Material Testing

Fabric Properties
 Count of warp/weft
• Identify the warp by locating the selvedge
• Measure a set length say 10 cm on the warp way.
• Remove a given number of warp from the
measured length, say 10 ends.
• Therefore full length will be 10 cm x 10 ends = 100
cm. Measure the weight of the 10 ends. With
weight and length count can be calculated.
• Do the same for weft
 Ends/picks per cm
• Identify the warp by locating the selvedge, The
warps will be running parallel to the selvedge.
• For ends per cm, mark a section of the fabric
and using a magnifying glass count the
number of ends per cm. This will give the
ends/cm
• Repeat for weft, being the yarns perpendicular
to the warps to get the picks/cm.
 Fabric Crimp
Defination: difference between the straightened
thread length and the distance between the ends
of the threads while in the cloth.
-usually expressed as a percentage, and is given as
either warp or weft crimp
 Measurement of Fabric crimp
-select the warp or weft way of the fabric.
- select the test length of the yarn ( L0 )
- According to test length cut the sample of fabric.
-Remove the yarns from the fabric sample
- Measure the new length ( L1)
- Now from this two lengths crimp percentage is calculated from the
given formula.
-In this way at least 10 crimp percentage for warp and
10 for weft is taken and average crimp percentage is calculated from
them.
 BREAKING STRENGTH
• Breaking strength is the force required to break a
fabric when it is under tension (being pulled).
• Breaking elongation is the increase in length that
has occurred when the fabrics breaks.
 BREAKING STRENGTH
• Mainly used for woven fabric because the tests are
unidirectional and woven fabrics have
unidirectional yarns.
• Factors that produce a strong fabric include fiber
content, yarn size and type, weave, and yarns per
inch.
• Breaking strength is expressed in Newtons and the
elongation is expressed as a percent and in both
cases a number of warp tests and weft test are
performed.
 IMPORTANCE OF BREAKING STRENGTH
TEST
• Breaking strength is important in various end uses
such as automotive safety belts, parachute harness
and pants.

• Breaking strength can also be used to test the

effects of destructive forces upon a woven fabric
including sunlight, abrasion, laundering etc.
 TEARING STRENGTH
Tearing strength is the force required to continue a
tear or rip already stated in a fabric.
• This test is used mainly in woven
fabrics because the test is
unidirectional and woven fabrics
have unidirectional yarns.
• A number of tear strength test is
carried out and the average is
taken to determine the tear
strength.

• Tearing strength is expressed

either in pounds or grams.
 BURSTING STRENGTH
Bursting strength is the amount of pressure required to rupture a fabric.

• In this test, the testing force is applied radially and not in one
direction as in breaking or tearing strength tests.
• Fabrics like knits, felt, non woven, lace and netting are usually tested
in this manner because these fabrics either do not have yarns or yarns
are not in any given direction.
• The bursting strength is expressed in Newtons.
Bursting strength
 Fabric bursting strength cont.
• Fabric bursting strength can be measured by using
hydraulic bursting strength tester.
• The specimen S as shown in the fabric bursting strength
tester, is clamped by a ring over a thin flexible rubber
diaphragm D, which is itself clamped over a circular hole
in the upper face of a reservoir.
• The liquid used may be water or glycerine. The hydraulic
pressure is increased by valves or screw driven piston
and the diaphragm expands taking with it the specimen.
At some point the fabric bursts, the pressure being
indicated by the gauge G.
 PILLING PROPENSITY
Pilling is the formation of small balls of fibres called pills on
the surface of the fabric.
• Pilling occurs only when there is
rubbing or an abrasive action on the
surface of the fabric.
• Pilling usually occurs during normal
wear and also while clothes are in the
dryer
• Evaluation should be made taking into
account the size, number, and visibility
of the pills as well as the type and
degree of other surface change.
 PILLING PROPENSITY
After each test, each of the specimen is first evaluated for pilling usually
on a 5-4-3-2-1 pilling scale, then surface appearance is evaluated both
for colour change as well as for fuzz.

An average of ratings is usually taken as a result.

 AIR PERMEABILITY
Air permeability is the rate of air flow through a material
under a differential pressure between two fabric surfaces.
This property is important for a wide range of textile
applications.
With some products like curtains high air
permeability is required and for other
products like parachutes and gas filters air
permeability required is very less.
Air permeability

• A-suction pump
• B-Bypass valve
• S-Sample,
• C-Valve
• D-Draught gauge,
• R-Rotameters
 Air permeability cont.
• Air at 25 ± 20C and 65±2 % RH thro’ the test specimen S by
means of a suction pump A, the rate of flow being
controlled by means of the by-pass valve B and the series
valve C.
• Adjust air rate of flow to give a reading of 0 to 25 mm
head of water on a draught gauge D
• For fabrics of high resistance, open by-pass valve B which
supplies air to the pump directly.
• fine control is obtained by adjusting valve C.
• E is a reservoir which smoothes out any disturbances due
to the varying velocities of the streams of air drawn thro’
the various paths by the pump.
 Air permeability cont.
• When a steady reading is indicated on draught gauge the rate of
flow of air is read off one of the four rotameters R, selected
according to the permeability of the test specimen. The
rotameters are calibrated, at 200C and 760 mm of mercury to
indicate air flow in cubic centimeters per second and they cover
different ranges.
• The test area is 5.07 cm2, since a 1 inch diameter circle is
exposed when the specimen is clamped in the holder.
• From the readings on the rotameter either the air permeability
or the resistance can be computed.
• The average rate of flow from five specimens is calculated and
divided by 5.07 we obtain the air permeability of the fabric in
cubic centimeters per second at 1 cm head of water.
 VARIABLES WHICH AFFECT AIR
PERMEABILITY
Fiber content: more crimp, lower air permeability.

Yarn size: heavier yarns, lower air permeability.

Yarn Twist: less twist, less air permeability.

Fabric Thickness: thicker fabric, lower air
permeability.
Multiple layers: more layers, lower air permeability.
Fabric yarns per inch or stitches per inch: greater
density, lower air permeability.
ABRASION RESISTANCE
Abrasion resistance is the wearing away of any part of a material when
rubbed against any other material.

Garments that are made from

fibres that possess both high
breaking strength and abrasion
resistance can be worn often and
for a long period of time before
signs of physical wear appear..

Nylon is extremely high in abrasion resistance so it is used widely

in action outer whereas Acetate has poor abrasion resistance so it
does not last long when used for lining in jackets and coats.
 Fabric water spray tester
250 cm3 of water at 700F are
poured steadily into the funnel.
-some tapping to remove
unabsorbed water on the
sample
• The assessment of the fabric’s
water repellency is given by
the spray rating.
• Five tests should be made and
the nearest rating assigned to
each since no interpolation is
allowed. The mean of the five
rating is reported.
Water Repellency Tester
 Kawabata fabric testing System

• Assignment
 Bending Characteristics
• Principle of measurement of bending
characteristics:
• Cantilever principle: (Shirley Stiffness Tester)
• The horizontal strip of fabric is allowed to
bend like cantilever, index its own weight.