
either been reprocessed or tumble dried.
• Pilling appears as small fiber balls formed on
the fabric surface due to the entanglement of
loose surface fibers
CAUSES REMEDIES
 Abrasion due to the contact with rough surfaces  Avoid using the Tumble Dryer.(Control shrinkage by
 Excessive surface hairiness caused due to the maximum fabric relaxation & over feed in the
abrasive tumbling action (Fabric friction in the processing)
Tumble Dryer)  Regularly inspect the fabric contact points on all the
 Rough Dyeing process & abrasive machine surfaces machines for any rough & sharp surfaces.
(Soft Flow Machine tubes, Tumble Dryer drum etc.)  Avoid repeated reprocessing of the fabrics.
 Reprocessing of the fabric is also a major cause of  Use anti pilling chemical treatments for the fabrics
piling. prone to pilling

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 FINISH RELATED DEFECTS:
2) SNAGGING*
 Snagging appears on the knitted fabric surface
as a pulled up yarn float showing up in the
form of a large loop.

CAUSES REMEDIES

• Caused by the pulling or the plucking of yarn from • Inspect & rectify the fabric contact points on all the
the fabric surface by sharp objects. machines (Soft Flow Dyeing, Tumble Dryer &
Centrifuge) on which snagging is taking place.

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 FINISH RELATED DEFECTS:
3) HORIZONTAL LINES/YARN STREAKS
• Thin horizontal lines that appear at irregularly
spaced intervals and are of various sizes.

CAUSES REMEDIES

 Irregular tension on cams  Check cams positioning

 Fault in bobbin  Replace that bobbin

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
• https://stitchdiary.com/classify-fault-defects-knit-fabric/

• file:///C:/Users/CFDM/Downloads/10.5923.j.textile.201605001.pdf

• https://textilestudycenter.com/knitting-faults-in-fabric/

• https://tohproblemkyahai.com/fabric-defect-causes-remedies

• http://www.slideshare.net/OliyadEbba/faults-remediespreventive-measures-in-knitted-fabric-dyeing
http://www.slideshare.net/88azmir/fault-of-knitted-fabrics

• http://www.slideshare.net/sheshir/an-investigation-on-the-inspection-of-grey-finished-knit-fabric-in-wet-
processing

• http://textilecollection.blogspot.in/

• https://shosh101.files.wordpress.com/

• https://nptel.ac.in/courses/116102008/14

• Knitting Technology by David J Spencer,Elsevier

• Quality Assurance for textiles and Apparel by Sarah J Kadolph, Pearson Publications

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 THANK YOU

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